Ferrari has always been one step ahead of the pack when it comes to maintaining a cool factor and creating cars so stylish we think the fashion pack could learn a thing or two…
Take note, Slimane.
A lesson in exclusivity
While luxe fashion labels are moving away from a strict exclusivity model to achieve Insta notoriety (we’re looking at you Gucci), the famous luxe car brand Ferrari has achieved greater popularity due to its elusive unattainability.
You can’t just rock up to a Ferrari showroom and expect to walk away with a car on the same day. Oh no. One applies for a Ferrari – and not everyone is successful in their application. Wannabe Ferrari owners have to be rubber-stamped as Ferrari-worthy.
Limiting the number of cars that come into the marketplace, while keeping demand high has been an insanely shrewd move for the famed Italian brand. While it means long waiting lists for customers, the re-sale values – especially of its famed iconic classics – are impeccably high. So Ferrari is oddly viewed as a canny investment.
Keep quality control
Practically every surface in a Ferrari can be tailor-made to suit your tastes through an elaborate personalisation scheme. Usually in conjunction with your own personal Ferrari `atelier’, you can literally create the bespoke vehicle of your dreams. Within reason.
The brand takes its prestigious history seriously – so while there has undoubtedly been some regrettable colour combos created over the years by some Eurotrash customers – Ferrari has taken some options off the table.
Ferrari Pink, for example, simply does not exist. So if you grew up chasing Barbie sports cars or wanting to be a real-life Penelope Pitstop (look her up) then Ferrari is not for you. Your dreams have to be put on hold for the greater good of the company.
Maintain a pecking order
Even though waiting lists are part of the Ferrari experience, there is still a pecking order of purchase and it’s the so-called everyday ranges – like the GT range and sportscar range – which are considered the entry-level purchases to the Ferrari journey.
Hyped as the brand’s most practical car – the GTC4Lusso is a classic four-seater that combines performance and luxury. Similarly, the sporty Portofinos – the hard-top convertibles that are infinitely cooler sans roof – are also pegged as an everyday drive. (While that’s probably debatable – it definitely boasts the best party trick of all courtesy of the 14-seconds it takes to retract that roof while driving in traffic. Very 007.)
All that exclusivity doesn’t come cheap. The GTC4Lussos start from $512k for the `factory standard model’ while the Portofinos are around the $400k mark. That doesn’t include the long lists of available bespoke options and extras that can quickly add up (apparently Australians spend an average of $100k+ on bespoke options).
Create new audiences
Despite their firm grip on tradition, Ferrari is definitely targeting new money – which means everyone from successful sole-business tradies to cashed-up tech start-up founders – have now been welcomed with open arms into the burgeoning Ferrari fam.
No prizes for guessing that the lucrative female audience also has a target on its back – though it seems we’re already open to embracing the Ferrari experience. Australia boasts one of the highest percentages of female ownership in the Ferrari world – hovering near the 10 per cent mark, but Ferrari is still keen to boost its female ranks through initiatives like Driven Women which aims to get more women behind the wheels of Ferraris on racetracks as well as roads. It’s insanely fun – and who wouldn’t want that – in fashion or in cars?
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