Sure, back in the day, a few drivers picked one up and took it straight to the track and entered it successfully in competition. A lot more were picked up by weathly individuals who had no aspirations to racing their prized possesion. Some were purchased by or gifts to celebrities, stars and the like — the most memorable being Ingrid Bergman.

As a Ferrari owner, I can tell you that there are only 4 reasons why anyone spends the exhorbitant amount of money for ownership:

1) Marque cachet. No brand comes anywhere close to the mystique and allure of a Ferrari. Tell someone about your $130k Porsche GT3, and eyebrows barely raise. If someone sees you in a Ferrari they strain their necks with “Who is that ??” written all over their faces. They expect to recognize a hollywood movie star, celebrity rock star or sporting legend step out. Sure, they’re disappointed when it’s “only you”. For some, the amount of attention can be a negative thing. I know someone that went from a spider back to a coupe because the amount of the attention in the spider was just too much.

2) It’s expensive. The rich want what they’ve been told they can’t have. Wait ?? No, I want it NOW! Ferrari control their market very well, following Enzo’s doctrine “build one less than you can sell”. Depreciation is virtually non-existant, with premiums of $100-$200k over MSRP quite common for the “latest’n'greatest”. Weatlthy people usually got to be that way because of fiscal responsibility, so finding out that Ferrari ownership has a very low total cost-of-ownership (due to near-zero depreciation, or even appreciation) makes the brand very appealing.

3) Ne plus ultra performance. This is the thing that attracts the track fanatics. The incredible sound of a Ferrari V8 at 8,500rpm at WOT is enough to make a grown man giddy. It never gets old - to tire of it is to be tired of life. The reality though is that there are better performing cars for less money. Long, boring arguments exist on the ‘net debating whether the Corvette ZO6 or Nissan GT-R is faster. It’s irrelevant; it’s not that any given Ferrari model is, or is not, faster than any other car sold at that time — it’s the fact that it combines stunning performance with all the other 3 factors.

4) Rolling artwork. This is highly subjective, but Ferraris have always been the most gorgeous mobile pieces of art that you can buy. Every time I open the garage and see my car there my heart skips a beat. No other car does that to me the way a Ferrari does. The reason that the 1962 Ferrari 250GTO is worth $10-17M (if you can find someone to part with theirs) is not because of its performance. Sure, in 1962 is was extremely competitive, but the reason it’s worth serious coin today, is again because of the allure, mystique, heritage/provenance but most of all because of its staggering beauty.

No other brand offers the combination of these reasons. I’ve tracked every Ferrari I’ve owned — I’ve span out a couple of times because I’ve pushed it hard and beyond my capabilities “ran out of talent”. I’m getting a 430 Scuderia next year, and I am very much looking forward to tracking that car too. But, if all I wanted was to track a car, I’d get a Radical, an Ariel Atom or an Exige S 240. I like to think that as long as I live I would like to keep a prancing horse in my garage. At some point I will be too old to be tracking cars to not be a liability to myself or others .. but as long as I can drive on public roads, well then I’d be proud to be Mr. Twitchy … and I wouldn’t lose any sleep over knowing that my car wasn’t being tracked anymore.

I knew this..I just hate to see it come true. Ive been looking forward to the Scuderia since I bought my Stradale. Ive followed all the news releases. I went to the Ferrari factory and asked about the car. Ive raced open wheel cars. Ive raced in 2 Professional series. Ive raced in the Ferrari Challenge. I’ve tracked my Stradale.

Do you think I will get a Scuderia? No. I want one. I can afford one. Ive bought several cars from “my” Ferrari dealer..but thats not enough. Im being pushed aside by the richer (perhaps older/elderly) masses who only want to park and show the car. Im not sure who to blame here..Ferrari? the dealer? myself? don’t know…

(I’m a Ferrari owner and fan myself and I really take it to track as often as possible. Couldn’t imagine having it any other way…)

That said, the most important part of any car is the driver. And even a wanker’s car, with the right driver, is a thing of beauty.

The same issue can be applied to any non-Ferrari product;
Horrible skiers sporting brand new Volkls on the bunny slope, golfers using Callaway’s who can’t keep their balls on the fairway, musicians who couldn’t play their way out of a wet paper bag using a self-tuning Les Paul guitar, a ninety year old billionaire married to a sexaholic porn star…
Whatever. Money talks, and if you can afford it you get to have it, no matter how much better someone else is at racing, skiing, golfing, music, or boning.
Unfortunately, complaining about it sounds like jealousy… and I’m one jealous bastard.

Wide World tends to cater to the less adventurous and the more, shall we say, “silly”. Folks who would rather put the car on display in a museum then thrash it through a few good laps at the Glen. Folks like you describe who are very nice people, but forget the part where the Scuderia can out perform the last Ferrari super car.

The dealer that I’m “on the list” with tends to cater to the more hard core driver. I know that 2 of their customers (including myself) will be more than happy to put the beastie on the track — and will — when they start to make deliveries in the spring.

And when we do, you bet there will be lots and lots of video… and if you’re in town when we do, you’ll be invited to come, too, to show you that not all Ferrari owners are created equal. Some actually know how to drive.