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Importance of a Great Supercar Dealership

Importance of a Great Dealership

Importance Of A Great Dealership

I can’t over emphasize the importance of having a great dealer when owning a supercar.  I have been fortunate enough to have long term relationships with two dealers that I would rate as simply outstanding.  In both cases, it has made the difference between a good and a great ownership experience. Both dealers are happy to go the extra yard.  Each has gladly extended a hand when I have needed help, no matter how unusual the request or situation.

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Despite not having lived in the UK for five years now and not having kept a Ferrari there for two, I still consider Carrs Ferrari in Exeter to be my preferred Ferrari dealer.  When I did live in the UK, they were always terrific.  Servicing could not have been easier. The Ferraris were picked up and then dropped back off again right in our garage.  The few times there were issues, Carrs immediately took action to make it right. I always felt that I was treated fairly. The mechanics at Carrs were outstanding and knew both our F40 & F50 inside and out. Given their mechanical skills, when we acquired the Koenigsegg CCR and the Jaguar XJR-15, I sent them down to Carrs to be sorted.  

An example of the value of a importance of a great relationship happened two years ago when we were on a road trip in France in the F40.   Our group had pulled into the gas station to fill-up. After filling the tanks, word went out on the walkie talkies that we were ready to go, and I went to start the F40.  It was completely dead.  After a few choice words, the other guys parked their cars and came over to help push the F40 from the gas pumps over into a parking spot on the side.  We opened the engine cover & the front clam shell. This rare site only served to attract a not exactly helpful crowd.  I immediately called Carr’s Ferrari and explained the situation.  While on the phone, Carrs walked me through possible causes.  First, we checked for a dead battery, negative, then a dead starter motor, also negative, dead alternator, nope.  From there it was onto the electrical system.  We went through the fuses and relays until the issue was isolated to a problem with the wiring in the starter button, immobilizer, or the ignition. Carrs pulled the wiring diagram and came up with a work around that allowed us to continue on the trip. So, there we were in a gas station in France, basically hot wiring a Ferrari F40.  Had Carrs not come to the rescue, we would have ended up flat bedding the F40 back to the UK.

A more recent example happened just a few weeks ago.  Earlier this year I had the Ferrari F40 serviced for the 1sttime in the US (F40 1st Service in the US). On the drive home from the service, the F40 just didn’t feel right.  It felt very down on power and quite sluggish. Both any sense of torque and the usual rabid acceleration were completely missing.  It was as if the turbos had left on vacation and taken four of the eight cylinders with them.  As the F40 had just been serviced, my initial thoughts were it must be bad petrol. After a few more drives and with some fresh petrol in the tanks, the F40 still didn’t feel right and on one very hot day, it suddenly stalled at a stop sign after a 30 minute run.  While I was able to nurse the F40 home, the sudden refusing to idle properly was a major concern.  I’m a firm believer that the people who get you into trouble normally aren’t the people that are going to get you back out.  Hence, I reached out to Carrs vs. taking the F40 back to Boardwalk, whom I had little trust in (Dealing With Ferrari). Post a phone call with Carrs, the head mechanic, Harvey, immediately sent back a detailed list of components to check.  I methodically went through the list, checking relays, fuses, and all the ECU connections.  Once finished, I started the F40 up and it immediately sounded better.  A short drive confirmed that the issue with idling had been resolved and power was back to normal.  Again, Carrs came to my rescue and I am not even a current customer. 

The other dealership that has routinely gone above and beyond is our current McLaren and Maserati dealer, Park Place in Dallas.  Over the last five years, Park Place has done an outstanding job managing our complex relationship with McLaren.  The sales team has done a terrific job helping us get both the allocations and the build slots we prefer.  In addition, they have always offered to lend me the latest McLaren, Maserati, and even a few Bentley models to try for a few days (McLaren 720S Coupe vs. Spider and Bentley Conti GT Speed).  When I have needed to ship cars across the country, Park Place has helped out.  On the service side, we have never had an issue.  The team of mechanics is excellent, and each annual service has been done with perfection.  When I have had a question, I get a response in a matter of hours.  While we haven’t had any major issues with any of the cars, on the few minor ones, Park Place has always gone to bat for us on warrantee claims and made sure things were completely covered.  This includes three faulty batteries on the Maserati Granturismo Cabriolet and a new infotainment system on the McLaren P1.  Both Mrs. SSO and I know that if something does go wrong, help is only a phone call away.  You can’t put a value on that type of peace of mind.  

