Over 90 percent of all Ferraris ever produced are apparently still on the road, according to the Italian automaker. That number probably won’t change anytime soon, either, as Ferrari is spending a lot of money keeping its older models roadworthy.
As Drive reports, during a showcase of the Ferrari Approved certified pre-owned program in Maranello, Andrea Scioletti, head of Ferrari pre-owned, said over 300,000 Ferraris are on the road today. That works out to 90 percent. That’s damn impressive, but it also makes sense. I mean, Ferraris are very expensive to buy, so they’re usually worth the investment to keep going. Ferrari knows this, and that’s why it’s created a bunch of programs aimed at keeping its cars on the road as long as possible.
“Pre-owned is often the main entrance for the [new] people accessing the Ferrari [brand]. For this reason, we have created several programs to preserve the experience… of the cars over time,” Scioletti told Drive. “Ferrari Approved is a way to guarantee that the experience for those buying a Ferrari remains unchanged over time.”
To put that 90 percent number in perspective, Drive says that just 70 percent of all Porsches ever made are still driving today. That may be a bit unfair since Porsche does make a lot more down-market vehicles than Ferrari does, but still, it’s impressive nonetheless. Here’s some of what Ferrari is doing to keep the cars it builds roadworthy long after they’ve left its factory in Maranello, according to Drive:
Ferrari has several after-sales programs and packages to ensure its older models continue running, including a three-year factory warranty, additional (at cost) extended warranty, and powertrain-specific warranties that last up to 16 years after a car’s been delivered.
However, the brand believes “a Ferrari is forever” and even wants to handle the sales process of used cars.
The Ferrari Approved program is the manufacturer’s certified pre-owned vehicle (CPO) scheme that goes beyond normal CPO arrangements in which cars are cross-checked against specific criteria and their maintenance histories.
Ferrari Approved differs by mechanically and aesthetically “restoring” these models back to factory condition for the next owners. It’s then warranted for up to 24 months, depending on the country (just 12 months for Australian cars).
It’s only available for models up to 16 years old (or 120,000km), but involves 201 individual points of inspection and compliance for a car to be “Ferrari Approved”. These checks involve everything from cross-checking maintenance schedules, to paint inspections, and even replacing worn or damaged parts.
Ferrari is more than happy to look after the cars once they’ve been bought, too. It offers the Ferrari Premium maintenance program for cars between 10 and 20 years old. It’s crazy to think a 20-year-old Ferrari is an F430, but here we are. The programs only get wilder from here, as Drive explains:
This then leads into the elite Ferrari Classiche circle. Ferrari’s Classiche program is the top level of Ferrari certification that acts as Ferrari’s own in-house restoration program.
Every single aspect of a car’s provenance, maintenance, and physical condition is scrutinised by a team of experts in order for a car to achieve the highest Ferrari factory certification. This is an avenue for cars to compete at concours events or achieve the highest returns when sent to auction.
It’s the ultimate form of vehicle preservation that sees cars from Ferrari’s early days – such as the 1959 Ferrari 250 GT SWB – returned to the condition that they left the factory.
There isn’t even a set price for any of these programs. Drive says it depends on the condition of the car you bring to Ferrari, which I suppose makes sense. I’m going to go out on a limb though and say it isn’t cheap.
What Ferrari is though? If you want your aging Italian exotic to stay on the road, it’s going to cost a pretty penny that Ferrari will happily collect.