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Why Italians are no longer buying supercars

Italy is the wound that continues to drain blood from the body financial of Italian supercar and sports car makers. The wound was opened by the country's various financial police who decided to get serious about superyacht-owning and supercar-driving tax cheats a few years ago, by noting their registrations and checking their incomes. When it was found that a rather high percentage of exotic toy owners had claimed a rather low annual income - certain business owners were found to be declaring less income than their employees - the owners began dumping their cars and prospective buyers declined to buy.
Car and Driver has a piece on how the initiative is hitting the home market the hardest. Lamborghini sold 1,302 cars worldwide in 2010, 1,602 cars in 2011 and 2,083 cars in 2012 - an excellent surge in just two years. In Italy, however, it's all about the ebb: in 2010, the year that Italian police began scouring harbors, Lamborghini sold 96 cars in Italy, the next year it sold 72, last year it sold just 60. The declines for Maserati and Ferrari are even more pronounced.
Head over to CD for the full story and the numbers. What might be most incredible isn't the cause and effect, but where the blame is being placed. A year ago the chairman of Italy's Federauto accused the government of "terrorizing potential clients," this year Luca di Montezemolo says what's happening has created "a hostile environment for ­luxury goods." Life at the top, it ain't easy.

Would you pay $2 million for a Ferrari F50? [w/video]

The F50 may not have been the finest of Ferrari's flagship supercars, but it remains a collector's commodity just the same – and its value keeps rising. F50s are already trading hands at upwards of $1 million apiece – and this year, at least one is expected to fetch upwards of $2.5 million. Ferrari launched the F50 in 1995 as the successor to the legendary F40 that came before. It eschewed the twin-turbo V8 that powered the 288 GTO and F40 for a naturally aspirated V12, setting the stage for the Enzo and LaFerrari that followed in the series. That high-revving 4.7-liter engine, according to Ferrari, was derived from the unit used in the actual F1 car from 1989 (known as the F1-89, naturally). This engine served as a stressed member of the chassis, mounted behind a carbon-fiber tub. With its removable hardtop, the F50 remains the only model in Maranello's flagship series (excluding the Enzo-based Maserati MC12) that offered an open cockpit. It was all very F1-like, but was barely any faster (if at all) than its iconic predecessor. Only 349 F50s were made, each carrying a half-million-dollar price tag. That would be a good $750k in today's money. Still, it is part of a highly collectible series. Only 349 were made, each carrying a half-million-dollar price tag that seemed astronomic at the time in the mid-'90s. That'd be about $750k in today's money, but it's still a far cry from what they're trading at these days. Last year alone, RM Sotheby's sold two F50s at auction: one in May at Villa d'Este for just under $1.4 million, and another at Pebble Beach (as part of the Pinnacle Portfolio) for nearly $2m. This compared to just a few years ago when they were selling for six figures, not seven, prior to 2013. At this early point in the year, two major auction houses have already announced consignments of F50s. RM has one (pictured above) on the docket that's estimated to sell for a good $1.5m. It's sure to be one of the top sellers in a couple of weeks at its sale in Paris during the Salon Retromobile (where Artcurial has another Ferrari for sale at over $30m). Gooding & Company has one lined up as part of the Tony Shooshani Collection. That example (depicted in the video below) was displayed at the 1995 Tokyo Motor Show and was owned by Jacques Swaters (of Ecurie Francorchamps fame). It has only 1,100 miles on the odometer and is expected to fetch between $2.5m and $2.9m, which would set a new record for the model.

Ferrari revealed the LaFerrari Aperta, and yeah, it's already sold out

We saw this one coming as far away as the mid-engine Corvette: The LaFerrari is getting a convertible version. Publically revealed Thursday at the Paris Motor Show, the LaFerrari Aperta promises the same performance as the regular LaFerrari – with an open-air design. We had seen it already, actually, but today brought confirmation that it will be called Aperta, not Spider. It's already sold out (duh) and will be limited to 209 copies. Two hundred of those go to regular people, or Ferrari customers anyway, and nine will be held back by the company to show off at events in 2017 as the automaker celebrates its 70th anniversary. Ferrari says the LaFerrari Aperta maintains the torsional rigidity and aerodynamics of the hardtop. The powertrain is the same: a V12 paired with an electric motor and KERS technology to generate 949 total horsepower. Meanwhile, Ferrari revealed details on five liveries to celebrate its 70th anniversary based on its current product line with a total of 350 units set to be produced. They are: The Steve McQueen, which takes inspiration from SMQ's iconic 1960s 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso. The Green Jewel, a green scheme based on the 365 P2 from Le Mans competition. The Stirling, which evokes a 250 GT Berlinetta SWB from 1961 driven to victory by Stirling Moss. The Schumacher, a red color scheme based on Ferrari's 2003 Formula One car piloted to seven victories by Michael Schumacher. The White Spider, a tribute to the 375 MM Pinin Farina Spider. The company also showed the rear-wheel-drive, turbo V8-powered GTC4 Lusso T for the first time at an auto show. As you can tell, the Paris show is a busy one for Ferrari. That's fine with us. Related Video: Featured Gallery Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta: Paris 2016 View 21 Photos Related Gallery Ferrari LaFerrari Spider Related Gallery Ferrari 488 Spider 70th Anniversary Edition: Paris 2016 View 10 Photos Image Credit: Live photos copyright 2016 Drew Phillips / Autoblog Design/Style Paris Motor Show Ferrari Convertible Performance ferrari laferrari 2016 paris motor show ferrari laferrari spider ferrari laferrari aperta