It has been difficult to get a car for a while now because of the one-two wallop of a shopping spree and the hobbled supply chain. While top-tier marques are subject to the same inventory problems as any other sector, with a lack of everything from wiring harnesses to microchips choke manufacturing flow to a trickle, the most elite automakers face a longer-term problem. With models at production capacity for years to come, some marques can’t take orders.
Artificial scarcity has always been a tightrope to walk in the car world, and careful allocation is exactly how Ferrari and others keep their models exclusive even as those vehicles become available for an increasingly large pool of buyers. The sheer force of demand has grown to the point where cracks are starting to show, with more people questioning why they were left off RSVP lists for invite-only releases.
A collector based in the American South has a warehouse of modern Italian, German and British rolling stock and remembers the bad taste left when Ford announced a run of just 1,000 GTs over four years. He says that Ford ignored true enthusiasts like owners of the 2005 Ford GT when they made social-mediainfluencers the main customers. A brand should treat its top customers in a way that honors them for their loyalty and money spent.
A few marques have recently been more open about their decision-making. With 500 examples in the world against the Mistral’s announced 99-vehicle cap, it’s difficult to sort out the list. It was the subject of tough client discussions when it came to who got the tap and who didn’t. He says that the best solution was to simply add up the MSRP of the cars ordered by each customer.
Even if it doesn’t share details, there is a system in place. Enrico Galliera, chief marketing and commercial officer for Ferrari S.p.A. says, “We give a weight to the relation we have with our clients and then we have a method to calculate, and to give a certain priority whenever we come out with a new product.” We don’t want to have subjective elements of evaluation
The same collector thinks that the Italian brand makes its preferences known. He says the system is easy to use. You bought almost every model that came out over a period of time, you race in the Challenge series, and you don’t flip the cars.” You might be rewarded if you are loyal to the brand.
Some manufacturers decide at the corporate level who gets what, others leave it to the dealers to play Santa, which can result in extortion. Many elite marques officially discourage selling new vehicles above MSRP, but greedy dealerships abound, with some requiring customers to pay a sizable premium for the chance to acquire a particularly sought after car. One California collector with a hangar full of desirable modernPorsches claims, of the latest 992 Sport Classic, that the majority of dealers got only one allocation, or none at all, and those that did ultimately conduct a silent auction among their most well-heeled customers to see He says that this type of bidding war leaves a bad feeling about the dealerships and also hurts the manufacturer. It isn’t a good situation for anyone
This overheated moment has a losing nature. Canepa is the North American distributor for Gordon Murray automotive, which sold out of its limited production run almost immediately after being unveiled in 2020. He says that more than 200 people wanted a T.50 within the first week it was announced, and that it was a no-WIN situation for both sides.
Canepa says that there are people who are willing and able to buy special and exotic cars. Carmakers are faced with either building too many cars or not enough so that would-be clients are left empty-handed. It seems that too much of a good thing doesn’t always leave enough.