The sales team at Park Place does a great job of supporting the local supercar community.  They are always present at local events.  Park Place now organizes the most prestigious local concurs, the Luxury and Supercar Showcase, which is now in its third year running.  In addition, Park Place hosts a number of invitation only events in the showroom and the occasional track day.

All in all, we have been very fortunate with our two main dealer relationships in both the UK and the US.  Both Carrs of Exeter and Park Place in Dallas excel at customer service and know how to build a great long-term relationship.  When owning cars of these values and complexity, having the right support is critical.

Carrs Ferrari of Exeter

Manaton Close, Exeter, EX2 8PF

44 1392 822086  www.carrsferrari.co.uk

Park Place Premier Collection

5300 Lemmon Avenue, Dallas, TX 75209

1 214 849 5355 https://www.parkplace.com/Dealership-McLaren-Dallas

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The Mystery of Supercar Allocations

The Mystery of Supercar Allocations

A not infrequent question I get asked is “how do you get on the list for a limited edition supercar”.  As questions go, this is not an easy one to answer.  It varies significantly by company and in some cases, the logic completely escapes me.  Who gets allocations can also change based on what a particular manufacturer is trying to achieve in terms of developing their customer profile with a specific model.

Of the multitude of supercar manufacturers, in terms of allocation logic, the most straight forward seems to be Ferrari ( Dealing With Ferrari).  From what I have seen, Ferrari operates on a strict pay to play model.  The more money you spend directly with Ferrari, the higher on the list you will rise.  Participating in the Corse Clienti in the Ferrari Challenge Racing Series, XX Program, or as a F1 Clienti all will significantly help your overall standing. Having all your cars certified by Ferrari Classiche is also not a bad idea.  It goes without saying that buying every just about new model that rolls out of the gates at Maranello has to be pretty much a given.  It would be fascinating to know how many Californias and FFs were purchased by owners just looking to move up Ferraris priority list.  The “you need to buy this if you want that” approach I found really annoying and alienating.  From what I have been told, owning tens of millions of dollars of Ferrari’s vintage cars really doesn’t count for much as that does little to enrich Ferraris current coffers.

If Ferrari operates on a Machiavellian pay to play philosophy, McLaren seems to be much more based on your overall loyalty and history with the brand.  From what I have seen, there are always a small number of build slots that go to supercar collectors who are non-McLaren owners to bring them into the brand. I’ve never had McLaren either directly or indirectly indicate that I needed to buy a certain new model if I wanted to be on the allocation list for the next limited-edition supercar.  Even with multiple McLarens ( Our McLaren History) in the garage, does this mean I have been able to acquire every new McLaren I’ve wanted?  No, I didn’t make the cut for the Speedtail.  From what I understand via talking to other owners, the 106 Speedtail build slots were offered in order of priority to owners of F1 heritage racecars, F1 road cars, P1 GTRs, and then P1 owners.  My guess is very few of the last group made the cut.  In my case, I was told I was on the waitlist which I took as a very polite way of saying no.  Based on how the decisions were made, I did think the outcome was fair.

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Porsche is one manufacturer I really don’t understand when it comes to the allocation game.  Based on a very abrupt and less than fruitful experience on the 911R, pay to play now seems to be the order of the day.  However, when Porsche was having a very hard time filling 918 build slots, I couldn’t get the local Porsche dealers to return a phone call in either the UK, or shortly thereafter, when we had moved to the US ( Our Porsche History).  Unusual for a German company, there doesn’t seem to be a standard process or approach.

In my limited experience, Aston Martin seems to operate under a similar philosophy to McLaren.  Like McLaren, there are a few build slots that are given to supercar collectors who are non-Aston Martin owners to bring them on board with the majority going to loyal customers.  As the recipient of one of the former for an AM-RB Valhalla build slot ( AM-RB Project 003), I’m quite grateful that Aston Martin takes this approach and I sure it will lead to also adding one of their production models to the garage in the near future. Also saying “no” once doesn’t seem to lead to being declared “persona non grata” as I did pass on the One-77 several years ago.

