Are there any old school Ferrari dealers left?

Not sure if these fully hit your criteria but they are run by a family member. They have done or supported pro Ferrari teams and do or have had Ferrari Challenge teams. There could easily be others that I am not fully aware of. But, if you are looking for a dealership that has a long history of, and currently, running a pro level team then Risi would be it. Although now Risi does not meet that standard since they sold their Houston dealership.

Ferrari Lake Forest sold their other dealerships. Continental AutoSports did the same. Both of them are in Chicago.

Cauley Ferrari in the Detroit area is a family owned single dealership.

 

FNA is watching this thread to see if they missed anyone.

 

Algar is gone. Like Holbert's....a thing of the past.

You be getting older sonny!!

 

There is some irony that all 3 of the latest franchises went to dealer groups that did not already own a Ferrari store. Yes, this includes the St. Louis location because they reputedly bought Silicon Valley as part of getting the St. Louis franchise.

 

Continental is still being run by the son of the founder. When John passed some franchises were sold but not the Ferrari store. John and his wife lived here in Austin and were very active in the club. She still is and we remain friends, Saw her a couple of weeks ago at an event. Prior to Johns death in a conversation one time he pointed out that after Ron Tonkin died he was the longest serving original Ferrari store principle.


It used to be Ferrari did not allow multiple Ferrari store owners ships. Now the concept is embraced.

 

I think it's difficult to continue to exist as an "old school" dealership these days, regardless of brand. The rules of the game have become stiffer and. let's be honest, Ferrari is no longer the courageous, adventurous, risk-taking, core value-centered operation that Enzo founded and ran all his life. From that perspective, if it wasn't for its history, it's becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate Ferrari from most other dedicated sports car brands.

At Ferrari of Washington there may be a sliver of pride and passion remaining in the Service Department - perhaps - but on the sales floor quite frankly I can't sense any of that left.

 

"Old School" is not a term in their lexicon. It is a concept that they feel needs to be eradicated.

 

Ferrari Long Island sold to a big group. I think Ferrari Ft. Lauderdale still owned by the same family.

 

This matches my experiences.

 

Well the Shelton's sold years ago, they were good people, I published the newsletter for their Naples Porsche dealership for five years 1995-2000 and we discussed doing same for the Ft Lauderdale Ferrari dealership.
Tom Shelton was very keen on a big Motorsport website in 2000 when the internet was in its infancy and I got a very nice three year editor salary proposal but then it all fizzled out worlwide. No problem, I appreciated the offer.

Fast forward nearly two decades, September 2018, I was in town visiting friends, we happened to be looking at the Ferrari of Fort Lauderdale showroom on a Sunday morning but the manager stepped outside to get something from one of the cars, we chatted and he gave us well over an hour, showroom tour etc on his Sunday morning, I was really impressed.
A good sign is that some great people such as Al Roberts and John Levy were still there twenty years later.

 

why would the owner of Silicon Valley sell the dealership? Art was very passionate about the brand and has a very nice collection.

 

The old Newport Beach Ferrari, Symbolic Motor Cars La Jolla, and I forgot the one on Ventura Blvd, they were the last great dealerships as far as I being an enthusiast was concerned. I guess im biased, because all those years ago, all of our favorite Ferraris were around, and Ferrari was still private, if that makes any sense.

Thank you

 

Shelton did not leave by choice either.

 

Who or what pushed them out?

 

focusing on the SoCal dealerships, Challenge team, Bacchelli and Villa instead. And apparently it was a very….generous sales price.

not sure if Art is involved in the rest of MAG.

 

While not “old” in the sense of selling new Prancing Dinosaurs, maybe Central Florida and Tampa - Onofrio Triarsi also Classic Coach in Elizabeth, NJ is somewhat cut from that mold.

 

Yes. Agree. Like Shelton of old and the original Algar. And ?Steve Kessler in NY which I visited as a boy.

I’m glad others know and recognize Al Roberts at FoFL as a good sign. There’s little vintage that he doesn’t know.


Times are different. Game has changed.

Onofrio is an old world gentleman.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Ferrari. He was old school and not nearly flash and glitter enough for "The New Ferrari".

Poor dumb SOB just wanted to sell cars.
They put a new franchise right in the heart of his established selling area. Took away his clientele.

 

Atleast they are are good at story telling.

https://hauteliving.com/2021/04/onofrio-triarsi-jr-on-upholding-his-familys-ferrari-legacy/696844/

 

I think consolidation is the name of the game because the economics dictate it.

https://mishtalk.com/economics/the-end-of-the-car-dealership-as-we-know-it

 

If that were the case Ferrari would not make demands that create crushing overhead for the dealers and expect them to survive on the allocations they get. But they are not alone in that respect.

 

Any legal recourse?

 

Thanks interesting read. I remember when he started tracking, he wasn’t old enough to get a driver’s license. He couldn’t get seat time at FCA events because of his age, we were the only event that would let him drive on the track. He obviously used that seat time well with 2 back to back championships.