A Ferrari for Less Than $50,000

by Mike

Yes you can join the exclusive Ferrari owners club for less than $50,000 but why not join the even more exclusive non-red Ferrari owners club? This yellow 1989 328 GTS below will do the job. It is for sale by Michael Sheehan for $49,500. The purchase price is just the start though with Ferrari, be careful with maintenance cost and any repairs that may need to be done right away.

Here is a beautiful blue 1994 Ferrari 348 Spider listed on eBay for $44,999. The seller says it is "ready for the road".

This 1975 Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 is listed for $27,500 at Bobileff Motorcar Company.

They are out there - the Ferrari for less than $50,000.

A proper pre-purchase inspection is always recommended. Also, be sure that you fit in the car - remember how Tom Selleck's head stuck out the top of the Ferrari he drove on his TV show Magnum P.I.?

Update
Just before I posted this I received an email from Michael Sheehan with his article from the December issue of Sports Car Market titled "Finding a Ferrari for $100k or less". I did write this post above before I saw his article. It seems we are thinking along the same lines but my number is half of his target and he does not mention color.

His summary:

these Ferraris are fully depreciated
the newer the Ferrari the better
do not buy a car with needs
define your budget, understand the cost of maintenance
always do a pre-purchase inspection
spend more up front

All good advice from the expert.

Lamborghini 350GT and 400GT

by Mike

The 350GT was Lamborghini's first car and the V12 engine was designed by Giotto Bizzarrini. Lamborghini produced 143 examples of this model and this car put Lamborghini in the game with Ferrari.

This red 1965 Lamborghini 350GT Superleggera is for sale at Fantasy Junction with a price of $245,000.

I drove this car a few months ago and it does drive very well. It is not a show car but could likely be a good weekend driver.

The 1965 car below is listed for sale on the duPont Regristry with a price of $449,000. The seller claims this car has had a "concours level restoration". It would need to be to justify this price. The pictures do look great.

In 1966 the 400GT followed the 350GT in the Lamborghini model lineup and had a larger engine (4 liters compared to 3.5 liters for the 350GT) but just as important the 400GT had a small back seat (2 plus 2). The exterior styling is very similar with 244 examples produced.

The car below is a 1966 400GT for sale at Lamborghini Houston for $329,750. This car is "finished in Dark Grey Metallic over beautiful Red Leather" and is a multiple award winning car. It is also listed on eBay here.

The red 1968 400GT below is listed on eBay here for $285,000.

If I had room and the money I would love to add one of these cars to my garage.

Bizzarrini P538

by Mike

The Bizzarrini P538 is a mid-engine race car without a top. Originally two were made with a Lamborghini V12 engine and two were made with the Corvette 5.3 liter V8. The body is fiberglass over a tubular steel chassis. This is a stunning car in person, however, it did not have a successful race career. Originally introduced in 1965 there have been many continuation cars made since the original four.

The car in this video is an exact reproduction of the 1965 Le Mans race car, commissioned by the owner, and constructed by Giotto Bizzarrini himself. Perhaps the last Bizzarrini made by Ing. Bizzarrini! It was at Concourso Italiano in Monterey, California in August 2010 parked next to my Bizzarrini GT 5300 Strada.

Lamborghini Espada

by Mike

An interesting car, not the most beautiful Italian design but funky and cool in its own way. It has that great V12 engine designed by Giotto Bizzarrini and will carry four people in style, quickly. There have been several for sale recently. This orange one, located in Wisconsin, is on eBay now here with a starting price of $39,000.

I really like this orange and it is an original car according to the seller.

This green one below is for sale at Gullwing Motors in New York here for only $17,500.

There is not much information in the ad and the car looks a little rough in the other pictures. A close inspection would be advisable.

There are ten more for sale now in Europe listed on the Anamera site here with prices up to 62,500 Euros.

1966 Bizzarrini GT 5300 Strada

by Mike

I bought this Bizzarrini in 2008 after a four-year search for the right Bizzarrini Strada. This car has won many awards over the past 2.5 years and has been on display in many of the top car show events in California since 2008.

It was featured in Sports Car Market Magazine in November 2008.

It was featured on the TV show “My Classic Car With Dennis Gage” on Speed Channel in July 2009.

It was featured on the Adam Carolla CarCast in September 2009.