Contrary to popular belief, there are actually three things guaranteed in life: death, taxes, and the frightening depreciation of four-seat Ferraris. This GTC4 Lusso is a V12, registered in 2017 and with 9,000 miles on it. It’s beautifully specced, with sensible wheels and has its ‘Cuoio’ leather complemented by the dark blue paint. The original owner even went to the trouble and expense of having CarPlay fitted. It has a lot going for it and yet it sits at Graypaul Birmingham with a £160k asking price - hardly pocket money, of course, but doubtless a six-figure saving from the RRP. Let's not forget they were £240k without so much as a Scuderia shield added.
And let's definitely not forget they were (and still are) glorious. The GTC4 built on the enormous talent of the FF to create a four-seat Ferrari both more usable and more exhilarating than ever before. The looks didn’t suit everyone, sure, but you couldn't fail to notice that the rest did. There was a supple, cosseting, opulent side to the Lusso, and then there was the wild, intense, 690hp V12 side; neither got in the way of or compromised the other - they coexisted beautifully. It was immense, and with the Purosangue inbound, there will never be another Ferrari like it. Heck, maybe then they’ll even start to appreciate - but don’t bet on it. NC
At the time of writing, there are 200 comments on this week’s modern classics rundown; the second one mentions the TVR Tuscan. It actually was an early submission for the £50k category - as it couldn’t make the cut there, it seemed only right to include one here.
Compiling the list, it was incredible to think that almost 15 years have now passed since TVR’s demise. Back then, the cars were what might politely be called ‘demanding’ to drive; in 2021 most of the TVRs look deranged, leaving driver and driver alone to deal with a heck of a lot of power and not a great deal of weight. Which is why I find myself wanting one more and more.
It’s commonly accepted that the 2005-on Tuscans are the best of the bunch, so that’s what I’ve picked. The selling dealer of this Formula Red 2006 S suggests that just 92 such cars were made. Since the mid-2000s it’s only had the one previous owner, 19,000 miles of use and, um, one engine rebuild. Still, should be better than ever now, and the straight-six is still backed by a warranty. As something that looks, drives and sounds like nothing that’s on sale today, the Tuscan is exactly my kind of modern classic. Fingers firmly crossed that the new TVR will recapture some of that spirit. MB
Don’t get me wrong, epic driver’s cars with next to no mileage cause me to sigh, too. But it's hard to resist the appeal of buying something in almost exactly the same state it was when it left the factory. For this 10-year-old BMW, the previous custodian(s) only saw it fit to exercise their 1M for an average of about 100 miles per year. Sacrilege, really. Unless your pockets are deep enough to unlock it now.
The Valencia Orange coupe – oh how I love that shade against those wheels – is probably destined to end up in another collection. But I highlight it here in the hope that someone with £63k spare can introduce its 340hp N54 straight-six and compact rear-drive chassis to the regular workouts they richly deserve. Plenty reckon this is the best M car ever produced - so it’s certainly deserving of its freedom.
Of course, the temptation to keep it parked and polished is high, what with its value already having risen by £20k in a decade and with obvious potential for it to climb higher. I guess if a 1M has to exist with so little use, at least it’ll serve as a reminder for what a factory-fresh internal combustion engine machine from the good old days was like when the driver’s car was arguably at its peak. Or you could enjoy it properly in the here and now. Which someone absolutely should. SS
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