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Who Is Buying a Ferrari In This Economy? Part 2 of My Conversation with a Longtime Ferrari Salesman
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Ralph Cestero is a long time salesman for Ferrari of Washington and as we spoke he did not seem to be suffering from the signs of a weak economy. He takes another call from a customer from
Cestero waxes about the sales process involved in selling Ferraris, “You establish yourself if you know what you are talking about and you’re enthused about it, it’s something they’ve wanted their whole lives. All I remember is the smile of that person as they’re driving away. They’re getting something that very few people in the world can get.”
Ferrari of Washington sells around 6-8 used and new cars each month. Cestero says his customers are often quite eager to hear from him. “When I am calling a customer and he is in a meeting, (their secretary says) hey it’s Ralph on the phone,” he modestly implies that he is just a Ferrari guy, “but to them it’s so important!” Cestero jokes that “my only competition is boats, jewelry, girlfriends and vacation homes!”
Ferrari of Washington have sold two Enzos but Cestero says that even though they may have many customers that can afford them, not just anyone who has the means will be allowed to buy one. They want them to be someone who has owned and continues to own several Ferraris, a true collector rather than a speculative investor.
Ferrari has increased production since the 90’s, but with all of the emerging markets of today, this does not begin to handle the world wide demand for the cars bearing the prancing horse emblem. Lately Ferrari makes a lot of money off of the marketing of models, clothing, pens, pencils and just about anything else with the Ferrari logo inscribed upon it.
Cestero has mentioned some of the exciting cars that happen to be at the facility currently and I happily follow him to the showroom floor to take a look. The contemporary high ceilings surrounded by glass provide plenty of light which showcase a later model Mondial T with the same engine as the Ferrari 348. Pre-owned 360 Modenas and 430’s share the pristine floor with a couple of 612 Scagliettis, a 599, and special edition 575 Super
Cestero tells me about the life cycle of recent Ferrari models. “Whenever Ferrari is phasing out a model they create a special edition for the final production run. Recent models include the 348 Speciale with 15 more HP and a fine tuned special suspension.” The 550 had its top chopped off in its last year and was named the Barchetta. The Challenge Stradale was the track ready version of the 360
Our tour continued to the shop area which was a flurry with customer’s cars in various phases of service. A grigio Testa Rossa with its engine out situated across from an F355 spyder undergoing some diagnostics. One of just 60 (for 60 years of Ferrari) 612 Scaglietti Sesentas owned by a tobacco CEO is in for service. These special editions go for a premium over the normal asking price of a 612. At $448,000 you are guaranteed a bit of exclusivity, as each car has a plaque that states which period in Ferrari’s storied history that particular car was dedicated to. This particular car is dedicated to Momo the Italian designer of automotive accessories. The leather interior was absolutely stunning and the theme was even carried over into the trunk!
Also in the shop area was a Ferrari Enzo wrapped in plastic to avoid any dust or damage while awaiting pickup by its owner after a recent service. Cestero mentioned that it was used over the previous weekend in a charity event where Ferrari owners brought their cars to the track to give rides to military servicemen who are back in the DC area on leave. Elsewhere a 612 Scaglietti was being loaded onto a transporter to be delivered back to its owner. Now that is service!
Another 612 Scaglietti in the shop area is owned by a racing customer who doesn’t fly, but drives to the race track every weekend. Not a bad way to get around and certainly not your average commuter car. There were two Ferrari Daytonas in for service as well as a 328 and a black Barchetta. It has a very clean and organized, open atmosphere, and you are never looked at strangely by a mechanic though you might unknowingly have broken their personal space plane while drooling over the car that they are working on.
In the vintage Lamborghini area was a 1970 Miura in a beautiful blue with immaculate tan leather. A mechanic was removing weight balls from the gas tank of a 360 GT race car. They were added to get the tank to hold the required amount of fuel for that particular race class. Another racing Ferrari 430 Challenge was finished in black vinyl to protect the paint. The car is actually red!
I was excited to see what seemed to be one of the original 37 GTO’s. This car belongs to a customer and while it looks and sounds like a 1962 Ferrari GTO, it is actually a rebodied car, made on a 1959 250 GTE chassis. Cestero says he once drove a customer’s original 250 GTO and that it is the one Ferrari that he would ultimately like to own if price was no object.
Amongst the other vintage Ferraris was a 1952 212 Vignale Coupe in a rare green and black paint scheme. There was also a Ferrari 275 twin cam vintage race car owned by the same lucky customer. It was also nice to see a competition 512 Berlinetta Boxer which appeared to be having some race prep work done.
According to Cestero, there’s only two other things he’d rather be doing than selling Ferraris, being a navy fighter pilot or a globe trotting photographer. He enjoys taking photos as a hobby. Cestero reflects on his long career selling Ferraris saying that, “If you are happy at what you are doing in life the rest will take care of itself. For me it’s not working, I get paid to play.”
Follow this link for special video of some of the cars from this story:
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