Speciale Collectability

It's quite funny to associate turbochargers to a difference between analog and digital - the 458 Speciale has a DCT gearbox and a load of electronics, not exactly old school. In that nostalgic direction, a manual 355 would be a better choice for me; obviously at the expense of performance.

 

Funny thread period. Collectability primarily involves not driving the car claimed to be so "great to drive" so the new higher performing turbos won't make the cut for collectables as most will all be too high mileage. Go figure.

 

4500 miles on my Speciale and climbing.
Life is a depreciating asset.

 

agreed, more referring to the NA power plant compared to what is out now, and what is to come.

 

Love that quote ... I'm going to use it

 

I think turbos are a great thing and definatly make the car faster ... I just feel that the car has to offer more than just speed because what happens when you don't have an open stretch in front of you and ou can not exploit that performance? I love driving my 458 spider with top down even when I'm doing 30 mph and listening to that beautiful sound and looking at all the beauty in front of me and all around me. My 458 may not be as fast as a 488 but I can keep up. And a 488 is not as fast as some other cars but it can keep up with them as well. It's all good folks.

 

I own several Ferrari (from the epic tdf to the glorious F50 etc) but my Speciale coupe remains the car of choice if I want the ultimate long-distance driving experience. I've yet to find a car that combines the agility, power and character of the 458S. I have a Pista coming but will definitely keep the 458S. Will be interesting to see how the two compare.

Is the 458S collectable? You bet.

 

Not sure I agree here...we may have a different scale for “not driving”. Am I going to put thousands of miles on my Speciale a year? No, however I will drive it and enjoy it. Does it really matter how many miles that translates into? Collectible to me encompasses and includes much more than just an odometer reading as the cars character and attributes need to be paramount.


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Agree


Sent from my 16M

 

When I think of "collectability" I don't associate it with how much I can sell it for; but rather, how much would I have to pay to replace the experience I am getting with the car should I no longer have it.
So, if more modern cars become more sterile, and thus lose an experience I greatly enjoy...how much would I PAY to recapture that experience?
If I could pay for something to recreate it and it is less than the value of my car I would sell my car and buy that cheaper one instead.
If on the other hand I would have to pay more than what I already paid for the car I will keep it and enjoy driving it.

Investments...for me those are biotech stocks, etc.

In short I view my Speciale as the greatest of the 458 series, which in turn was probably the greatest V8 Ferrari series ever made (IMO).
There isn't a V8 car in the World ever made that would knock the Speciale off my personal pedestal; it does just about everything superbly as a total package.
There are individual cars that surpass it in some respects however:
It is not a convertible, so on a beautiful sunny day my 458 Spider is "better."
My 16M is more raucous and loud and "old school" when I want to scratch that itch.
My F12 has that magic-carpet-ride and class that a Ferrari V12 has; that no V8 can hope to replicate.
In terms of investment potential there are others that surpass; the F40 to name one.

But...again...overall...the Speciale is the total package that does more than any one other individual car can do, anywhere, anytime.

 

Well said!

 

F40 long term.

 

Isn't it all mostly cyclical and dependent on respective timeframe of ownership (also assuming cars are being driven)?

I bought my Rosso Corsa on Rosso CS on the secondary market for $120K, only had 2ish K miles on it. Sold with 16ishk miles for $159K.
I bought my Rosso Corsa on Nero Scud on the secondary market for $202K, only had 890 miles on it. Currently at 15k miles...

What are they worth in 2018 w comparable miles?
CS, $170-180K
Scud, $190-200K

Personally, neither seems to have appreciated significantly for my timeframe of ownership and enjoyment. Obviously, if the car has little to no miles accrued after all these years, they will command quite a premium.

CS, 1-5k miles, $240-280K
Scud, 1-5k miles, $250-270K

To own and then not drive a personal toy for more than a decade only to collect $50-100ishK at the end of it all feels monumentally ungratifying for me personally. Maybe if I bought multiple examples, put them in cold storage and it was my full-time job then maybe it will be worthwhile...

 

I believe how someone enjoys their Speciale, or Ferrari in general, is up to them. If you want to put mileage on it and it puts a smile on your face then do it. On the other hand, if you like to share your car at shows every Saturday morning and the drive there is 15-40 miles and both the limited drive and time with other car people and spectators puts a smile on your face then do it. I also get a smile on my face walking into my garage and just seeing my Speciale...it is a beautiful piece of automotive art in my option. I personally have an “everything in moderation” approach which keeps the miles down but I get a ton of enjoyment and smiles from shows etc. Another result from this approach is I often get a high price when I sell due to low mileage and something equally as important, pride of ownership.


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I don't know. Cars are meant to be driven. I'm always far happier driving my Ferrari than looking at it or talking about it. Everything in moderation and to each their own but I would be a happier person I believe if I drove mine more than I currently have been doing. Money is meaningless as I traded or "lost" the cash when I gained the car. You can't take it with you.

 

Your choice, just enjoy it that is what matters.


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In that case, I’m not going!

 

Read the last 13 pages and look at the values of the Speciale coupes and apertas today. Only a few people guessed correctly that the apertas would be $1 million cars. And most people didn’t think that the Speciale coupe would ever be worth $1 million. But prices keep creeping up. I’m guessing that the Speciale coupe will one day be worth more than $1 million. And the aperta is already decidedly above $1 million.

I enjoyed reading this old thread. Let it serve as a reminder that time is the true judge — not a bunch of people guessing 7-10 years ago about where they thought something would be.

 

Not many people had the US putting 40% more dollars into the broad money supply in 2020/2021 on their bingo card, you are right about that. But seriously, of course these will be million dollar cars. One day someone is paying a million dollars for a hair cut!

But I'd say you are crazy if you think Speciale's are keeping up with the market. Since 4/4/14 the S&P 500 has returned 303%, (would be 350%, but orange man needs attention). No Aperta's or Speciale's are selling for 3x MSRP, let alone 3x MSRP + state taxes + registration + insurance + tires + etc.

Buy one and drive the **** out of it because you love it. Cars are not investments, they do not beat real investments over the long run.

 

I certainly never said a word about investments. Indeed, I don’t buy cars for investment purposes.

What I did say is that most people were wrong in this thread with their prognostications.

I will continue to drive my Speciale and enjoy it — regardless of where prices go.

 

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I don't mind that prices have gone up over 100% since I bought mine. But really it makes no difference anyway, as I'll never sell. If anything, I wish prices were lower, so I could buy another.