Which V-12 will be highly desired

I can't say the 550 barchetta will be highly desired because it is highly desired and that likely will not change. It's a very sexy car. I see the V12s as the flagship, grand GT cars and I want one. I'm partial to the 4 seat cars and would love a 250 GTE but I don't think that will ever fall into my range so now I'm hoping a 456 will oneday be in my possession. My wife even likes the way it looks.

 

The 575 Superamerica I think will end up being a very collectable car.

The underlying 575 technology handles well through the corners, is very fast both in acceleration and top speed with its 533 hp V-12 engine, and, like most modern Ferraris, is basically a reliable car that has been designed to make maintenance easier.

It has all the high-end options on it that were available for the 575 and is a beautiful design.

Plus, the uniqueness of its rotating top makes it something truly special.
The best of both worlds - a quiet coupe when you want it and an open spider on good weather days.

The top has had its share of maintenance issues but people have figured out how to fix the struts, to be careful to reduce the chance of the electrochromic glass surface delamination, and the "battery power off/on trick" if it gets stopped halfway opening or closing.

Only 559 of them were built.

Price wise, they may get a little bit cheaper over the next 5 years but then I suspect they will slowly rise with escalating prices over the next 20 years.

Truly a great car.

Here's a pic of a blue one I found on the web.
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The 550 is basically a modern version of the Daytona, so i would say it will be more desired than the TR or 575. The manual gearbox will be a plus down the road.

 

I'm not a big convertible fan, but the SA is both beautiful and fast. Similar to the 348 vs. 355, I don't see a scenario where a 550 is worth more than an equivalent 575. So 575m will be more desireable than a 550 and 575 SA more than a 550 barchetta. IMO, of course.

 

The 575 has the same styling, nicer interior and improved mechanicals. Why would you pay more for an inferior version of the same car? Same reason I can't see the 348 being worth more than an equivalent 355, or a Testarossa being worth more than a 512TR.

If somebody put a 550 and 575m 6 speed in front of you, both same color combination, mileage and options and said pick one, would you pick the 550?

 

I agree with you that for the same options/color/mileage the 575 will most definitely be worth more than the 550. However most of the 575s are F1 transmissions so we don't know how the market will value those vs. the gated shifter in the future. Only time will tell.

Either way, I personally don't think the long term price gap between the 550 and 575 will be a huge one.

 

It very well could be, I know I wouldn't even consider an f1 equipped 355 when looking for my car. However, the rarity of the 575m 6 speed may make it the collectible one, if any of them ever are...

 

Most likely the Berlinetta Boxer will become highly sought after. They're just next in line in my opinion to start appreciating in value.

I don't see a 550 or 575 being more south after than the Berlinetta Boxer.

 

Now this I think is for sure.

There will come a time when manual cars will simply be rare and in high demand by enthusiasts. In 10 years NO ONE will make them.

Too bad my 355 is an F1. DOH!

 

Boxer is the easy answer.
IMO it should have already followed the Daytona except for the current depression.
Hand formed aluminum body over tubular frame.
BB was last of the carbed 12's.
Midengined.
Clamshells are just plain sexy.
Limited production thanks to Enzo's decision to snub the US market.

Really a slam dunk.

 

Carbed Boxers are the best bet, followed by the 575 and 550.

Of the Vintage front engine 12s, rough Series I 330 2+2s start at $80K and a nice one will easily top $100K; Series II 330s start at $100K. So much to all who laughed a decade ago.

Today, I could more easily afford a really nice 550 than a 330 4-headlighter comparable to my old one.

 

I think the one aspect missing in the discussion here is the iconic factor. The most iconic V12 Ferraris will be the most desirable ones. The problem with the 550/575 series is that they are not the icons of a generation like the Countach or the Testarossa were. In all fairness, the boxers aren't either in my opinion, again trumped by the Lambo, but over time and with the fact that the Daytonas are out of reach for most, the boxer took over the $100k spot.

If you also look at the muscle car market in the US with prices matching those of classic Ferraris, you realize that production numbers is absolutely not the only factor driving prices up. Sheer desirability is king, and in that arena the Testarossa has the edge over any V12 model that came afterwards.

So in 10 years, will Testarossas (and 512, M, etc) be worth more than 550/575s? IMO, yes. They'll take the $100k spot of the boxers. All that said, I'm not convinced yet that they'll ever go higher than that.

Bottom line is that I do believe because of their huge iconic status. TRs will be more desirable than 550/575s ten years from now (excluding superamericas and barchettas obviously).

Oh and please don't read a wishful thinking on my part because I own a TR! I intend to give it to my son once I'm too old to drive it, so I couldn't care less what happens to its value!

 

Other than the F50, Enzo and future such top of the line limited productions cars, I do not see any post Boxer Ferrari appreciating in value. The cars just got too complicated and Ferrari made way too many of them. The most one can hope for is they won't depreciate as fast and low as most other current luxury and sports cars do.

 

Yes. The front bumper and lights of the 575 are very weird looking, don't like it too much I'm afraid.

550 is one of my favourites though.

 

I agree. I think the 512 BBi was probably the end of line for the classic V-12s, and even those currently seem to be struggling to break out of the "used car" orbit into the collectible realm of the Daytonas, 330 GTC, etc.

 

The 550 is the last Ferrari design that really worked for me, although over the long term I think they're too complicated and common to be highly desired classics.

 

With the BBs being produced from 1973-1984, which one does everyone feel will become the most desirable?

- 365 GT/4 BB (387 built from 1973-76)
- 512 BB (929 built from 1976-81)
- 512 BBi (1,007 built from 1981-84)

*These numbers were taken from Forza, issue 114, December 2011.

 

I looked at them all before I pulled the trigger. About 2 years worth of "research" ( I tend to overanalize)

The 365 was the first and some claim the best because of the high RPM HP.
The BB IMO is/was the best because it had more torque and usable HP and was the last of the Carbed Ferrari's.
I used the carbed Countach vs injected Countach as a comparison.
That said there are few mint carbed Boxers because they were driven vs stored as the BBi's of the day were when that eras speculation took off.
BBi's are said to be the most practical.

I bought a BB.
As an investment I should have bought the 365 that I flew to Florida check in hand for even though the car was grossly mis-represented. $63k
Next time

 

I'm not 100% on this, but only ~3000 550's where made...less than 3 times the amount of F40s, and only 500 more than the Scuderia. Not that common in my opinion.

I think the 550 is just right on the balance with electrical involvement and mechanical. Nothing too complicated going on and not many electrical issues...