Ferrari Life Quarterly 07 Dec 07.Pdf
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
CONTENTS 4 BOXERS: ARE THEY GOOD FERRARI LIFE QUARTERLY INVESTMENTS? William Taylor takes a look at the Boxer EDITOR as an investment. William Taylor [email protected] 6 F40 & F50: THE SUPER FERRARIS WRITERS/ Boxer does a full review of the differ- CONTRIBUTERS ence between the F40 and F50. Boxer Jimmy Chen Shiba Ian Gibbons Micheal Salomon 12 8,000 KM IN A MARANELLO Stuart “ENZ9_1” Travel to Italy across Europe as JazzyO takes his 550 Maranello for a cross conti- nent journey to Italy. CONTACT 840 Harrison Street San Francisco, CA 94107 18 RUNNING REPORTS [email protected] Find out how others are enjoying their ownership experience including the good and the bad. DECEMBER 2007 Issue 7 ON THE COVER: A 550 Maranello resting af- ter a cross continent journey. www.FerrariLife.com | 3 Boxers: Are They Good Investments? By William Taylor The post that caught my eye is “Are Boxers a to enter the Ferrari market, and that 1% of these people good investment.” This is very difficult to answer other are interested in Ferraris, you still have 225,000 new than to say that they are definitely a safer place to put potential buyers. Compare this to the original production your money these days than Mortgage Bonds. When numbers of: looking at the Boxer market over the last several years, a few basic conclusions can be reached. Boxers have 365 GT4 BB - 387 doubled in value, the 365 BB commands a premium to 512 BB - 929 the 512 BB/BBis, and further rises in the market seem 512BBi - 1007 likely. Boxer pricing seems to move in parallel to Day- tona pricing with the Boxer being valued at 50%-60% of and assume that about 80% have survived, you have a the 365 GTB/4. Given that Daytona’s are now $350,000 total supply 1850 Boxers globally. And this number will cars with no sign that gravity is yet having any impact on only decrease over time. Based on market observations the upward trajectory of values, a $200,000 365 BB can in both the US and Europe over the past year, you will not be far off. generally find 1-2 365 BB’s, 5-10 512BB’s and 7-10 Looking at the market from a more macro per- 512BBi’s for sale. At given points in time earlier this spective, we are now in an era of unprecedented growth. year, there was not a single 365 BB for sale publicly The emergence of enormous new wealth in China, East- anywhere. The risk of supply exceeding demand is very ern Europe, and Russia is bringing a whole new group small. of collectors into the Ferrari market. If you assume that Another factor in favor of further price apprecia- 0.01% of the population of these areas can now afford tion is that Boxers are quite nice cars to drive. As the 4 | Ferrari Life Quarterly majority of today’s buyers are true enthusiasts who buy have 7 more years of before the last ten year old hits their cars to drive, this is a major plus in the Boxers fa- forty. This will continue to put pressure on demand and vor. A Boxer is lighter and nimbler than a Testarossa and help drive prices. In addition all Boxers are well past the does not have the Daytona’s low speed truck like behav- point of being depreciating used cars. Given the choice ior. At the same time it pushes all the right Ferrari but- between the dream car of your youth or a new Ferrari at tons in terms of still blistering performance, soundtrack, similar cost which will loss half its value in 3-5 years, it and raw beauty. It is a car that a good driver can drive if far easier to justify spending the money on the Boxer quickly, and a great driver can drive very aggressively. and calling it an “investment”. As a final comment, Boxers have finally come of age. The ten year old boy who first saw and dreamed about a Boxer in the mid 70’s is now in his early 40’s with cash to spend. The dreams of the boy tend to have a habit of becoming the acquisitions of the successful adult. As one of the criteria of a supercar is that it has to make you feel like a grinning little boy sitting behind the wheel, the Boxer today is that little boy’s choice. Given that the production run lasted from 1973-1984, we still www.FerrariLife.com | 5 F40 & F50: A Comparison of the Raw Ferraris By Boxer Ask a seven year old to design his dream car and the engine bay. On the F50, they tend to stand respect- chances are the F40 would emerge from the pointy end fully a few feet away, pointing out details quietly to each of the crayon. It is angular, aggressive, has a huge rear other with subtle hand gestures. Despite being only 4 wing, enormous tires, and two neck snapping turbos. 