Seems the car may have departed this afternoon. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86S6FqdbDdM[/ame] >8^) ER Image Unavailable, Please Login
It deserves to be in the hands of an enthusiast being used on the road. In 20 years, will its 'story' really matter? I certainly don't think it will matter as much if it has been in enthusiast hands, well-maintained for the duration.
Nope. If repaired correctly, I think the "story" of this car will only add to its coolness in 20 years.
It looks to me like the US F50 pricing is 50% higher than the rest of the world, due to the limited initial number and inability to import. Any thoughts on how this plays out? i.e. In 7 years if I'm correct ? the DOT will allow private imports and this gap should close. Does this mean an EU F50 is a good buy and a US F50 is likely to come down? Obvioulsy 7 years is a long time to wait for someone who wants one but the price gap is pretty large... Or do I have it wrong?
Would be sooner than 7 years I think - the bigger hurdle is the EPA stuff and that expires at the 21 year mark, so 2016 for any Euro 1995 cars and so on thereafter. You'd still have to bring them into compliance with some DOT standards up until they are 25 years old, then it is open season. >8^) ER
Interesting first post JBob. I think you have it wrong, as history has already proven. The same type of suggestion you are making was made when the 288 GTO turned 25 years. Supposedly the USA would be flooded with 288 GTOs and all those waiting for their bargain ships to come in would at last be able to afford one. The passing of that benchmark had zero impact upon the numbers of GTOs in the USA, and values continued to climb worldwide. Ditto the F40 at the 21-year mark. The Tipo USA F50 is a limited series of 56 cars. It is different from the Eu/ROW spec F50 of which some 293 were made. Those Eu/ROW cars will always be worth less on the ground in the USA (although the value gap in Eu/ROW will close). Current USA values of F50s are simply a matter of those who can afford one saying with their wallets: "Hey, we think F50s are at least as valuable as Enzos. After all, they are rarer, and they are the last manual gearbox Ferrari Supercar".
Thanks Joe, aren't 288's pretty much the same price on both sides of the pond? Prior to the 21-25 yr point was there a pricing gap? Don't get me wrong, as an owner of an EU car I would love the price to rise to close to what they are selling for in the US - although I doubt I would sell it, but I might buy another I appreciate US spec will always trade at a premium in the US (economy permitting) but I would have thought the larger numbers overseas and big price differential would mean people in the trade (and the number of people involved in the exotic car business seems to double every day) would start importing and closing the gap. Look at the number of LHD classics in the UK - for a 20% discount people most people are prepared to accept a spec difference to own the car they want
Thanks Joe, I thought the 288 and F40 were pretty much the same price on both sides of the pond? Was there a price diffrential prior to their 21st year anniversary? I wasn't really watching? Don't get me wrong. As an owner of an EU car I would love the price to rise to that of US cars - although I doubt I would sell it so maybe I wouldn't, although I may buy another I accept the US car will always trade at a premium in the US, economy permitting, but I would have thought, given the low number in the US, the large price diffrential and larger number overseas that people in the trade (and there seems to be a doubling of people calling themselves classic car specialists everday) would start bringing them in. In the UK there are probably more LHD cars classics than RHD at the top end of the market. It seems people are quite happy to accept even a fairly significant spec difference to own the car they want at a 10-20%ish discount
A client of mine just reminded me that he was the original owner of this car, and had no idea of its subsequent adventures till he read this thread!
IF you believe that the value of USA F50's is accurately reflected by the recent auction results, then there is a massive gap between Euro and USA versions in terms of price. It is a pretty good arbitrage opportunity now because Euro versions should rise over time to close that gap. Given that people in Europe and Asia are beginning to ask $1MM for a Euro spec and Enzo's in the USA are testing prices well past $1.5MM, we have a number of people that believe these recent price spikes are real and sustainable. I personally prefer the Euro cars. You don't have stuff they added to the USA cars such as the side markers, the mouse rail seatbelts, and the tacked on center tail light. Of course, there is a slight advantage for weight and power as well. It's a much cleaner looking car. The fact that there are very few significant differences between US and Euro spec cars and the importance of these differences expires reasonably soon makes the Euros highly undervalued.
I hadn't thought of this until now... Since it was stolen, is it safe to assume the Algar F50 doesn't come with the rollbar parts to take the hardtop off?
Symbolic still has the Algar/FBI F50, and the asking price is apparently $849,980. Reasonable under the circumstances...? I can't really decide. >8^) ER
Agreed, Erik; same here. At the right price (and I'm still undecided what the "right" price it for this car) this would make a great car to drive the hell out of with zero guilt.
I just have some serious doubts about how the repairs were carried out. Cosmetically it may no longer show signs of ever being damaged, but I've seen a CGT repaired by a couple of guys who treated it like an old fiberglass repair and that is not how I'd want my F50 put back together. Would really want a parts list and photos of the repair process to determine what's hidden under the skin. If it was just a patch job - forget it. >8^) ER
