Customer Reviews

Keith Martin on Collecting Ferrari

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This is the only book I have found that, in excruciating detail, runs through the many pitfalls, mostly financial, that can occur to an enthusiast purchasing a depreciated Ferrari. The book, though attributed to a single author, is actually a collection of short magazine articles written by several contributors, and gives a reasonably broad set of views on the windfalls and pratfalls of dealing in this market. Though sympathetic to the marque and the pleasures of ownership, the collective authors lead one to the conclusion that Ferrari ownership is not for people unwilling to spend thousands of dollars on, say, a periodic valve adjustment. Another view that is commmon among the collective authors is that ownership of depreciated (and hopefully future appreciating) Ferraris is not about everyday driving, but is about the pleasure of savoring the fact of ownership, and an occasional drive into town on a sunny weekend afternoon. Anything more is such a risk to the value of the car that only persons having very large financial resources to devote to hobby cars would actually accumulate substantial miles on such a vehicle.
Properly sobered by this information, somebody like me can decide to invest in one of these cars fully ready for the likely financial consequences of the decision.

i've read keith martin's "market" every week in autoweek magazine since 1994. i came across this book on line and have to say as a car enthusiast, as a ferrari enthusiast, this is a must have for any pontential used ferrari owner. if you can afford the $75,000 markup on a $170,000 ferrari modena, then this book is not for you. however, if you are like the remainding 99.9% of us, buy this book. it's a perfect reference guide wether you are looking for a $20,000 mondial or a $200,000 250 SWB.

joseph j

This is a nice compilation of articles and auction commentary by Keith Martin and Ferrari gurus Michael Sheehan and Steve Ahlgrim, and not surprisingly it's a fun read. Especially worthwhile are candid commentaries by Sheehan and Ahlgrim on Ferrari's on which you will always lose money, and models to seek out or avoid entirely. I was glad to see actual, useful assertions about good versus bad models, and the rating guide in the back is probably worth the price of the book, even if the prices are now a couple years old. If you're new to Ferrari's and want a taste of what's available, and at what cost, this book is also fairly helpful.

But... the auction commentary on specific cars is a bit of a letdown. It may be interesting to know that a particular 512BB realized such-and-such a price despite having a mouse-nibbled wiring harness, but realistically a few pages on what to look for in a 512BB would have been a more direct and helpful approach. Similarly, not many people are stuck deciding between a seven-figure 250GTO and a $30K 1980s 308, so the broad scope of the book limits its usefulness. We never learn WHY you would want a Colombo-designed front-engine V-12 versus an '80s Testarossa with the flat 12. Much of the information is there, if you can hunt it down. But it could stand to be pulled into a format that a well-heeled neophyte could digest.

Maybe the biggest problem is the title, which created expectations that the book didn't meet. Don't get me wrong -- I enjoyed reading this and hearing experts' opinions on what people paid for specific Ferrari's. But as someone who owns one - and can't afford a whole stable-full - I didn't benefit as much from this as I had hoped. Also, I can't help but think that someone who is set on collecting $500,000+ cars would need a real consultation with the writers. This book is more of a toe-dip into the ocean of Ferrari lore that awaits someone ready to take the plunge. (And it is a plunge, albeit an exhilarating one that every car enthusiast should take as circumstances permit.)

If you want a great evening read, where you can jump between articles, go for it.

Minor, slightly relevant quibble: The binding fell apart when I opened the book, due to dried adhesive. Maybe it's genuine Italian glue?

Found the book very entertaining. I am an owner of a 73 Daytona and read with interest Keith Martin's review of this car and other collectible Ferraris. The only downside is that this book was published in 2004 and some of his articles are already somewhat dated.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in collecting Ferrari. I plan to pass the book on to my mechanic.

This book would be useful for someone wanting a first-glance look into the upper level model collecting. Hopefully, a high end collector will be using many more resources than a single publication however. The relative distain for 308's is apparent but even this is an interesting view into exotic car snobbery. All part of the fun actually. My one consern is the relative timeliness of some of the advice. The exotic car market can swing rapidly depending on market whims. Many of the articles are over eight years old. Still, it gives an overall feeling for what kinds of things can impact value in such rarified air.

I'm a sports car lover but have never been attracted to Ferrari (perhaps because I think engineering involves reliability and servicability?). I picked up this book thinking it might help decode the various models from an insider's perspective. While I now know more about the various models and generations and how badly designed there mechanicals are, the book was most interesting in helping to explain the mindset of folks that buy these beauties, and also the mindset of anyone that buys with their heart without regard to their mind.

The writing is direct and hilariously blunt with intention to perhaps prevent recurrence of the various unfortunate case studies that are described. For example: "Buying <car such and such> without a pre-purchase inspection is like playing russian roulette with a fully loaded desert eagle handgun."

Detail about specific models is only in passing, which I think is unfortunate. Because of that I don't think the book has much reference value but it is a fine quick read.

If you're in the mood for a much better car book, try something by Harry Pellow, for example:

Secrets of the Inner Circle