Throughout the week of March 12-17, the demise of Bear Stearns sent a shudder through the world’s economy. If, like me, you consider The Economist fun reading, and you survived the 1974 and 1979 gas crisis and the 1980-85, 1990-95, and NASDAQ 2000 recessions, it’s been all-too-predictable. The U.S. economy […]

The flow of Ferraris to the U.S. began in October 1948 with Tommy Lee’s purchase of 166 MM Barchetta s/n 0002M at the Turin Auto Show, quickly followed by Briggs Cunningham’s purchase of 166 Spyder Corsa s/n 016 that November. For the next 60 years, Ferraris have gone back and […]

Decades ago, when negotiating with bankers for our first seven-figure credit line, I was asked, “What is the annual global Ferrari market, in both dollars and cars?” While I’ve long since forgotten the figures for that period, it was an interesting exercise to calculate then, as it is today. We […]

One of the frequent questions that crosses my desk is “Which current Ferraris will become classics like the Lusso, 275 GTB, or any of the collectible earlier Ferraris?” Sadly, the answer is very few, if any. Win on Domenica, sell on Lunedi From the first Ferraris built in 1947, the […]

Recently, one early-morning caller wanted an “F1 Ferrari.” That afternoon, another emailed wanting “a race car,” and a later caller wanted either a 246 GTS or a 550. While buying a Ferrari is an inexact science, I start by explaining that all Ferraris are in some way “mission specific.” To […]

The daily drama of selling older Ferraris provides a constant supply of material for this column, as the same set of problems endlessly repeat themselves in slightly varying scenarios. Rather than continually go through the same explanations, it’s often easier simply to tell people, “Stand by, and I’ll email you […]

A subscriber recently wrote, worrying about future maintenance costs of late model Ferraris: “My only fear is the outdated computer-controlled systems and the way obsolescence will drive maintenance sky-high for such systems. At least the vintage V12s don’t suffer ECU and “black box” syndrome!” While computer systems will certainly be […]

To the aficionado, Ferraris have always been industrial art, the pinnacle of technology and styling of their era. Many of my clients have described their Ferraris as user-friendly interactive art. In the last decade, auctioneers and collectors have created a new world of art buyers intertwined with Ferrari buyers. Most […]

One doesn’t have to be Fed czar Ben Bernanke’s tennis partner to know the world’s economic markets are volatile, but how does that relate to the present and future Ferrari market? As aspiring Ferrari-socio-economists, we always look at the past to gaze into the future. Let’s begin with the first […]

Most 456 owners go straight to the 30,000-mile service, at a “starting” cost of about $5,000 (Part II: Bring the kids. Contemporary 2+2s) Modern four-seat Ferraris are user-friendly, entry-level supercars. You might compromise on the number of seats, but not on performance. Last month I reviewed Ferraris with more seats […]