Just Because You Can Afford a Supercar Doesn't Mean You Can Own One - roadandtrack

[Marshall Placid]

Read an interesting article about the competitive world of buying supercars with extremely limited production numbers.

The Ford GT is the latest example of the rich not getting what they want. A look inside the complicated and competitive world of buying supercars.

Even if you have the $400,000, chances are you're not getting the Ford GT. Having the ready cash may be the least difficult part of scoring a supercar these days.

Only 500 GTs will be handbuilt over two years, and now Dearborn executives have to figure out who will get them. Ford is joining a tiny cadre of carmakers who deal in the black art of supercar exclusivity, an arena where manufacturers have the upper hand, and the rich don't always get what they want.

Ferrari wrote the rulebook, vowing to always make one less car than the market demanded. But the market for supercars—and the number of qualified buyers globally—has surged. It took only a fortnight to sell out 500 McLaren 675LT Spiders (base price: $372,600). And all 40 examples of the $2-million-plus Lamborghini Centenarios were snapped up sight-unseen.

"When we first sat down and started thinking how to handle this, we benchmarked the competition by looking at Ferrari and McLaren," says Henry Ford III, global marketing manager of Ford Performance (and yes, a direct descendant of the Henry). "But we needed an experience that was unique to Ford."

Last week the company opened up a month-long online process, sort of the equivalent of a college application, which includes links to personal videos and a question if an applicant qualifies as an influencer.

"We want the process to be open to everyone," Ford says. "But once you log into the application, we ask about your relationship with Ford. Are you a GT owner? Do you take it to car shows or the racetrack? We really are looking for Ford brand ambassadors, and we want to find customers who will actually drive the car."

Do they truly think the rich will have patience with an application? "Well, we expect that some high-profile folk probably won't be sitting at their own computer typing away," Ford says. "They may have an assistant do it for them, which is fine as long as it's truthful."

According to Ford, global teams from the U.S., Asia, and Europe will separately evaluate their own applications before recommendations are sent to senior management—and all applicants will get a response within 90 days of the May 12th cutoff. "We'll probably already know most of these folks personally, just because they'll have been involved in clubs and are active in the enthusiast community." Ford says that influential younger buyers, who may have no previous Ford relationship, would also be considered. "I almost feel like I'm in a college admission committee," he says with a laugh.

The selection process will pit traditional big-money types against more regular, Ford-loving folks. One such example of the latter is a Michigan family whom I've raced with at LeMons, the Horbals. The patriarch, Rick, is a doctor who put himself through college working at the Ford offices and the River Rouge factory. His father-in-law was a lifelong tool-and-die man at Rouge ("He died one month after retiring," Rick says), and a nephew currently works at Ford's wind tunnel. "We've always been a Ford family," he says. "Owning a GT would be a dream come true. I'm a racing person, and the GT is the pinnacle of racing. Imagine owning a car that has raced at Le Mans. I'll probably die and give it to my kids." Asked what he thinks his chances are, he pauses. "Thirty-five percent?" Rick says hopefully.

The relative level of transparency makes sense in Ford's case, and is very different than international competitors. (Ford notes that the other manufacturers "keep their practices pretty close to the vest.") I've spoken to a number of current and previous owners of Ferrari and McLaren about their experiences, and every one of them asked me not to use their name. No one wants to get on the bad side of their dealership, for whom the relationship is all-important.

"Relationship is everything," says one Ferrari collector. "My guy knows I'll buy the hottest mid-engine every year and then turn it back to them six months later to re-sell to the next guy, which they usually do at full price. They make money every time they re-sell the car, which they might do three times in its life cycle. And I've always got the coolest new Ferrari."

Building that relationship may begin with buying the less sought-after cars. Says one industry insider: "You're Jo Schmo and you want a 488. They laugh you out of the showroom. So you go ahead and buy a used 458 and they'll put you on the two-year list for the 488. But agree to buy a FF or a California today, and you'll get on the faster list."

One Ferrari owner I spoke to got his start when he bought two 1980s-era Ferraris and a F430 just as the 458 was debuting. He eventually got the 458, traded up to the Spyder, acquired a Speciale (which he still owns), and then traded the Spyder for a new 488.

"My dealership says they can put me on the list for the 488-level Speciale now. But if I want to get on the list for the Aperta, I need to buy a California first." And so he put a California on order. "My wife will drive it."

Several buyers told me that Ferrari uses a points system, factoring in how many new and classic Ferraris are in your current collection. "You want one of the big-daddy front engines like the F12 tdf, you'll need 10 or 12 points. And for something like the LaFerrari, you have to be invited on the list. Perhaps you've had a one-off built, or you've got 20 classic and current Ferraris," another owner tells me.

FERRARI USES A POINTS SYSTEM, FACTORING IN HOW MANY NEW AND CLASSIC FERRARIS ARE IN YOUR CURRENT COLLECTION
As a relative newcomer to consumer cars, McLaren relies heavily on its dealerships. Customers I spoke to agreed that going to the right dealership was key. Some dealerships get greater allocations than others, but if you're looking for a hot new model, it might benefit you to go to a dealership which sells cars more slowly.

