"Will Ferrari Keep Its Scarcity Premium?"

Yes, even if they doubled production to 14K per year. When I bought my 308 that was the second one I'd seen in real life.

 

Who really cares. Ferrari can make as many $300K cars as it wants and still retain exclusivity if only because of the scant few who can afford such things.

 

Maybe ramping up production will weaken some of the many competitors who are now emerging in the same segments

 

True, but $300K cars depreciate, and in the case of Ferrari you have basically an endless supply of low mileage 360s and F430s in the used car market. An F430 is now about the same price as an optioned up Porsche 991 Carrera (non-Turbo), and 360s are in Boxster S range. Those aren't cheap cars, but they're hardly exclusive. And yes, the 458 is faster, but the incremental performance is largely irrelevant. I think the old strategy of building slightly fewer than they could sell has been a winner for Ferrari.

 

I was reading an old Road & Track review of the 308 GTSi this morning which stated that Ferrari were on track to build 2,565 cars in 1981. The 308 would "account for 60 percent of that production."

The classic/vintage stuff, like your car, will always be scarce.

 

Just because they become less expensive does not mean they become less rare, they are still more rare than 911s and Corvettes; and therefore exclusive to the people that own them at the time.

 

Would you mind scanning that article and posting it?

 

Corvettes are VERY common - not a good comparison. 911s are scarcer, even around southern California, and there are definitely fewer Ferraris than 911s.

But the idea that you'll see only a handful of Ferraris in your lifetime no longer holds true. I had only seen one Ferrari in my life before I graduated high school back in... er, well, at the end of my senior year.

Also, modern Ferraris are as usable as any Porsche or Corvette, so that literally anyone who can drive a car can drive a Ferrari. I see a good supply of nearly new 360s/F430s and Californias, all with power steering, airbags, climate control, comfortable seats, a fair dealer network, etc. I.e., I see more Ferraris finding homes with people who aren't Steve McQueen or Gilles Villeneuve.

Just checked - it's from 1983, but it's a reprint in a tightly bound book (Brooklands' "Ferrari 308 & Mondial Ultimate Portfolio, 1974-1985") so probably won't scan well. Maybe I can snap it with my phone...

If you're interested in '70s-'80s Ferraris, it's still in print and available on Amazon. Pretty good reading for those of us who gave up on moving piles of old magazines from one house to the next.

 

+1

 

How do you guys reconcile the amount of cars and scarcity to data such as this?
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The trolls at Jalopnik have once again picked up on this thread.

Scum.

 

Thanks I'll check Amazon.


I wasn't comparing Ferraris to Vettes and 911s, Vettes and 911s are not rare. You tried to make the point that decreasing value has something to do with rarity, it does not; and of course we see more Ferraris, they are still making them.

 

What are they saying?

 

It depends on what you mean by "usable"? Ferraris have never been that difficult to drive per se, as compared to other marques of the same era. In the 50s and 60s there were a lot of new 3 pedal cars on the market, some of which had no power steering. However, a cost to maintain and repair of a Ferrai are much more expensive and there is still a very low percentage of Ferraris that are used as daily drivers which accumulate 100k+ miles in a 5 to 10 years time frame like many Porsches, Corvettes, M cars, ect... I drove a 993 for 107k miles in 5 years, and an e39 M5 for 1120k miles in 4 years with basically gas, oil changes, tires and brakes and very few repairs needed. I recall a new cat was needed in the M5 at around 75k miles and the radio was replaced under warranty in the 993 just a few months after I bought it. No engine, transmission or electrical issues. I did not experience that same reliability in the 6 Ferraris I have owned over ~25 years, even though I drove them far fewer miles, usually ~5k miles per year on average. So,until Ferrari can build a reliable car, they will not see much use as daily drivers IMHO.

 

Over a million miles on an M5 in 4 years... impressive!

Not to mention,... the need to be able to repair the car in 1-2 days when issues do arrive.

 

A) That has NEVER been an issue with Ferrari ever since its inception.

B) Ferrari sells new cars for millions of dollars. And classic Ferraris sell also for millions of dollars at auctions. There has never been such demand for a Ferrari, regardless of price. There are more millionaires out there than there were in the 60s and 70s, and cars sold like crazy back then. People pay millions nowadays too. It's a non starter. Put a 288 GTO on sale for 300 milion USD and it will sell. Exclusitivy doesn't run out.

Two crystal clear points Mr.Marchionne would have easily spotted if his head wasn't stuck up his a** or if he didn't have an agenda completely contrary to what the brand is and always stood for.

You don't kill exclusivity by asking millions for your product. You kill exclusivity by lowering your prices and flooding the market, like Mr.Marchionne intends to. That policy and Mr.Marchionne himself are the biggest threats to exclusivity.

Kind regards,

Nuno.

 

Since when does a 288 Gto go for 300 million U.S. Dollars?

 

Exactly!

 

When I listen to Mr.Marchionne, I can only wonder what his REAL plan is. I doubt there will be any move to reduce current production.

His stated target seems to hint at an "affordable" Ferrari. Such an offering would be aquarely aimed at the Corvette/Porsche/MB markets and priced accordingly. An "entry level" idea to get the Ferrari name out there and into more garages. Hopefully, buyers would upgrade in time, but if not, more cars will still be sold.

I question the value/worth of a pre-owned, "entry level" Ferrari which may or may not have been kept current, maintenance wise.

Why does the Pontiac Fiero spring to mind?

 

Weren't you having trouble finding "no story" cars that were worthy of pursuing? This is in direct conflict with the concept of "endless supply" to me; at least for cars that are worth owning.

 

It's Christmas, we're all better

 

I could really go for a FXXK if prices dropped... A lot

This could be the best looking Ferrari EVER
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The market can't handle 14k cars per year, hence the throttling off to 7k. It had nothing to do with resale values or "prestige" but everything to do with no demand. LaFerrari quite easy to obtain on the secondary market in Europe. There are tons of barely used Ferrari's everywhere, certain markets(North America) desperately attempt to enforce artificial scarcity. Many people were pissed when values collapsed in 08 09. Only way for them to increase production is to produce more low end models.

Fiat Chrysler merger is going to be an unmitigated disaster because they saddled it with unrepayable debt. Somehow all this demand is suppose to materialize even though wages are declining in the West.

 

Agreed minus the wings, I think FxxK side profile one of the best.