In my last article, I talked about factory Ferrari document pouch sets, their value and scarcity. How they are important for the car’s history and a necessity at Concours when showing your car. 
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In future articles, we will discuss more on this topic. Instead I want to address something that has been troubling me. Over the past several years I have been asking myself when attending major concours events, where are all the young people? 

Here is a good example - if you look at the judges at these events, what I’m talking about comes clear. Parker Hall, David Seielstad, Tom Shaughnessy and many other world class judges and car experts are simply not replaceable. Unfortunately, it seems there are few younger people who want to soak up their knowledge and carry the torch for the next generation. This is troubling because the aforementioned experts and myself, are getting older. 

When standing in the Ferrari literature booth at a show, rarely will anyone under 35 come up and ask to see a 250 SWB (short wheelbase) or 275 brochure.  Instead they want to see what we have on the LaFerrari, 488 Pista and other modern supercar models. Is there a fix? 
 
​I have a couple ideas that might work. We need to reach out to the younger generation and educate them and help develop the passion myself and my colleagues have.  How do we do this? Something I do at concours events is show the earliest of Ferrari brochures to younger enthusiasts when they come up and explain how these pieces are works of art and extremely scarce. 

Further, I encourage the older generation to talk to the younger fans, tell them your stories and history. It was the passion of a few people who made me an enthusiast myself. If we can get them engaged, we can change their thinking. 

One of the core areas of our business is the sale of pouch and manual sets for Ferraris from 1958-1976. Pouches have steadily increased in value for decades. For those who don’t know what a pouch set is, open the glovebox of your daily driver, and find the owner’s manual. That manual and other important documents will be in a folio of sorts.

That is the pouch set for your car. Same goes for Ferrari. A pouch set is generally a leather or pigskin pouch, containing the owner’s manual, sales and service directory, and a warranty card. The difference between the pouch set for your daily car and the pouch set for your Ferrari is, like everything else “Ferrari,” it costs more… a lot more. There are several reasons for this. 
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The first reason is scarcity. At one time, it was easy to find any Ferrari pouch you desired by simply calling someone like myself or other reputable sellers; we could provide everything you needed; a one-stop shop if you will. 

This is no longer the case. Here’s a real-world example; the Amelia Island Concours is coming up; in years past we would have three to four full 250 pouch sets on hand for the expo.  This year we have two sets only. One set very nice, and one in lesser condition. I would rate them an “8” and a “5” respectively.

The same applies to our 275 pouch sets. These items are becoming increasingly difficult to find. Why the increase in scarcity of these two sets? It is not due to the rising prices of the 250 GT or 275 GTB/GTS cars. It’s because the pouches for these cars are also used by other Ferraris.  
​In recent years the value of these other Ferraris has increased enough to encourage owners to now buy a pouch set for them. 

As the old saying goes “a rising tide lifts all boats,” logically you can apply this to pouch sales. The 250 PF Cabriolet and Coupe, 330 GT and 365 GTC are cars that were “lifted” by the market tide. Example; the 250 PF Cabriolet owner who paid $50,000 for his car, now has a car worth $1,000,000.

​This car has reached a level where it now needs a pouch set ($10,000 - $25,000). At this new level of value and importance a buyer spending $1,000,000 on a Ferrari expects it to include the proper pouch set equal to the finish of the car, be it a driver or a Concours restoration.
And it goes deeper than this, which I will discuss in future articles.

Cody Smith