Amongst the smaller manufacturers, I really have no idea how either Pagani or Koenigsegg operate at this point.  Asking prices on their used cars seemed to have eclipsed the latest models in some cases.  It’s hard to tell how realistic these prices are as multiple cars seem to move from dealer to dealer at increasing values without seeming to ever find a private home ( Supercar Market Q2 2019).   In both cases, cars are built to order, but how hard it is to be allowed to place an order I just don’t know.  Ford would also fall into the “I have no idea” category.  While I know a number of the Ford GTs went to loyal long term Ford customers who will really cherish and enjoy the car, GTs also seemed to be used as a reward for owners of the larger dealerships, with a number of build slots then going to YouTube and Instagram celebrities based on some sort of projected PR value that Ford might realize.

As a new small supercar manufacturer, Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus (SCG) is still in the early stages of building up its customer based so getting a build slot is a straight forward affair ( Ambitous Plans of SCG). However, as awareness grows and given the bespoke hand-built nature of the cars, it will be a year or two before you can expect delivery.  One thing SCG has done which I find quite clever and innovative is to designate a certain number of early build slots for each model as “Founders” editions. With a “Founders” build slot you get access to the development details and testing progress on that model.  Personally, think it is quite a cool added bonus for petrolheads.

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LaFerrari, P1, 918: No Longer the New New Thing

No Longer the New New Thing

LaFerrari, P1, 918: No Longer the New New Thing

I woke up this morning to an auction alert on a 2015 McLaren P1.  The P1 had failed to sell at a high bid of $1.12M against an estimate of $1.23M-$1.46M. The low end of the estimate is roughly 50% of the asking prices on P1s just 3 years ago.  Clearly the P1 is no longer the new, must have, thing.  Looking at the other two members of this decades Supercar “Holy Trinity” Porsche 918s have dropped by at least 30% from their highs and LaFerraris are down close to $1 million.  Of the three, only the LaFerrari is still selling for considerably more than its original list price.  All three have now reached that awkward age where they just another used limited edition supercar. 

During this same period, McLaren F1s have continued to appreciate at a rapid clip.  At this point you will not get any change from $20 million for a F1.  Carrera GTs and F50s have doubled in the last five years while F40s have continued to appreciate steadily.  What these “winners” all seem to have in common is outstanding analogue focused engineering, designs that are both timeless yet still seem to improve with age, and require a fair amount of skill to drive well. The one model from the last generation that has fallen back in price is the Enzo.  The last few auction sales of Enzos are over a million dollars off their high sales in 2016.  The other limited-edition supercar that hasn’t appreciated over this period is the Porsche 959.

When looking at all nine of these supercars, they basically fall into two groups; technology showcases and analogue masterpieces.  The former are all falling in value with the latter continuing to appreciate.  The problem with cutting edge technology is what is cutting edge today, isn’t tomorrow. In fact, it can feel quite antiquated quickly. The Enzos F1 gearbox feels hopelessly slow vs. today’s dual clutch paddle boxes.  Compared to the brilliant 6 speed manual gearbox in the F50, the Enzos F1 is a bit of a turd.  The batteries in the McLaren P1 are also a well know issue.  The P1 battery pack will need replacement at some point and for about the same cost you could pick up a mint Ferrari 430 Scuderia.  While I’m not quite as close to the 918 or LaFerrari battery pack situation, I have to believe it is a similar story.  Let the battery die on your LaFerrari and you will need a tow truck to get it back to the dealer.  The four-wheel drive and suspension system on the 959 are more candidates for the antiquated list. 

The other challenge the technology showcase supercars have is they are no longer at the top of the charts on performance.  The new Ferrari SF90 Stradale will lap Fiorano faster than a LaFerrari and a McLaren Senna will have a lovely view of a P1 in its rearview mirror driving around Silverstone.  Once this performance halo is gone, the car loses the new new thing luster and thus a part of its valuation premium.

Looking forward, my guess would be that the Enzo, LaFerrari, P1 and 918 will continue to slide south in value to a bit below the original list prices before starting to trend back up as they age from latest thing to collectable classic.  The “must have” crew has moved on which is saturating the market for all of these formerly “latest” models. Given the much higher production numbers on the F40 & Carrera GT, values will hold or appreciate slightly.  There are always a few of each on the market so supply and demand seem balanced.  It’s the McLaren F1 and Ferrari F50 that still have appreciation potential.  They are each aging brilliantly and there is nothing dated about either.  Low production numbers make finding a mint one for sale a challenge.  I’m still kicking myself for the £700k F1 I passed on back in 2004.