Either way, you could probably buy a 650S almost immediately if you're not fussy about the color. Order the new 570S, and you'll wait five or six months for it to be built. But getting a 675LT was a matter of having a pre-existing relationship with your dealer. Like one gentleman I know, when you already own a P1, it's easy to score a 675LT Spider.

"We generally don't say who does or does not get a car," says John Paolo Canton, senior PR manager at McLaren. "We give the dealer an allocation and they sell to whomever they want from there." He also says that they encourage dealerships to follow the suggested MSRP.

However, that doesn't mean McLaren isn't watching who gets its cars. "Both the dealerships and corporate are acutely aware who buys cars to flip them," Canton says. "So when we get to very special cars like the P1, that's when we pay close attention."

In the end, though, one wonders if the McLarens of the world might take a note from Ford. More than 100,000 people have played with the online configurator so far, and some 7000 have submitted applications. That's a lot of free, positive publicity for a car with such a limited run. "We fully understand that some folk are applying just for the fun of it, " says Ford. "And that's great, because that means they're engaged with the brand."

Ford GT Application Process - How to Buy a Supercar - Road & Track

I love this quote (and LOLed):

"Do they truly think the rich will have patience with an application? "Well, we expect that some high-profile folk probably won't be sitting at their own computer typing away," Ford says. "They may have an assistant do it for them, which is fine as long as it's truthful."

Thoughts on the article?

[BoostedBB6]

This has never worked, even for Ferrari.

Just look at the people that get these exclusive cars on YouTube alone......people get the "opportunity to buy" then sell them to the highest bidder.

When you can go to independent dealers in the us who have a P1, 918 and LaFerrari this whole idea goes right out the window. All they do with this kind of sales tactic is drive up the price of the cars.

[dark0821]

cant say I am surprised, I think you can get to "this stage" in anything...

when you start to collect any thing that is limited, it will always be about who you know, and not how much money you have

[punkwax]

So if I won the lottery and wanted to buy whatever the fuck kinda Ferrari I wanted, a sales person could say nope, gotta buy this kind first? That's some BS... I knew there were super cars out there you had to get factory trained on before purchase, but I've never heard of this points system.

Mo money mo problems I guess lol

[MarkyMark]

So being rich doesn't entitle you to have whatever you want? Wtf...might as well stay poor then.

[Manic!]

more elitist B.S.

[E-SPEC]

A parent somewhere in Richmond now is gonna have some explaining to do to his Son.

[Hehe]

It's all strategies to create hype.

I registered for the Ford GT list too. It's free anyway. Does mean I can get one? I think the chance is pretty slim considering that I don't even own a Ford let alone a previous gen Ford GT.

If I were to be picked as a buyer, does that mean I'm going to keep it? Not a chance... I'd probably list it for sale the day I receive notification that I'm indeed getting the car.

[GLOW]

i misread it as "just because you can afford a supercar doesn't mean you can drive one"

[E-SPEC]

Originally Posted by Hehe

If I were to be picked as a buyer, does that mean I'm going to keep it? Not a chance... I'd probably list it for sale the day I receive notification that I'm indeed getting the car.

And that's just why they wouldn't be picking you!

[tofu1413]

Originally Posted by GLOW

i misread it as "just because you can afford a supercar doesn't mean you can drive one"

thats what i thought i read too... and aimed squarely at richmonders.

[heleu]

The article is clickbait.

Mega wealthy people don't just have money, they have connections. I'm sure if they are into cars they will have the necessary connections to source whatever vehicle they want.

The limited production cars are meant to generate interest in the brand; it doesn't mean they won't necessarily make more if there is a market. The Ferrari F40 was supposed to be a 349 limited production run, but they made more than a 1000 of them because of demand.

[swfk]

I experienced this first hand.

Close friend just bought a 991 GT3 2015 CPO car and he is the 2nd owner of it and paid $7k *over* MSRP. I decided I should wait list for the 991.2 GT3 in manual, salesperson explains it's not a waitlist, but think of it as a bucket of names.

They consider customers in the dealer's best interest, such as whether or not you have a trade-in, how much can they make off the trade-in, how's the relationship with this customer? Will they continue to shop?

Once these allocations are satisfied, if there are any left then they consider the Joe schmoes like me who have no trade-in and no previous Porsches.

While in my friend's situation, since he bought his way in by paying $7k over MSRP for a used 991 GT3 (turned out to be a great deal as they are now $15k over MSRP compared to when he bought it) the dealer will consider him when he orders the GT3RS.

[westopher]

Wait so your on the list for a 991.2 gt3?

[Timpo]

Honestly, who gives a shit?

Think about it for a moment, if I was super rich, I probably wouldn't even care about Ford GT.
Lexus has tried something similar to "select" LFA owners, but again, who cares?

If I could afford Bugatti Chiron, Koenigsegg Regera, LaFerrari, McLaren P1, and all the other exotic cars, honestly, I would care less about Ford not wanting me to purchase the Ford GT.

