RE: Ferrari plans 'superclub' for dedicated owners

[russy01]

This is great for the people who want to collect them, but most are going to be wrapped up in some garage somewhere where we can see or hear them.

Fair enough they need to look after their current customers, but they also need to impress us, who are they going to sell to in 20years time!

[F1GTRUeno]

DJRC said:

So if you like to use a 400 for crossing the Continent in style and speed with the family, have a 308GTS to enjoy the European sun, a 550 for wife and you GT duties, etc you dont count?

So what IS the cut off of the models you need to own?

At a guess.

288 GTO
F40
F50
Enzo

Then one of the more expensive classics.

It was the same for the Enzo, you had to have a storied history of previous Ferrari's for them to even consider you when it was new.

What a bunch of pretentious upper-class snobbery bks.

[crostonian]

Don't see what people are moaning about, who do you expect them to give special treatment to if it isn't the people who have spent the most money with them. People who don't get it are either thick or jealous and probably both!

[F1GTRUeno]

crostonian said:

Don't see what people are moaning about, who do you expect them to give special treatment to if it isn't the people who have spent the most money with them. People who don't get it are either thick or jealous and probably both!

I don't expect them to give special treatment to anyone, why should they?

Let's face it, one of the first things a lottery winner might do is buy something like a Ferrari, but if they're gonna be looked down upon because they don't have a garage full of them already and they've just come into serious money then they're not gonna buy a Ferrari are they?

[crostonian]

You obviously don't work in the private sector.

[A Scotsman]

BUG4LIFE said:

How the other half live!!!

Half! More like 0.1%

[Frik]

More like 0.000004%

[chevronb37]

Zwolf said:

chevronb37 said:

That's a really cool display.

"Cool" isn't usually the word applied, but thank you!

As for the main thrust of this article, well it's hardly a surprise. I only know one person with a serious Ferrari collection. They have close links with the factory and I expect it's the same for all the very affluent collectors. Barely news, really, and certainly nothing to get mardy on the internet about. Rewarding your best customers only seems logical to me...

[mnk303]

Well what does this say about the up and coming client with his first Ferrari ! You are not worth much unless you buy 5 ? Nice way to treat a customer who maybe one of your big ones one day! I don't think. Do you really feel this make you want to be client?

[Cheib]

You have to love the audacity....I am sure Ferrari know exactly who all their best customers are.....but now they will probably charge them £20k a yer or something ridiculous to be one of 3000 members of this exclusive club .

It's pretty easy to look up on a computer who has bought cars from you before.....

Then when they bring out another limited edition 80 car run they will be able to "justify" disappointing the 220 members that didn't get a car.

[ForzaWhitesGen2]

geoffracing said:

I have an "illustration" of this with Porsche.

I've never really liked them, but I did start getting interested in them several years ago.
I went into a showroom and asked for a catalogue of the 911. They said they were "reserved to those who buy a car"!
A week or two later I saw several at a swapmeet...
I wrote about TEN times to the main importer in Belgium (d'Ieteren), and they NEVER EVER answered.

And yet I had made a full-size painting of a Porsche 935 for an interview of Jacky Ickx on RTL TV.
I had been filmed on their stand at a motorshow with an invited humorist.
My brother worked at d'Ieteren during about 20 years.
I had several friends who owned Porsches.
Never have I managed to have a catalogue!

Conclusion:
I just HATE Porsches!

Maybe... just maybe the boys in Zuffenhausen & Weissach hate you too?

[JuniorJet]

Benbay001 said:

This will bump used price up hugely. As people with more money than sense buy up 5 ferraris to ensure when future limited edition ferraris are released, they can get one!

+1

It's an interesting - if not bold - tactic ferrari are using here.

It sounds like they are all in favour of creating as much of a divide between the insanely rich and everyone else as possible.

But I'm sure first time buyers will be keen to get in on some of the exclusivity.

[jdw1234]

I dont understand what is difficult to grasp about this.

There isnt going to be a panel of judges deciding if a 308 is more exclusive than a 355.

It is 5 new Ferraris from an authorised dealer.

It is already like that. You wouldnt have been able to just walk in and get on the list for an Enzo etc. They were presold to existing clients.

On the American forums there are people who ordered basic 360s etc to get on Authorised dealer lists for the more exclusive cars.

