Where Are Ferrari’s Future Classics?

Rather than thrilling history, values of the 288, F40, F50, and Enzo are based on books, tools, and low miles

by Michael Sheehan

One of the frequent questions that crosses my desk is “Which current Ferraris will become classics like the Lusso, 275 GTB, or any of the collectible earlier Ferraris?” Sadly, the answer is very few, if any.

Win on Domenica, sell on Lunedi

From the first Ferraris built in 1947, the Ferrari reputation was built on wins at the Mille Miglia, the Targa Florio, the Tour de France, Le Mans, and other races. Almost every early Ferrari was a V12 one-off, built to the whim and taste of its owner and the race department. One-off race cars soon evolved into one-off coachbuilt cars, expressions of Ferrari’s racing tradition, of la dolce vita exclusivity and wealth.

The numbers were small, with a mere two cars built in 1948, up to 26 in 1950, to 306 in 1960, and onward to a modest 928 Ferraris built in 1970 when Fiat money revitalized and forever...