Ferruccio Lamborghini’s first production car, the Touring-styled 350GT, was launched at the 1964 Geneva Motor Show, featuring a glorious 4-cam 3.5-liter V12 engine by Giotto Bizzarrini, which was housed in a chassis that was the work of Gian Paolo Dallara. The line of front-engine grand tourers continued with the 4-liter […]
The Monterey auctions have again redefined the auction world’s segment of the collector car market, and, as usual, Ferraris are in the top tier of cars.
Gooding offered 13 Ferraris with one no-sale for a 92% close rate and $40,276,500 in sales. RM had 14 Ferraris on offer, with all selling for a 100% close rate and $30,954,000 in sales. Mecum had 18 Ferraris on offer with three no-sales, for a 67% close rate with $2,025,130 in sales. Russo and Steele had 17 Ferraris on offer with seven no-sales for a 50% sold rate and $1,431,100. Bonhams had five Ferraris on offer and two no-sales for a 60% close rate and $710,000 in sales.
It did seem strange when a late non-“chairs and flares” 246 GTS, s/n 7914, sold for $252,500, while a chairs and flares 246 GTS, s/n 7908, sold for $467,500.
The 2007 Ferrari 599 at the Cavallino Classic concours that year, before it later became the object of an elaborate scam attempt Our story begins with 2007 Ferrari 599 s/n 150098, the 26th U.S. model 599 built, in Grigio Silverstone with Bordeaux leather and heavily optioned with carbon ceramic brakes, […]
We all know that the planet went into recession in 2007 — and fell off the proverbial economic cliff on September 15, 2008, when Lehman Brothers was thrown into bankruptcy. The Dow dropped 500 points on that day — and then even further. Banks and businesses failed, and the gloom […]
We continually have older Ferraris in pre-sale or pre-purchase inspection and stay involved in the follow-up work or additional work requested by clients. There isn’t a day that goes by without hearing of ongoing parts problems from the many shops we deal with.
Federal law requires all manufacturers to supply replacement parts for 10 years after production ends, but when those 10 years are up, look out. Long lists of computer and electrical components, injection-molded rubber, and plastic body trim parts have already become unobtainable.
Modern Ferraris have Bosch engine management and ABS computers with TRW-built airbags, all cross-managing a hoard of Digitek computers and ECUs that talk to the Bosch computers while controlling a/c, heat, door locks, windows, power tops, dash modules, seat controls and so on.
On the emissions front, every manufacturer is required to supply engine and emission system diagnostic computers “at a reasonable cost” to independent shops.
A plug-in computer for a GM or Japanese car starts at $250 and goes to $5,000 for the best model, but the SD2 or SD3 box for the 10-years-or-older Ferrari is out of production.
A used SD2 or SD3 will cost $20k plus — if you can find one. A more modern Leonardo unit is available, but even at $25k, it doesn’t like to communicate with the earlier cars. Want to use a non-Ferrari diagnostic computer? Sorry, Ferrari uses non-standard codes that don’t translate to standard OBD2 boxes. Simply knowing what to repair or replace can be a nightmare.
I am often asked why I don’t traffic in or write about more Fiat-era cars, such as the 308s, 328s, 348s and the 400s, BBs and TRs. The answer is simple. One of the great realities all Ferrari dealers and brokers know all too well is that the brain-damage factor—from […]
1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 I’ve been selling Enzo-era cars since there were only Enzo-era cars. It is both interesting and telling that the Enzo-era cars (built from 1947 to 1974) closely parallel my age group—the all-too-rapidly aging Baby-Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964). When it comes to age, much like […]
This month’s column focuses on three related points. First, I do a lot of expert-witness work, so I’m consulted on many horrifically wrecked Ferraris, which is very sobering. I also get emails from Ferrari Internet chat groups monitoring the relatively new trend of punitive traffic fines in Europe and Canada. […]
If several well-heeled buyers want the same car on the same day, a very high price can be the result For classic car lovers escaping the winter snows, it doesn’t get any better than this year’s Scottsdale auctions, with collectors spending $159.6m to buy about 2,300 cars. As always, Barrett-Jackson […]
The air conditioning was off, but the tropical sun was not, so the Ferraris and McLaren F1s sat and cooked Prince Jefri’s 550 Spider at Monaco Imagine seeing hundreds of high-end Ferraris, Lamborghinis and McLarens—many with hardly any miles on the odometer—rotting away in tropical heat and humidity. While much […]
Sign up for a free weekly insider's report on the collector car market — and get a free gift.