Even Ferrari has limits
They may be one of the sexiest and most flamboyant - not to mention expensive - sports cars in the world, but don't even think about asking for a pink Ferrari.
IT'S the ultimate in luxury sports cars — noisy, incredible to drive and possibly one of the most gawked-at set of wheels on the road.
But the one thing you will never see come out of the Ferrari factory is one in pink.
“It just doesn't fit into our whole ethos to be honest,” Ferrari's Australasia CEO, Herbert Appleroth says. “It's a brand rule. No pink. No Pokémon Ferraris!
“There are other colours that aren't in our DNA as well and they are wonderful colours too but some are perhaps more suited to other brands,' he says, ever so diplomatically.
“The most popular colour is still red but we are trying to give as many choices as possible to everyone.”
While red does make up for around a third of Ferrari sales around the world, it is followed by silver and black with white being a colour Appleroth says is trending 'upwards'.
“Enzo Ferrari used to say a different Ferrari for every Ferrari-ista, as globally we don't want two cars to be the same.
“We have invested in our dealerships so each one has a tailored made, personalisation area.”
Of course, if you are spending anything from US$400 000 to US$2.5 million on a Ferrari you may choose to go elsewhere to have it painted pink once you have driven it out of the dealership. But at this point, there won't be any pinkies brm-brm-brm-ing out of a showroom anytime soon.
“Every Ferrari is customised, personalised or bespoke,” says Appleroth.
“There are many different levels of personalisation from sitting in the dealership and working through all of your options to the tailor-made programme where you fly to Italy to the factory in Maranello and sit in the atelier and work out your specifications.
“And there is the one-off programme where it starts with the chassis and everything is completed around your specifications. But they are very, very rare. Eric Clapton has one like that.”
Appleroth says the car brand produces an ongoing book with all designs from all over the world so they can see what some of the trends and what some cultures are doing when it comes to design.
“Like anything in fashion, we push the boundaries and our personalisation programmes allow for our clients to basically create a couture car.”
And who exactly are the people buying these extravagant, mechanically masterful fast cars?
“Actually the car industry is booming,” Appleroth explains. “In our space, the 'super' car market, it has never been as good as it is now.
“In our segment, the Ferrari world, we have seen a 48% growth in the last financial year. There are a number of factors to it, from our economy doing well, there's a stability in the market and people are doing well and feeling confident about their primary investment, which is usually real estate.
“There are people who have worked hard and think 'I want to treat myself' and they also see a car like this as an investment as the cars appreciate simply because they are so limited and all bespoke.”
NEWS.COM.AU
But the one thing you will never see come out of the Ferrari factory is one in pink.
“It just doesn't fit into our whole ethos to be honest,” Ferrari's Australasia CEO, Herbert Appleroth says. “It's a brand rule. No pink. No Pokémon Ferraris!
“There are other colours that aren't in our DNA as well and they are wonderful colours too but some are perhaps more suited to other brands,' he says, ever so diplomatically.
“The most popular colour is still red but we are trying to give as many choices as possible to everyone.”
While red does make up for around a third of Ferrari sales around the world, it is followed by silver and black with white being a colour Appleroth says is trending 'upwards'.
“Enzo Ferrari used to say a different Ferrari for every Ferrari-ista, as globally we don't want two cars to be the same.
“We have invested in our dealerships so each one has a tailored made, personalisation area.”
Of course, if you are spending anything from US$400 000 to US$2.5 million on a Ferrari you may choose to go elsewhere to have it painted pink once you have driven it out of the dealership. But at this point, there won't be any pinkies brm-brm-brm-ing out of a showroom anytime soon.
“Every Ferrari is customised, personalised or bespoke,” says Appleroth.
“There are many different levels of personalisation from sitting in the dealership and working through all of your options to the tailor-made programme where you fly to Italy to the factory in Maranello and sit in the atelier and work out your specifications.
“And there is the one-off programme where it starts with the chassis and everything is completed around your specifications. But they are very, very rare. Eric Clapton has one like that.”
Appleroth says the car brand produces an ongoing book with all designs from all over the world so they can see what some of the trends and what some cultures are doing when it comes to design.
“Like anything in fashion, we push the boundaries and our personalisation programmes allow for our clients to basically create a couture car.”
And who exactly are the people buying these extravagant, mechanically masterful fast cars?
“Actually the car industry is booming,” Appleroth explains. “In our space, the 'super' car market, it has never been as good as it is now.
“In our segment, the Ferrari world, we have seen a 48% growth in the last financial year. There are a number of factors to it, from our economy doing well, there's a stability in the market and people are doing well and feeling confident about their primary investment, which is usually real estate.
“There are people who have worked hard and think 'I want to treat myself' and they also see a car like this as an investment as the cars appreciate simply because they are so limited and all bespoke.”
NEWS.COM.AU
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