Ferrari at the beach: an investment, a garage and the last V8

A Ferrari in the shared garage: the new display of wealth on the coast

Parking a Ferrari in a shared garage in a beach town is the new way of saying "I've made it" without uttering a word. A resident has shared the image of the sports car, with its license plate hidden using artificial intelligence, and the reaction of those around ranges from admitted envy to contempt to the indifference of someone already used to such sights.

Some argue that these cars are commonplace along the coast, where Maseratis live alongside widows on minimum pensions. The gap is nothing new, but the sports car makes it more visible, and the shared garage adds a layer of irony: a six-figure vehicle sharing spaces with the neighbors' bicycles. Others go further and dismiss the indulgence as useless, with maintenance costs that probably exceed the salary of many owners. It thus becomes an object to be admired rather than driven, especially with Spain's DGT, under Pere Navarro, determined to tame the automobile.

Against the skeptics, there is the collector's take: the naturally aspirated V8 in this particular car is the last of its kind, and engines without turbochargers or electrification are increasingly rare. That turns the car into an appreciating asset rather than a black hole of expenses. The move, they say, may even be profitable.

And one question remains that no price can answer: if the owner also has a dark gray convertible M4 waiting its turn, what is he looking for with the Ferrari? Profit, status, or the pleasure of an engine that is no longer made? From a shared parking space, any of the three answers looks smaller.