In the vintage watch world two brands compete for Nr 1 status. Patek and Rolex. But in the car world, only one brand stands on top of the hill.

That brand is Ferrari.

No other brand comes close. Alone in this year Ferrari has achieved numerous records.

A 250 GTO was sold earlier this year for $52m making it the most valuable car (road or race) to have changed hands privately. A Ferrari 275 NART was sold for $27.5m making it the most valuable road car sold at auction. And just this week RM Auctions sold a 250 LM for $14m which is the fourth most valuable car to change hands at auction. Out of the 10 most valuable cars sold at auction, ever, Ferrari claims 7 of the 10 spots. Out of the 50 cars it claims 27 places.

Ferrari dominates the car classic car auction market – no other brand can compete.

Why is Ferrari so strong as a brand?

More importantly why are collectors so obsessed with vintage Ferrari? It is a question that is often asked but nobody really knows the answer.

There are many potential reasons. Marcel Massini, the worlds most important vintage Ferrari expert, argues the continuous history of the brand together with the legendary founder help the brand. David Gooding has argued it is because of the glorious sound of the V12 engine. Others argue that it is due to the best coach builders in the world, that Ferrari worked with like Pininfarina that just was a genius at design. I have argued in the 275 GTB/ 4 post, that it also comes down to Ferrari making better cars than the competition.

Perhaps the best reason was displayed by RM Auctions, during the Art of Automobile auction held in NY last month. It is a quote by Enzo Ferrari, the legendary founder. He was more passionate than everybody else.

So the next time someone asks or wonders why is Ferrari so successful or why are the vintage models so sought after? Part of the answer  lies in the simple quote below.

Below the top 10 cars sold at Public Auction

1. 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196R—$29,700,000 (Bonhams,July 2013
2. 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4  NART Spyder—$27,500,000 (RM, August 2013)
3. 1957 Ferrari 250 TR Prototype—$16,390,000 (Gooding, August 2011)
4. 1964 Ferrari 250 LM—$14,300,000 (RM, November 2013)
5. 1953 Ferrari 340/375 MM Berlinetta Competizione—$12,800,000 (RM, May 2013)
6. 1957 Ferrari 250 TR—$12,402,500 (Gooding, May 2009)
7. 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster—$11,770,000 (Gooding, August 2012)
8. 1960 Ferrari 250 GT California LWB Competizione Spyder—$11,275,000 (Gooding, August 2012)
9. 1968 Ford GT40 Gulf/Mirage Coupe—$11,000,000 (RM, August 2012)
10. 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Spyder California SWB—$10,910,592 (May 2008)

by Edmond Saran