[R11ysf]

^^^^^^ Totally agree. The Enzo replacement will be out in a few years and if they decide to only make 300 then they will have to select who gets the places. I don't understand why this is a big deal - they give their best spots to their best customers. In exactly the way some estate agents call valued clients who buy houses from them sight unseen before they release to the rest of the market. Also, if it keeps them out of the hands of flippers and puts them in the hands of Ferrari enthusiasts then that is a good thing too.

Also, it's not as if the super rich haven't been treated differently for ages. How many 1 offs or 1 of 3's doed the Sultan of Brunai have??

[AndrewW-G]

Somebody who wants to be duct taped to a chair in the middle of a field in North Wales and beaten said:

and by that we don't mean those with a couple of 308 GT4s, a Mondial, a Magnum PI special and a ropey 412

Careful now or you'll upset somebody coming out with that tripe

[obscene]

F1GTRUeno said:

DJRC said:

So if you like to use a 400 for crossing the Continent in style and speed with the family, have a 308GTS to enjoy the European sun, a 550 for wife and you GT duties, etc you dont count?

So what IS the cut off of the models you need to own?

At a guess.

288 GTO
F40
F50
Enzo

Then one of the more expensive classics.

It was the same for the Enzo, you had to have a storied history of previous Ferrari's for them to even consider you when it was new.

What a bunch of pretentious upper-class snobbery bks.

So, Chris Evans then? Lucky bugger!

[wijit]

An incredibly cynical method of increasing share value, if you were to ask me. It's clear they aren't talking about people buying a few rust heaps from the early 80's, and in order to be on their radar you'd need to have some current metal. This means an influx of sudden purchases which, combined with speculation (which greases the shares gears very easily!) the company value would go up drastically, given the market they aim at.

[PhilboSE]

I don't understand all the negativity.

Ferrari dealers (like all top-marque dealers) know who their best customers are. The ones who come and buy the latest model each time. They know they'll probably move on a previous model once in a while, but the dealer & factory don't care - punters who regularly buy new stock get special treatment.

Porsche do this. Who do you think got all the RS 4.0s? Friends of the factory and people known to have bought all the recent RS models, or those who stumped up a deposit for the 918. You might have a couple of Porsches in the garage but unless you punt money on new models with a main dealer you won't get offered the cream.

All Ferrari are saying is that they will now prioritise these sorts of customers known to them for special editions, rather than just letting a queue of speculators form in a disorderly scramble.

It seems entirely reasonable to me to reward your best customers. As for disenfranchising punters who "only" have one Ferrari, then (a) these punters aren't at the top table as far as Ferrari are concerned (sorry - that's how capitalism works boys and girls) and (b) those who aspire to the top table now know how to get there - buy more (new or halo) cars from the dealers.

[BelfastBoy]

PhilboSE said:

I don't understand all the negativity.

Ferrari dealers (like all top-marque dealers) know who their best customers are. The ones who come and buy the latest model each time. They know they'll probably move on a previous model once in a while, but the dealer & factory don't care - punters who regularly buy new stock get special treatment.

Porsche do this. Who do you think got all the RS 4.0s? Friends of the factory and people known to have bought all the recent RS models, or those who stumped up a deposit for the 918. You might have a couple of Porsches in the garage but unless you punt money on new models with a main dealer you won't get offered the cream.

All Ferrari are saying is that they will now prioritise these sorts of customers known to them for special editions, rather than just letting a queue of speculators form in a disorderly scramble.

It seems entirely reasonable to me to reward your best customers. As for disenfranchising punters who "only" have one Ferrari, then (a) these punters aren't at the top table as far as Ferrari are concerned (sorry - that's how capitalism works boys and girls) and (b) those who aspire to the top table now know how to get there - buy more (new or halo) cars from the dealers.

What you say is correct but the point that I'd make is that Ferrari ALREADY reward their best customers, of course they know who they are! This 'exclusive club' is just them rightly cashing in even further by buttering up the chosen ones even more - yes their relationship with the factory will be cosier than ever but Ferrari will also be fleecing them even more for the 'ownership experience' above and beyond the vehicles that they were always going to be offered the chance to buy anyway. As far as I know, I believe that the route to getting access to the GTOs and Enzos has always been a history of buying new cars through main dealers, so what's really different now? It's just reinforcing a system that's already in place surely?

[PhilboSE]

BelfastBoy said:

It's just reinforcing a system that's already in place surely?

Well, yes. But it's now official and is intended to make specials available to enthusists rather than collectors. And I don't see anything wrong with that.