Maezawa from the CEO’s office here with an answer as well.
Thank you for your question.
Back in the Showa era, cars were a status symbol. I think many people who grew up during that time still love cars today.
The shock of seeing a Lamborghini Countach for the first time.
The amazement of its doors opening upward.
Being a child and believing that it could really reach 300 km/h—apparently it actually couldn’t, though.
Supercars really were super. (笑)
After that, you work hard and work hard, and when you finally become able to drive cars like that whenever you want, it must feel incredible.
So naturally, you end up showing off a little. In fact, even if he isn’t showing off, you should compliment the car.
If you don’t know what to compliment, you can simply ask:
“I don’t know much about cars, but this one looks amazing. What kind of car is it?”
That will probably get him talking about everything from the history of the manufacturer to the car’s designer and the ideas behind its creation.
That said, a man who has been in the dating-club scene for a long time already knows that women probably aren’t interested in all that, so he’ll likely just tell you the name of the car and return to a normal conversation.
However, if you compliment it the wrong way, the car may go into overdrive.
“This car looks incredible. But truly skilled drivers have a different aura even when they’re driving slowly.”
That’s the basic way to keep things from escalating. (笑)
Car enthusiasts want you to understand how impressive their cars are, so they can’t help wanting to step on the accelerator.
Incidentally, even cars that look ordinary at first glance can cost tens of millions of yen—or more than ¥100 million—so they’re not something you can simply buy on a whim.
In some cases, dealers may refuse to sell one to you even if you have the money.
There’s a famous story from about 20 years ago about Beat Takeshi trying to buy a Ferrari and being turned down. He had plenty of money and loved cars, but apparently Cornes refused to sell to him because he had never done business with them before.
(Incidentally, it seems he was able to buy a Porsche 959 without any problem at the time.)
That’s why some Ferrari enthusiasts even aspire to get listed in Cornes’ customer records.
P.S. Ordinary Ferraris can be purchased if you have the money, but limited-edition models are only available to select customers.
I can’t remember whether the Ferrari Beat Takeshi was turned down for was an F50 or something else…
Since he is now also famous as a film director, I imagine he may be able to buy limited-edition models. I’ve heard that the Bugatti Veyron also involved a screening process, but there’s a rumor that Beat Takeshi bought one for ¥200 million.
Getting back to Ferrari, it has reportedly been said that buyers eligible to purchase a LaFerrari—whose list price was apparently around ¥160 million—needed to have previously bought five Ferraris from an authorized dealer, with at least one of those being a 458 Speciale that they had owned for more than two years. They also had to agree not to resell it within 18 months of purchase, among other conditions.
I’ve also heard that Ferrari wouldn’t even sell the 458 Speciale to people who weren’t on its customer list—that is, people who had never purchased a new car from an authorized dealer.
Apparently, Ferrari executive Enrico Galliera had the authority to decide who could buy limited-edition Ferraris.
Buyers of the LaFerrari Aperta included entrepreneur Josh Cartu and Gordon Ramsay, the world’s highest-paid chef. On the other hand, Preston Henn, who owned what was said to be “the world’s most valuable Ferrari” and died in 2017, was reportedly refused and couldn’t buy one.
That Ferrari was supposedly valued at ¥10 billion, so it’s astonishing that even owning a ¥10 billion Ferrari wasn’t enough to get him approved.
It’s surprising to think that even someone who owns a Ferrari worth more than ¥10 billion might be unable to buy a LaFerrari Aperta—or even earn the right to purchase one.
Apparently, Ferrari decided that his profession—reportedly running a tuning shop specializing mainly in engine swaps—was unsuitable.
Another well-known person who was turned down is Los Angeles businessman David Lee.
He became famous for completing Ferrari’s “Big Five Speciales”: the 288 GTO, F40, F50, Enzo, and LaFerrari. He also purchased a Ferrari F12tdf customized in the same color as his own 250 GT Lusso.
Furthermore, in order to obtain the right to buy a LaFerrari Aperta, he added four more rare Ferraris to his collection, one of which was reportedly an F1 car driven by Michael Schumacher.
According to sources close to Ferrari, the reason they still refused to sell him a LaFerrari Aperta was that Ferrari disliked the content he posted.
Apparently, his posts were not the kind of content Ferrari approved of. Perhaps for that reason, he was also unable to buy a new coupe version of the LaFerrari directly from Ferrari, and instead acquired one from a member of the Ferrari Club by paying a premium.
Being refused simply because they don’t like what you say on social media—that’s a whole different level.
Enrico Galliera reportedly said that he knows who the “good customers” are and who is “not worthy of Ferrari,” and that Ferrari will refuse to sell to unsuitable customers—even if they happen to be kings.
Well, this got really long… ＞＜
I’m a paper airplane from a broke, stingy, unimpressive male member with no money to spare.
There are male members who may be a good match for you, as well as women and men who value connecting emotionally and physically more than finding someone generous with money.
The beauty of the club lies in how it can satisfy all kinds of different men and women.
I’m Kazu, a male member whose name is on Cornes’ customer list. (Just a little brag.)
I’m not sure this really counts as a question, but I’ll answer anyway.
I feel sorry for how narrow-minded the person asking this seems to be.
People who talk about cars either genuinely love cars or simply love the image of themselves driving a nice car.
Just as some people have money but don’t spend it on women, some people don’t spend it on cars either. Conversely, some people spend money on women even if they don’t have much, and some spend it on cars.
Having financial leeway and what you choose to spend your money on are two separate matters.
P.S. In my case, they sold me a Ferrari even though I was a first-time customer.
Once, while waiting at a traffic light, I failed to notice it had changed and engaged the clutch too quickly, causing the wheels to spin and white smoke to pour from the rear tires. I remember thinking, “Now this is what you call a supercar.”
Come to think of it, when I went to a Porsche dealership in my Ferrari, the manager came rushing out rubbing his hands together.（笑）