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Supercars We Have Sold

Supercar Ghosts

Supercar Ghosts

With the McLaren Senna arriving shortly, I have been reflecting back on the different supercars I have owned over the years.  They basically fall into three groups; missed and would like it back, enjoyed owning but it was time to move on, and thank god it’s gone.  For the sake of brevity, I will only touch upon my top three in each category.

Starting with the last “thank god it’s gone” group, at pole position would have to be the Ferrari 456 GT followed by the Porsche 911 (993) Turbo with a BMW M5 (E39) getting a dishonorable mention.  When I bought the 456 GT, it came with a huge pile of invoices and I naively assumed that anything that could possibly go wrong had already gone wrong.  I was completely wrong; this rubber footed spawn of Hades was just getting going.  Every turn of the ignition key seemed to invite further punishment.  On those rare occasions when it did run, I found it under braked and overweight.  Both did nothing to help its case.  The only person sad to see it go was the mechanic I was using at the time.  The 456 GT probably put his son through school that year.  The 911 (993) Turbo was just not a good car.  On the autobahn at 150 mph, the front end went frighteningly light.  It would shimmer at high speed and just didn’t give you much confidence to push it hard.  On roads where the Ferrari F40 excelled, the 911 Turbo came up far short.  Add in a very harsh ride coupled with air-conditioning that would only work randomly and the 911 Turbo was not long for my world. While not quite a supercar, the BMW M5 (M39) has earned a place here as it was that bad.  The engine in the one I owned must have been put together after a long afternoon at Oktoberfest.  It drank both petrol and oil at about the same alarming rate.  Its appetite for tires was a close second to thirst for oil.  Add in a plethora of random warning lights, a clutch that suddenly died, and this was not a relationship that was ever going to last.

In a more positive category of “enjoyed owning” the top three would have to be the McLaren P1, Koenigsegg CCR, and the Mosler MT900S.  The McLaren P1 was an engineering masterpiece.  The P1 was enormously complex but was actually quite docile to drive if you just wanted to cruise around.  The biggest challenge with owning a P1 was finding roads where you could at least start to unleash its mind-bending capabilities.  The P1 both accelerated and stopped unlike any other car I have driven. Had it not been a hybrid with the omni present dead battery threat, it might still be with us.  The Koenigsegg CCR was always an event to drive and mine was completely reliable.  Acceleration was borderline terrifying if you really stuck your foot into it.  While not exactly the most polished car (the gear box was truly demonic), it did get huge marks in terms of being truly exotic and unique.  Somehow the whole package worked.  The Mosler is simply a great driver’s car.  Simple, focused, blisteringly fast, and perfectly balanced.  For just over a tenth the price, the Mosler delivered Enzo type performance.  In an era where all cars look more and more alike, there is no mistaking the Mosler for anything else.  

On the “I would like it back” list, the top three would have to be the Ferrari F50, Ferrari 430 Scuderia, and the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona.  The Ferrari F50 tops this list and I doubt it will ever lose top billing here.  The F50 is still simply the best driver’s car I have ever owned.  No one will ever make a car like it again and no other car sounds quite like an F50.  The engine is a work of art and that 6 speed gearbox is the best I have ever experienced. Nothing beats blasting down a back-country road in an F50 on a sunny day with the roof off.  On my list of favorite Ferraris, the 430 Scuderia certainly sits in the top 5.  Of the single clutch F1 gearbox generation of Ferraris, it is easy the best.  Great engine, great soundtrack, well balanced and with ceramic brakes that actually work make the 430 Scuderia a wonderful car to drive hard.  The Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona was the first and probably the last semi restoration project I will ever undertake.  Patience is not one of my strong points and restorations require it by the truck load.  Once we had it all sorted, the Daytona did drive nicely and epitomized late 60’s cool.  The engine and soundtrack it produced have to be two of the best ever designed.  The Daytona was a demanding, but hugely rewarding, car to drive. 

The one car I haven’t included in any of the above lists but deserves a mention is the Jaguar XJR-15.  I’m not quite sure if it falls into the “I want it back” or “enjoyed owning” category. What I am sure about the XJR-15 though is it is a unique car unlike any other.  Many cars claim to be road legal race cars, the XJR-15 is the only one I have driven that truly is.  On the one hand, they are beautifully built and on the other, they are completely without any creature comforts.

As time goes on and more cars come and go from our garage, I am sure this list will evolve.  My hope is that the first group never changes and a few from the last group make it back into the collection at some point in the future.

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