Three year-long waiting list for Ferraris in the UK
click above to view more high-res images of the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
Ferrari has been doing a booming business of late, particularly across the pond where the UK is now the third largest consumer of the Italian thoroughbreds behind the United States and Germany. More impressive is the fact that last year Ferrari GB sold 699 cars, compared to 15 years ago when it only sold 128.
While that's all well and good for the folks from Maranello, it's becoming increasingly difficult to actually get one of Ferrari's offerings in the UK. The longest stretch is for the 599, which demands its well-to-do potential purchasers wait 36 months for the sleek V12 coupe. If you're willing to "downgrade" to the 612 Scaglietti, the wait is still two years and buyers opting for the "entry-level" F430 have to hold on to their promissory notes for up to 30 months.
Gallery: Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
[Source: WhatCar?]
_opt_thumbnail.jpg)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Seoultrain 3:47PM (2/15/2008)
wait, so italy isn't even in the top 3 countries of ferrari consumption? are they in the top 5?
Reply
Xcountryflyer 3:51PM (2/15/2008)
I doubt Italy is in the top 5. Ferraris follow the big money. I bet China and the Middle East beat Italy.
Reply
Adam 3:57PM (2/15/2008)
Very true... though the Middle East isn't exactly a country. ;)
I drive by a Ferrari dealership on my commute. Hard to believe there isn't a single new car in there, but I guess that's just how it works.
Reply
NYChic 4:00PM (2/15/2008)
Very well worth the wait.
Reply
Saluki 4:06PM (2/15/2008)
The US list is now much shorter. My local Ferrari dealer (Chicago suburbs) has 2 612s sitting in the showroom. In addition they said that the wait for an F430 is down to 6 months with a $50,000 dealer concession.
Reply
Andrew 5:57PM (2/15/2008)
Lake Forest?
davido 4:35PM (2/15/2008)
Lotta money out there. The last time the luxury car market was this good was probably the 1920's.
Reply
duders 6:25PM (2/15/2008)
yeah, right before the great depression
Stupid reply.
Corey W. 4:41PM (2/15/2008)
If I could afford one, I definitely wouldn't have the patience to buy one. 2-3yrs. Two much other stuff out there...and again, if you're rolling in Ferrari dough, you can build something sweet.
Reply
HotRodzNKustoms 4:42PM (2/15/2008)
I laugh when I see guys trying to get more than list of a F430 Spyder for their 360 Spyder. Even I lover of all things topless would save the $120k and settle for a 360 modena tin top and maybe buy a used Bentley conv. with all that money I just saved (by switching my car insurance to Geico of course) sorry i couldn't resist.
Reply
Brendan 6:30PM (2/15/2008)
You like topless things too? I think more people should dig on toplessness.
damian 4:44PM (2/15/2008)
I'm sure part of the reason for the long wait in the UK is that they are RHD vehicles.
Reply
tass 5:07PM (2/15/2008)
To seultrain: Italy is the fourth market and Japan the fifth..
Reply
madgamer 5:58PM (2/15/2008)
That wait is why 599's are marked up to like, 450k+ bucks. If I had that kind of cash, I couldn't stand to wait 2+ years for a car like that, nor would I want to hand that much extra cash to some guy/dealer to ream me just because he can. To me it says that Ferrari should raise their prices, as people are willing to pay way over sticker for almost everything they make, and they could still likely keep orders piled up if they wanted. At least they would be keeping the extra cash too instead of some middleman.
Reply
Andrew 6:06PM (2/15/2008)
Do you honestly think that if Ferrari raised their prices the dealers would stop overcharging?
duders 6:24PM (2/15/2008)
Yeah, right before the great depression.
Reply
rgseidl 8:25PM (2/15/2008)
I wonder at what point Ferrari is going to take the money and run, i.e. expand production capacity. People aren't really buying new Ferraris for their exclusivity, usually it's the fantastic performance they're after.
Fiat S.p.A. owns 85% of Ferrari and may be forgoing profits that could give Alfa Romeo and Lancia a shot in the arm. Competing head-on against the German luxury brands and returning to the US are both expensive propositions.
Reply
DIRETTORE 9:09PM (2/15/2008)
I think Ferrari is a perfect case study model of marketing in the 21st century.
At the moment, the brand image alone is a licence to print money. It is essentially a blank check. A simple pencil with the logo is between $5-10.
Many other cars offer better performance for substantially less money.
Ferraristi are after a legend. Image is everything. There is a mysteriousness that goes with the marque which is rich in history.
One extremely important point to note here which goes for most Italian cars is that you will hear of road car testers trying to describe the "Soul" of a car. I believe a very significant feeling is due directly to the exhaust note.
When you fire up a Lamborghini, its a given you will trigger every alarm with a 5 mile radius. You could land a helicopter and nobody would notice.
And they are careful not to over produce to ensure high resale values. They have promised the new 'Dino' will not be a budget Ferrari. They have no intention to compete & go downstream. They don't have to & dont want to dilute the brand. The lowest they will go is the direction of the Alfa 8C which in my opinion is one of the most beautiful works of automotive art ever. Add the markups to that & that car is hardly cheap either.
Michael 11:06PM (2/18/2008)
Good reply. (In case this reply doesn't work, this is @ DIRETTORE).
accelerating_cubicle 2:03AM (2/16/2008)
They sure do make great looking cars. The lines of the car look great and the attention to detail in design is superb. I wish other auto makers would pay attention to these designers.
Reply