Ferrari used to be a highly exclusive, rare manufacturer of some of the world's most exquisite sports cars. These are just the sort of cars we love here at IL.
But in the past few years, the company has had record sales and introduced more, um, compromised models (I'm looking at you, California) and a theme park, and even gift shops in airports that aren't in Milan.
The business continues, and the company has just introduced a program called Tailor Made, where individuals can order their car in any color/paint scheme/ interior fabric they desire.
This (as shown above and after the jump) is not always a good thing.
The lead photo for this story is the Ferrari 599 GTB of Fiat scion, fashion guru and auto-show-model-picker Lapo Elkann. The exterior is two-tone baby blue and dark blue. The interior is denim. With pockets.
The Tailor Made program, in fact, is not a brand new thing, and actually goes back to the 1950s. But now that it's endorsed fully by the factory, customers are invited to Ferrari HQ in Maranello, Italy, and offered a personal designer, who will walk them through the breadth of options available to them.
There are three primary collections to choose from: Scuderia (think Ferrari racing history), Classica (think cashmere, vintage leather and chrome) and Inedita "unpublished (matte finishes, special fabrics and, sigh, denim).
We would love to assume that the owners will all have immaculate taste and style, but then again, we live in Los Angeles. We have reason to worry. Money doth not always equal taste. Precedents have been set.
Time will tell if Ferrari will be like Bentley and refuse insane custom orders in the name of taste, or like Rolls Royce who assumes that the customer is always right.
deanoflas says:
06:56 AM, 12/ 8/11
.......is it a bad thing that I kinda dig the camo'ed 599.....yes I think it is...
boobylortez says:
07:57 AM, 12/ 8/11
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
viss1 says:
08:59 AM, 12/ 8/11
That Ferrari is actually one of the more normal things Lapo Elkann has been involved with.
throwback says:
09:47 AM, 12/ 8/11
Considering the types of "mods" that come from shops like Mansory, this doesn't look so bad. If your customers have bad taste who cares? Either Ferrari does it, or some one else will get the money.
bankerdanny says:
09:55 AM, 12/ 8/11
I can't say I'm surprised, my respect for Ferrari declined precipitously when they decided to stop offering an actual manual transmission in most of its cars.
But I guess you have to say that this idiot would have just had a custom shop ruin his Ferrari for him at an exorbitant price, so Ferrari figured they might as well get the cash themselves.
deagle13 says:
09:59 AM, 12/ 8/11
Having spent most of my life in and around West Los Angeles, I second the motion that there is no correlation between wealth and taste.
And a DENIM interior?!? Don't they know that AMC did that back in the 1970's?
http://ginormus.blogspot.com/2009/03/amc-week-levis-gremlin.html
I guess it's OK, though, since AMC was bought by Chrysler which is now owned by Ferrari's parent, Fiat...
bonzjr says:
10:28 AM, 12/ 8/11
This horrid collection of vehicles might be the best arguement yet to show that the certain members of the 1% should not be allowed to spend money any way they want.
Way to NOT keep it classy.
stovt001 says:
10:40 AM, 12/ 8/11
A Ferrari in any color that isn't red just seems wrong. There shouldn't be any paint choices. Not even matte, and I love matte.
My brother-in-law was telling me about a baby-blue 599 he nickeled because it wouldn't leave him alone, trying to get him to race on his bike. I wonder if this could be the same one. I can't imagine there are all that many baby-blue 599s out there. If it is, then there might be a few nicks in that paint job now.
csubowtie says:
11:49 AM, 12/ 8/11
I may not like everybodies choices, but if I was going to drop $100k+ on any car, I think the manufacturer had damn well paint it any color I want, and be kissing my ass while I'm at it. As for the interior, I'd move the price point up some, to say $200k, but the logic remains the same.
agnh says:
01:20 PM, 12/ 8/11
csubowtie
I agree, my money, I don't want anarrogant manufacturer telling me that they have better taste than I do. Besides, Ferrari, Rolls, Porsche and others have done this stuff under the radar for decades.
However, upon seeing the possibilities of this program, I weep for the future and actually just threw up in my mouth a little bit. The wealthy have always been able to take their cars to a "customizer", however now with more manufacturers advertising that they will do the work, I think we'll see this more.
bankerdanny says:
02:03 PM, 12/ 8/11
I hadn't thought about it before, but my dad did a custom denim interior when he restored a 1963 Triumph Spitfire in around 1978 or 1979. I thought it was very cool at the time, but I was 12 or 13.