Sure, you can argue owning a Ford GT is ultimate dream comes true because of its history or whatever, but true Ford lover would want a real Ford GT40 or something similar, not a 2017 V6 Ecoboost TwinTurbo Ford GT.
It's just a Ford's marketing strategy to make it seem like a new Ford GT is a "piece of history" kind of thing.

Ford GT40


Ford P68


Ford GT40 Mk.IV


Ford GT90

[underscore]

Originally Posted by swfk

While in my friend's situation, since he bought his way in by paying $7k over MSRP for a used 991 GT3 (turned out to be a great deal as they are now $15k over MSRP compared to when he bought it) the dealer will consider him when he orders the GT3RS.

It appears you and I have very different ideas of what a "great deal" is. Companies like Porsche and Ferrari being such money grabbing cunts to deal with kills the appeal of their cars to me (but maybe I'm just getting old and have grown tired of dealing with people like that).

[swfk]

^ Considering the fact that Pfaff is offering to buy his car back for more than what he paid for, great deal.

Originally Posted by swfk

While in my friend's situation, since he bought his way in by paying $7k over MSRP for a used 991 GT3 (turned out to be a great deal as they are now $15k over MSRP compared to when he bought it) the dealer will consider him when he orders the GT3RS.

[Gucci Mane]

Originally Posted by underscore

It appears you and I have very different ideas of what a "great deal" is. Companies like Porsche and Ferrari being such money grabbing cunts to deal with kills the appeal of their cars to me (but maybe I'm just getting old and have grown tired of dealing with people like that).

At least they're appreciating in value at the same time.. The mustang gt350 is being sold for 20k over sticker at some dealers. It's fucking mad.

[marksport]

Buy the dealership and not worry about a waiting list or salespeople looking down on you

[Digitalis]

This is the reason I dont go to clubs, same reason I dont wait in line at trendy restaurants. My time is more valuable than standing waiting for your service.

[Harvey Specter]

It's funny how Lambo isn't as anal as Ferrari when it comes to limited cars.

Before I got my Huracan I was looking at the 488 which isn't limited but I was told I had to "buy" a California or another Ferrari just to get on the list for the 488 which was anywhere from a year to two years. Walked into Lambo, got a factory ordered Huracan with ease and also put my name on the list for the Huracan SL which might limited without owing Lambo's in the past. I was a few months too late or I could have got a SV.

[boostfever]

Originally Posted by Harvey Specter

It's funny how Lambo isn't as anal as Ferrari when it comes to limited cars.

Before I got my Huracan I was looking at the 488 which isn't limited but I was told I had to "buy" a California or another Ferrari just to get on the list for the 488 which was anywhere from a year to two years. Walked into Lambo, got a factory ordered Huracan with ease and also put my name on the list for the Huracan SL which might limited without owing Lambo's in the past. I was a few months too late or I could have got a SV.

The client base and market demand is much higher for Ferraris than Lambos. Lambo is obviously expanding now, and has been trying to since Audi bought them. But it was only 15 years ago when they had a single model in production with different variants (Diablo). At that time Ferrari had much more models in production and serious supercars in development (Enzo).
Unfortunately you can't really compare Lambo to Ferrari in many aspects. Even their factories in Italy are night and day difference.

[Jgresch]

Originally Posted by boostfever

The client base and market demand is much higher for Ferraris than Lambos. Lambo is obviously expanding now, and has been trying to since Audi bought them. But it was only 15 years ago when they had a single model in production with different variants (Diablo). At that time Ferrari had much more models in production and serious supercars in development (Enzo).
Unfortunately you can't really compare Lambo to Ferrari in many aspects. Even their factories in Italy are night and day difference.

In addition:

Spoiler!

Totally made up numbers here, but local Ferrari dealership is allocated ten 488s, and they have 25 people who are keen on buying; willing to leave deposits. They also have 7 or 8 calis/458s/FFs that are sitting unclaimed, there is a good chance many of the prospective 488 buyers are willing to buy one of these to "qualify" for a 488. Often even given a pre-determined trade in value for when the 488 arrives.

So might be less that they're being picky with who the buyers are, but more trying to push other inventory out the door. Guess that means they're still being picky, but in a different way.

[Timpo]

Originally Posted by boostfever

The client base and market demand is much higher for Ferraris than Lambos. Lambo is obviously expanding now, and has been trying to since Audi bought them. But it was only 15 years ago when they had a single model in production with different variants (Diablo). At that time Ferrari had much more models in production and serious supercars in development (Enzo).
Unfortunately you can't really compare Lambo to Ferrari in many aspects. Even their factories in Italy are night and day difference.

I always wondered why Lambos have low market demand.

If people have enough money to buy a Huracan, they would rather have a Ferrari or Porsche in that price range.

Me personally, I would pick Lambo before Ferrari and Porsche just because you see much less on the road.
I also like their aggressive design. Whereas Porsche and even some Ferraris look too tame. Thank god Rough Welt, Rocket Bunny and Liberty Walk are fixing this.

[Timpo]

and why did I get so many fails on my Ford GT post above? I thought I made a pretty good point.