The collectible car market can be funny sometimes. Cars that are not especially important or pretty or fast sometimes catch a bid, skyrocketing in value. Others quietly depreciate for what seems like forever. And then there are the sleepers, the overlooked cars that have become (relatively) cheap, but have the potential to rise in values.
I suspect the Ferrari 456 is one such sleeper.
The beautiful wedge shape is understated, and even prettier in person. Designed as a 2+2 coupé grand tourer, produced from 1992 to 2003, it was the handiwork of Pietro Camardella at Pininfarina. A very ‘90s big touring car: its 436HP 5.5-liter quad-cam V12 sits up front, with a gated 6-speed shifter (automatic was not an option until 1997). The 456 name derives not from the HP but the cylinder size: each of the 12 displaces 456 cubic centimeters.
The 3900 pound GT had a top speed of 192 mph, and would hit 60MPH in 4.9 seconds.
The example below is especially lovely: The Rosso Monza exterior is a deep, nuanced red, prettier than the more glaring rossa seen on models like the 458 and 488; the beige leather interior is handsome and refined. From the driver’s position, the dashboard is handsome, with controls falling well to hand, switchgear well designed and located in front of the driver and in the center stack. It was a huge improvement over ’80s F-cars like the Testarossa.
When sold new 25 years ago, in 1995, the MSRP on this car was $221,750. Thats a lot of money, but there were no options, and it included a factory tool kit with spare parts, and a Schedoni leather luggage set.
This beautiful example sold for $66,000. That sounds like an outlier, but as you can see here, its within the range of $40-75k that these tend to go for. Maintenance is potentially expensive for a 50,000 mile 1990s supercar, but such are the travails of Ferrari ownership. After a decade or so, the buyer of this 456 can sell it, likely for more than they paid for it, using the proceeds to “trade up.”
I believe that “Cars are for driving,” but if you can own a vehicle that will appreciate over time, you get the best of both worlds.
Source: Bring A Trailer
