That means these cars willl be driven, instead of hidden away. Also it doesn't hurt that they're reasonably affordable.
I agree with you, drive by wire makes functions like ASR more advanced but I always turn mine off anyway. What I relate the e-gas feel to in a performance car is my 2014 M5, it offers 3 different settings with sport plus(most extream of the 3) just feeling like the throttle snaps open wider with less pedal travel and to me it lacks the intimacy of measuring the throttle opening with cable connected to a pedal.
Yes, I agree with you. I think that mine was somehow an optimistic statement. I would say that the electronics are kept at minimum on the 550 and that she is the last Ferrari to be offered only with a manual 'box. Quite frankly I see 100k a good value for this car. 200k? Yes, we all would like that but... Then it would mean that these fine cars would not be bought and driven by enthusiasts but by static collectors and last minute investors. Of course things may not be that extreme, and even at 200k most of us would probably drive them as now, but I saw what is happening here with F40s and I cannot help but notice that when they were in the 3-400k range, most owners would drive them and take them to track days. Now, I only see them at Sunday gathers as to most owners they are just too valuable. I hope this won't happen to 550 and F355s....
Jay- Unfortunately, if prices zoom, we would then see even more posts on value and appreciation and even fewer with any technical content. Mine is not for sale so prices are not too important to me. Probably just means my insurance would go up. Since mine is my daily driver, it would not affect how she is driven,
This has disappeared. Whenever someone looks at my 550 they nearly always make comment and are attracted to the beautiful gated gear shift. This has been long associated with Ferrari models of the past, and no longer available on any new Ferrari model. Besides the classic looks that are shared by both the 550/575 this is what has made the 550 more related to the Daytona than the 575 and more collectable than the 575. It is not about which drives better, or if the F1 is better than the gated shift. To me its about having a classic looking car with that gorgeous classic gear shifter that I can hear clicking as I change gears. Image Unavailable, Please Login
...wow, we are already again deep in the discussion F1 again manual shifter. Both have for sure their advantages, just personal taste and preferences. We will not find a solution on that, I'm quiet sure��.... Kind regards, Jürgen
Juergen, my intent is not to get into a F1 verses manual shifter discussion. As I stated in my post, it's NOT about which drives better, or is the F1 better than the gated. It's about how gorgeous the gated shifter looks.
.....completly agree, the open gate change looks georgeous, for me Ferrari has the nicest manual shift design ever used in cars. Fascinating with a long and impressive history. Would be worthwhile for an own tread "show me your shifters".... Kind regards, Jürgen (Juergen fits as well!)
Not exactly true - for many years the 250/330 4 seater were neglected, until recently prices have really come up. 365/400/412 have also come up, try find a good example and you will have to put down some serious money. I think a 456 6 speed in the right colors, condition, history, etc. will also command good money now.
There are also manual 575s out there, and roughly less 50% 575s overall than 550s. Beautiful picture, by the way. Kind regards, Nuno.
I agree. I'm not sure when the term "analog" started being abused this way with respect to cars, but it seems like a recent trend. It's an especially irksome misnomer because there really _are_ such things as analog cars, and you don't have to go back that far to find them.
Analog definition: "A physical object or quantity, such as a pointer on a dial or a voltage, used to measure or represent another quantity."
Not sure why folks get so upset about the "analog" or manual vs F1 discussion. Performance or convenience folks prefer the F1, while nostalgia folks prefer the 3 pedal experience. Drivers might opt for paddles, while collectors seem to opt for that funny little lever in the middle. Something for everyone... ;-)
Going back to the thread topic, in the UK, that small but significant market, there are plenty of 550s for sale at the moment. As many as 6 months or a year ago. Prices up, but not like Testarossa prices have gone up, and some decent looking cars there. Same with 575s, though 575 prices seemed to lag behind and then recently move up quicker. Offer prices.
Jay - it comes up in many threads. Someone starts with "what's more collectable..." and it goes on from there....
On the analog question, it is just an education issue. Folks think their Ferraris are analog and most Ferraris have not been analog for a long time. Not when there are two or three ECUs involved with getting in, adjusting the seat and opening the windows. Never mind about the Motronic ignition/injection, shock absorbers, hydraulic steering, ABS/ASR etc.
Thanks. Now I know the only analog car I had was my BBi. Ps I thought moderators would kick in more heavily and delete OTs or make sure users stayed on relevant topics. But... Never mind. And BTW I am good at OTs myself!
This is quite an interesting thread. Back in August 2013, I had the insane idea of selling my 550. An excellent German car, Rosso Corsa with black leather and red piping, 54000km, totally original paint, accident free, very decent service history but in need of a belt change. The car had not seen much use in the 6 years preceding the "on sale moment", hence my plan to sell it back then. In August 2013 there were plenty of 550s for sale on Mobile.de and AutoScout24.de, with at least 30-40 cars to choose from. I priced mine initially at 65k Euros, later on reduced it to a maybe more sensible 55k Euros, and probably would have accepted a close offer. I had zero takers. None. Zilch. Three or maybe four candidates emailed me, but none of them got back to me seriously interested. After one year, I took the car off the market and decided to put it back into storage. That was arguably my wisest decision in a very long time. ;-) Out of curiosity I looked at Mobile.de and AutoScout24.de today. Here are the stats. I have excluded the Barchettas and the SuperAmericas. These cars are located all over Europe, so not only Germany. Mobile.de 550: 10 cars. Price range: 69.900 Euros -- 99.000 Euros 575: 10 cars. Price range: 69.900 Euros -- 125.900 Euros AutoScout24.de 550: 12 cars. Price range: 49.500 Euros -- 149.000 Euros 575: 14 cars. Price range: 69.500 Euros -- 125.900 Euros Based on this, one can reasonably assume that supply has dwindled to a fraction of what it used to be 18 months ago. So why did my car not sell when I had it on the market? I don't know. Maybe back then the market for these cars was slow? Maybe supply was too high? Who will tell? Bottom line is that due to this I still have this wonderful 550 in my garage. The sensible accountant in me should probably put the car on the market now. This is not likely to happen, though. ;-) The plan is now to put the 550 back into service and drive it. Only time will tell if 550 prices will go further up, stabilise or maybe drop...
Thanks. Can you post a link to the 550 with the €149,000 asking price? I'm curious as to what makes it so special. Possibly WSR? Also, are some of the same cars listed on both sites? It seems unlikely that there are 46 550/575 available in Europe.
