More than 90% of all Ferraris ever made are still on the road: here’s why

Francesco Armenio
Over 90% of all Ferraris survive: is the collector market the real driving force?
Ferrari 458 Italia

Have you ever wondered how many Ferraris are on the road, and more importantly, what percentage of the Prancing Horse’s supercars are still in circulation compared to total cars sold? The number is incredible, just like the Prancing Horse automotive company itself, which recently unveiled the sensational Ferrari F80.

More than 90% of produced Ferraris are still in circulation

Nigel Mansell Ferrari Testarossa

According to the company, “over 90% of Ferrari’s total production, more than 300,000 cars, is still in circulation.” We’re talking about more than 270,000 Ferraris driving on roads worldwide, a percentage that exceeds 80% of Toyotas over 20 years old, and 70% of all Porsche 911s ever made.

These impressive numbers from the Maranello-based automaker once again confirm, if proof were needed, the obsessive care with which these supercars are built. Obviously, we shouldn’t forget that Toyota produces 10 million cars annually, for a total of about 300 million units since 1933. Ferrari is a premium brand and has produced just one-thousandth of the Japanese giant’s output, approximately 300,000 cars since 1939, its founding year.

Ferrari deliberately limits its production to increase the exclusivity of its vehicles: what value would a Ferrari have if everyone owned one? Much less than its current worth. Consequently, today you might go out and see lots of Toyotas, maybe a couple of Porsches, and probably not a single Ferrari, unless you’re very lucky or live in Monaco or Dubai.

Contributing to the high percentage of Ferraris still in circulation is the well-known fact that those who buy a Prancing Horse supercar certainly don’t use it daily, but keep it in their garage most of the time, using it only for special occasions.

Ferrari

In fact, several people buy a Ferrari purely as an “investment,” knowing that the vehicle will increase its value tremendously in the coming years. Consequently, it’s not uncommon to see Ferraris for sale with less than 1,000 km on the odometer.

Moreover, owners maintain them obsessively, frequently polishing and washing them, and most importantly, subjecting them to all necessary routine and extra checks. Imagine if every car on the planet received the same treatment. Surely far fewer would end up in repair shops.

At a certain point, Ferraris become too precious to drive, so they’re left in garages until they reach the value desired by their owner. It’s likely that of the 270,000 Ferraris on the planet, perhaps not even half are driven. A shame, but that’s business, ladies and gentlemen.