PH Service History: Bargain exotica
You might think buying an exotic for a reasonable sum would be off the menu these days. Not so, as Scrof explains
You'd be forgiven for thinking, then, that the time for getting one's hands on a relatively inexpensive piece of performance exotica is over and done with. But I don't think it is - not just yet, anyway. There are still a few supercar bargains out there to be had.
And so, with those warnings ringing in our ears, to my first tip for this week: the Aston Martin DB9. I mean, just look at it. It could be dire to drive and you'd still want one, wouldn't you? Which is handy, because it wasn't exactly the last word in dynamic prowess. Still, there are few big GTs that waft quite so well, or look quite so special - especially for less than £30,000 which, believe it or not, is how little you can now pick one up for. This one, on a private sale, has done a very respectable mileage, looks well in restrained grey over black leather, and comes with a full history. Deeply tempting.
If you've not heard of the Lele, you're not alone. It's a four-seat super-GT with a beautiful interior and long, low coupe lines. Somewhat in the vein of the Lamborghini Espada, I'd contend - although again, an Espada will set you back around three times as much to buy, which is what makes this Lele such a bargain in my book. Power - 325hp, to be precise - comes from a 5.7-litre Ford V8. In my book, that's an awful lot of hyper-rare Italian exotic for the cash.
For not much more, though, how about something genuinely, face-meltingly quick? It isn't all that often that the words 'Porsche' and 'bargain' go together, but I can't help but feel the 997 911 Turbo is starting to feel that way. Sure, a good one like this will cost you north of £50,000, but not by much - and given that 996 Turbos, supposedly the 911 Turbo bargain of the moment, are barely any cheaper, I can't help but feel a 997 is where my money would go right now.
But I've saved the best till last. If you're a child of the 1980s, there are few supercars out there that will loom larger than the Ferrari Testarossa. Believe it or not, Testarossas are still comparatively commonplace, which means that while there was some rampant activity around them when one example fetched big money at auction a while back, the market's cooled off since, and prices haven't inflated along with other cars of their era.
This silver example, selling at a well-regarded Ferrari specialist, has done a reasonable 29,000 miles, comes with a full service history, and has had its current owner for the last 15 years. Granted, the blue interior isn't as appealing as black or cream, but it's still a bona-fide, right-hand-drive, UK-spec Testarossa. And it'll set you back less than £100,000.
There you have it, then: an Aston, a Porsche and a Ferrari, and even an Iso, and none of them will set you back as much as you might think. Proof positive that bonkers prices haven't yet spoiled our fun entirely.
(Thanks to Ed Callow for his help in compiling this piece.)
Along those lines, if we step outside the confines of PH's own classifieds... (and, yes, I know that's kinda the whole point of these articles)
£40k 308GT4?
https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C970442
Sticking Maranello, what about a £56k 365GT4?
https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C952892
£30k Interceptor?
https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C910489
OK, the colour scheme is definitely holding the price of that one back... Still well within budget, how about £70k?
https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C918029
Or £85k without the lid?
https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C959890
Think it'd be the 365 for me out of those.
For that sort of coin, if you would pop over to America, you could have your choice of seemingly countless used car performance bargains as well as the affordable tier of exotics. LHD of course. But the shopping would not be boring.
Want a bargain? Buy a Z3 M roadster. Limited numbers, naturally aspirated engine (probably the best straight 6 ever made in the s50 - better than the later mass-produced s54), manual, RWD, analogue BMW M perfection from the 90s. And rated by Tiff as the best handling car in the world at launch, ahead of cars like the 360 Modena.
Looks bloody good too in Estoril blue. If I had 30 grand to drop on a car I’d bypass the overrated, dated and dynamically average DB9 in favour of the roadster without a moment’s hesitation. And have a proper laugh behind the wheel
That kept making small changes as the car evolved but to me it detracted from the beauty of the original.
A silver Testarossa. Really? If I had to have one I would pay more and get red - no doubt it would be much easier to sell on too.
I still think old Mazzers seem like good value right now when it comes to this sort of thing:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
[i] "All of those suggestions are rubbish.
Want a bargain? Buy a Z3 M roadster. Limited numbers, naturally aspirated engine (probably the best straight 6 ever made in the s50 - better than the later mass-produced s54), manual, RWD, analogue BMW M perfection from the 90s. And rated by Tiff as the best handling car in the world at launch, ahead of cars like the 360 Modena.
Looks bloody good too in Estoril blue. If I had 30 grand to drop on a car I’d bypass the overrated, dated and dynamically average DB9 in favour of the roadster without a moment’s hesitation. And have a proper laugh behind the wheel" [/i]
I kind of take your point...but the article's title does say: "Exotica"
Now, I'm more dyed-in-the-wool BMW than most and even I would find it difficult to put an argument forward for a Z3 qualifying as "Exotica".
Then I have a further problem with the article itself in relation to the its title...
It contains the word "Bargain"....and then in the text "Saves the best for last....at under £100K...you can have a Testarossa..etc."
I don't know what kind of World and under what kind circumstances most other people here live but to me £100k for a car is still not a "bargain". It's just one hell of a lot of money!
Want a bargain? Buy a Z3 M roadster. Limited numbers, naturally aspirated engine (probably the best straight 6 ever made in the s50 - better than the later mass-produced s54), manual, RWD, analogue BMW M perfection from the 90s. And rated by Tiff as the best handling car in the world at launch, ahead of cars like the 360 Modena.
Looks bloody good too in Estoril blue. If I had 30 grand to drop on a car I’d bypass the overrated, dated and dynamically average DB9 in favour of the roadster without a moment’s hesitation. And have a proper laugh behind the wheel
Even a 30k price tag puts a car beyond the means of the vast majority of enthusiasts. None of these are 'bargains'.
NSX's, Supra's, Nobles, Esprit's, and the cheaper Ferraris and the other 'affordable' exotics have gone ballistic and are now well out of the reach of most.
RX-7's, < 20k 996's, R8's all feel like far more natural fits than anything covered in the article.
The 'cheaper' Ferrari's are the ones that were generally rubbish when new, or just not good looking.
I'm not sure a 997 Turbo is really a 'classic' yet either.
Prices are silly at the moment.
I do accept £50k is not cheap though and a £100k old Ferrari is definitely still just for multi millionaires.
I’ve driven out with one and it gets all the looks though. Lovely in small doses
I mean, you can spend £50,000 on a Ferrari Mondial these days. They used to be pennies. In fact, I wouldn't have one if you gave me £50,000.
Last night I looked at an advert of a guy selling an Audi S2 with a CAT D and almost 200,000 miles. He wanted over £10,000 and wasn't joking.
Unless you're on a Porsche or Ferrari dealer's list of special people, no one should be speculating on cars at the moment. No level of man maths can justify an old car as an 'investment' right now.
(IMO).
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