1⁄2 inches longer and half an inch wider, the F50 appears The F40 has plenty of air scoops, angles, curves, and sits to be a larger, more imposing automobile. If the F40 just a few inches off the ground. All the elements every is every kids dream, the F50 is a serious car for adults. li�le boy dreams of in a car. Sit in one at age forty, and While F40’s are standard fare at every Ferrari Owners you are instantly seven again. The F40 is cool in a way Club Concours, the F50 is rarer than an Enzo and few that every car enthusiasts inherently understands. You are ever seen in public. This lack of exposure today, don’t need to drive it to know it is a very fast car. coupled with Ferrari’s indifference to the press at the F50 The F50 is the last raw Ferrari supercar. It is launch, has resulted in the F50 being a poorly under- completely devoid of electronic drivers aids and as such stood and frequently maligned Ferrari. Perhaps this represent the end of an era. Where the F40 instantly situation is best summed up by Jeremy Clarkson’s com- draws you towards it, the F50 is outright intimidating. ment that he preferred the F355 to the F50. Reason why, Go to a car show with both and people will be lining up Clarkson did not think he was a good enough driver for to get a chance to sit in the F40 and stick their heads in the F50. The F50’s burden is that no one ever remembers 6 | Ferrari Life Quarterly the rationale. begins to roll smoothly forward. Stay under 3500 rpms Dropping down into the driver’s seat of an F40 and the car is docile. With a li�le bit of speed the steer- is an exercise in agility. You need to navigate the wide ing lightens up considerably and the F40 seems to carve sill, low roof, refrain from leaning on the thin carbon down the road with precision. With minimal sound fiber door, while dropping your bu� smoothly into the proofing, it seems like the seat is mounted directly to narrow racing seats. Miscalculate and you can either the front of the engine. Every bump and pebble comes impale yourself on the handbrake or dent your cranium crashing through the carbon fiber tub. All five senses of the door frame. Once facing forward, you have a are busy processing the waves of information. Hit the smallish Momo wheel mounted almost vertically, and open road and plant your foot and the experiences small cluster of instruments right in front of your line changes dramatically. Pu�ering around town, the F40 is of sight. The dashboard is covered in cheap industrial tame and controllable. It feels like anyone with a strong locker room carpeting, the carbon fiber panels are held le� leg could handle it. together by what appears to be green toothpaste, and a Push the rpm needle past 4000 rpm and your tall black balled topped gearshi� rises majestically from outlook on life changes. A�er a moment of hesitation, the center tunnel. It is u�erly fantastic. There is not all hell seems to start breaking loose directly behind an ounce of luxury to be found anywhere in the cabin. you. For the F40 rookie, everything gets blurry, and The only compromise made to the purity of the design the future comes rushing towards you. The huge surge which added weight is air-conditioning. of power will push the massive rear tires to the edge Turn the ignition key, jab the starter bu�on and of breaking free and you can feel them fighting hard the 2.9 liter V8 instantly barks to life. Even as it warms for grip. Events in the rear are communicated directly up at idle, the engine conveys a sense of urgency. En- through your lower back and you seem to be able to gage the heavy clutch, give it a bit of gas, and the F40 feel every slight change of direction. Initially the front www.FerrariLife.com | 7 8 | Ferrari Life Quarterly end will lighten slightly while you build on a track is hard. The margin for error speed. At speed the aerodynamics force is small. Slow in fast out is a rule not to the nose back down smartly. Li� off be trifled with. The brakes fade quickly briefly to change gears and another minor when pushed hard and never provide the explosion takes place in the engine bay assurance expected in a 200+ mph Fer- as the turbos release pressure.