Page 6 - Steve Ahlgrim Collection sample

Steve Ahlgrim Collection: March 2002 – November 2023 6 Introduction
Ihave been privileged to have covered Ferrari sales for Sports Car Market for more than two decades and in this time have had over 400 pages of profiles published. I’ve covered most everything from the top 250 GTO sale to the scroungiest “fright pig.”
Ferrari sits at the pinnacle of the collector car market. A few individual cars may be more valuable than the most valuable Ferraris, but no marque comes close to having as many models among the top sales.
It may not be everyone’s favorite marque, but there is a favorite Ferrari in the imagination of every automobile enthusiast. Is it a legendary 1950s model, one you lusted for in your youth? Or is it a modern supercar or the latest Icona model? If none of those scratch your itch, how about one of the race cars that a famous driver piloted to a World Championship?
Reviewing this collection, I am fascinated by the diversity of models Ferrari has produced and the excitement they can create. Ferraris are known for performance, but they are bought for their beauty. The best driving Ferrari can be a dud on the market if you have to explain to your neighbor why it’s cool. On the flip side, it does not matter if a new Toyota is faster than a vintage Ferrari when you take it out for a drive.
I am also reminded that Ferraris can come into favor and then go out of fashion. When the economy slows, a Ferrari might be bought as an investment but if the economy slows too much it becomes politically incorrect to drive one.
Covering Ferraris has been quite a ride, I hope you enjoy reading these profiles as much as I did researching and writing
Every magazine publisher knows the sure-fire way to sell more copies of an issue. That’s to put a red Ferrari on the cover.
While arguments can swirl about whether Ferraris are the most important cars ever built, there is no question they are the most watched and talked about.
Over 20 years ago, I asked Steve Ahlgrim to be SCM’s point person for our coverage of the Ferrari market. I had known him for years, and his vast experience with all aspects of the Ferrari market made him the ideal choice.
His first profile appeared in the March 2002 magazine and there has been one in every issue since. We are honored that Steve has chosen to be a part of the SCM family, and all of us have benefited from his depth of knowledge and his skillful writing.
Keith Martin October 2023
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Steve Ahlgrim October 2023