at the Ferrari meeting, a few steps into the parallel world of the brand’s madmen

« We collected up to 11,000 euros (1), during a previous edition », explains Jean-Louis Egaña, president of the Ferrari commission within the philanthropic club. This time, the local Lions brought together 25 cars. “Their owners come from all over the south. We offer them a turnkey stay, they pay for everything. Their presence is voluntary. »

Count 300,000 euros

It’s Ferrari, depending on your level, that tells you which model you can buy

Yellow, black, red of course: the machines hum and signal the exception in a circuit noise. “People make a course of a dozen minutes along the Adour. For 25 euros, they are wedged in leather. That of the passenger seat, let’s be right… Jean-Louis Egaña speaks of « pilots » about Ferrari owners. It’s not a slip: “Look at this one, it’s the SF 90 Stradale: 1,000 horsepower! It is the most powerful on the market. It has the particularity of being hybrid. »

Its « pilot » is called Stéphane. The good man does not oppose the modesty of rosière of the fortune which hides: when one asks him a question, he answers. The price of his car? “700,000 euros. It is a model say semi-limited. On average, a Ferrari costs between 300,000 and 400,000 euros. »

The entrepreneur from the Toulouse region opens a window on a world at the door of which it is better to leave his prejudices. He teaches the layman that not everyone can access the model he presents. And it’s not just a question of money: “Ferrari classifies its customers into 5 levels. Ferrari, depending on your level, tells you which model you can buy. A bit like the dan of martial arts.

Very closed club

Nothing prevents you from reselling, but you will only do it once. Even if you are a billionaire, you will be blacklisted. There is the line behind you.

The luxury label holds its own place. “If you want to buy your first Ferrari, it will be among such and such models. Point. You will enter the club, but level one. The more you climb the ladder of the brand, the more the range of open models will expand. “When you buy a Ferrari, as soon as you put it in the garage, it is already worth 400 or 500,000 euros more. Ferrari does not want us to speculate with its models. They want to be in control. We advance in level with the number of gray cards. You have to have Ferraris to ride. Nothing prevents you from reselling, but you will only do it once. Even if you are a billionaire, you will be blacklisted. There is the line behind you. »

And it is long. For some models, “it’s a minimum of two years waiting from the order”. Stéphane is 4th dan of Ferrari, he can talk about it. “I have four today and I have four more on order. I don’t know when I will be able to have them. And for one, he doesn’t even know what it will look like: “It’s true! I ordered the first Ferrari 4×4. I never saw it. No one knows him, he has not been disclosed. »

I ordered the first Ferrari 4×4. I never saw it. No one knows him, he has not been disclosed.

1,500 km per year

Meetings like the one in Bayonne offer an opportunity for « Ferrarists » to drive. “They are the only ones”, to be honest. “Every fortnight, we participate in this type of event. You know, the average for a Ferrari is 1,500 km per year. Rare are those who will buy the bread on board theirs. « Strictly with a Porsche », fathoms Stéphane. So the air carbonization trials leave him perplexed, a little bitter too: “Given what we drive, we pollute less in the end than other cars. And we pay 50,000 euros in CO2 tax when the gray card is issued! »

What’s the use of owning such objects for so little use? Stéphane claims to have “started at the very bottom” and does not consider the question prosaic: “But you can’t go to a restaurant and leave her alone. If someone scratches it for you… Or you have those who will want to rip something off. You can’t always have someone watching. In an event like here, it’s done well, there’s no need to worry. What is there to understand in the passions?