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Ferrari 458 Speciale buyers told to spec options to secure orders

Want to get your hands on a Ferrari 458 Speciale? You're in good company, because demand for what could be the last naturally aspirated V8 supercar from Maranello is apparently soaring. As a result, some buyers who've already placed their orders are reportedly being "advised" to add on extra options or risk losing their place on the waiting list to someone who will. The news comes from UK-based Magnitude Finance, whose director Tim Marlow said, "One client ordered the car many months ago but he was subsequently advised to increase the options he selected to guarantee delivery simply because others are prepared to go pay over the odds to get one new." Another Magnitude client was asked by the dealer "on five occasions to say others wanted to buy it if he changed his mind." Reached for comment, Ferrari spokesperson Krista Florin told Autoblog: "As with any Ferrari, customization is offered as a service to make each car unique. However, there are no requirements in order to secure an order." The options list on the 458 Speciale can add up fast. Active headlights add over $2,500 to the price, fitted luggage nearly $11k, leather interior and front lift system a solid $6k each and those NART stripes another $11k. Ordering items like the engine cover ($7.8k), rear diffuser ($9.6k) and outer sill cover ($10k) in carbon fiber can add to the $288k base price as quick as the Speciale can gather pace. That's how our recent tester ended up topping $336k – and that's if we could actually get one. Part of the demand is surely coming from moneyed enthusiasts keen to take possession of one of the finest mid-engined supercars Ferrari has ever made, but the demand and values are surely being driven up as well by speculators. "Everyone we speak to sees this as the next appreciating model over the long-term like the 360 Challenge Stradale and 430 Scuderia 16M before it," added Marlow, "so demand is really high." We can only imagine that demand has been even higher for the convertible version, as Ferrari will only make 499 examples of the 458 Speciale A, putting the roadster in an even more rarified class. Ferrari 458 Speciale demand (Leeds: UK. November 2014). Customers are going to extraordinary lengths to buy the Ferrari 458 Speciale, luxury car finance specialist, Magnitude Finance, reveals. Earmarked as a potential collector's item, some prospective buyers have been told a GBP20,000 deposit would only put them on a list of 'possible clients' but not guarantee an order.

Ferris Bueller Ferrari replica is so choice, and now it can be yours

If you have the means, we highly recommend you consider picking up this replica Ferrari GT Spyder California that had a starring role in 1986 film "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." Granted, Ferris Bueller (played by Matthew Broderick) and his friend Cameron Frye (played by Alan Ruck) ended up completely destroying the car in the movie – don't worry, this wasn't the one that went careening backwards out of a garage. This car, one of three built for the film, is fully restored and is in complete working order, according to Mecum Auctions. Set to go under the auction hammer later this month during Monterey Car Week, the 'Ferris Bueller Ferrari' is a cinematic and photogenic gem, despite the fact that, ahem, it's not an actual classic Ferrari. If it was, trust us, the price would be far in excess of the pre-sale estimate of $250,000-$300,000, which Mecum has placed on the car. For reference, back in 2012, a true 1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder found a new home after someone handed over more than $8-million dollars to buy it. So, all in all, this phony Ferrari could be the steal of century, as long as you don't mind a 5.0-liter V8 engine under the hood, versus a screaming Ferrari V12. Originally built in 1985 by a California company called Modena Design and Development, this car is based around a steel-tube frame and comes powered by a V8 fitted with four Weber carburetors. Power is fed to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox. Design touches to make the car appear authentic include a Ferrari grille, chrome side vents and wire-spoke wheels, Jaeger gauges across the dash, toggle switches, tan leather seats, a wooden steering wheel and period-correct AM/FM radio. Interestingly, the car is also fitted with air conditioning. The car is fresh from a nine-month restoration, carries its original VIN, and has apparently covered only 1,520 miles since new. Related Video:

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.