The Ferrari Enzo is one of the most iconic supercars of the modern era. It’s a true masterpiece of engineering and design. So it’s not surprising that most ultra-wealthy collectors want to own one. However, while Ferrari claims the total production run was limited to just 400 examples, the actual number of Enzos may be closer to 500.
Company founder Enzo Ferrari often boasted that “Ferrari will always deliver one car less than the market demanded.” It’s supposed to be at the core of the business, with every CEO and every dealer often quoting this phrase.
In the case of the Enzo, total production was supposed to be 349 vehicles. However, due to high demand, Ferrari agreed to make 50 more. 399 then became 400, with the last car being presented to the Pope and auctioned off for charity.
So that’s it, right? Well, the 400 production cars reportedly don’t include various prototypes, museum cars or display cars that Ferrari may have. These don’t count because they weren’t produced to be sold. Of course, we all know Ferrari still sells some prototypes if the market is right.
Ferrari Historian Carbon McCoy recently did an interview with VINwiki in which he claims there are actually about 500 Ferrari Enzos in the world. He has been collecting VINs for over 20 years and says he currently has 500 Enzo VINs.
Although not all have been correlated with pictures, Carbon says he’s been told there are about “three dozen more.” What’s even more interesting is that about six Enzos have been completely wrecked beyond repair. But Ferrari apparently built brand-new ones with the same VIN because of… money.
Now, this isn’t actually groundbreaking or 100% new information. historian Gerald Roush of the Ferrari Market Letter said there were confirmed records for 446 Enzos way back in 2007. And there have always been stories on Ferrari Chat from owners saying about “500 cars” existed.
And, of course, there’s the whole F40 incident. Enzo wanted to celebrate the 40th of the company with 400 units of this exotic. Then the company said it would make 1,000, which turned out to be 1,311 units—by the way, this F40 Verde Pallido (Mint Green) respray shows what people do with them nowadays. So we really can’t be surprised about 25% more Enzos.
What is the significance of the Enzo’s actual production number being closer to 500 instead of the claimed 400? Are there any negative consequences for Enzo owners due to the discrepancy in production numbers?
In theory, this practice hurts Enzo owners, who are buying the supercar thinking it’s rare. However, prices are constantly going up. It’s partly because there are so many billionaires in the world, 2,640 of them in 2022. And also, even Ferraris which aren’t limited, such as the 488 Pista, are skyrocketing.
Plus, there’s always the spec differentiation, something this matte black (Matte Nero Opaco) Enzo, the only factory unit in this shade, easily demonstrates.
However, we’d argue that a truly rare Ferrari like the 288 GTO has almost limitless growth potential whereas the F40 clearly doesn’t.
How does the F40 not have limitless growth potential?