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2005 Ferrari F430 Spider F1 by SoulRider.222 / Eric Rider

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Ferrari Ownership Requirements 12/7/2020

To own a Ferrari would fulfill the fantasy of many car enthusiasts. The famous Italian automaker excels in delivering luxury sports cars that bear a signature and unique exterior without sacrificing performance. This is only half of what makes the cars special though.

Ferrari's culture separates the company from other automakers in huge ways, affecting both its owners and the workers behind these miraculous machines. Although the company is one of the most valuable, it cares about something more than just earning money: it’s about making special cars that offer a driving experience unlike any other. When examining the company and its owners, it’s clear they’ve achieved this milestone, even after all these years.

Owners have to go to great lengths if they want the latest and greatest cars Ferrari churns out. Employees have to follow rules and regulations if they want to uphold the most important thing to Ferrari—which is not about making cars, but the brand itself. Whether one is a Ferrari owner or an employee that works at their factory plant, everyone has to follow the "Ferrari code."

It’s because of these rules that the brand is exclusive and widely coveted among car gurus today. If someone wants to own a Ferrari, they’re going to have to play by the company’s rules. The same goes for employees if they want to work at, what Autoblog notes, a company that won the award for Best Place to Work in Europe for 2007. We’re going to take a look at known rules both owners and employees have to follow if they want to remain in the good graces of Ferrari.

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20 - Owner Rule: Forced To Sign Contract Agreeing Not To Sell Car

People today become bombarded with agreements written in fine print. Most people don’t have the time or patience to read all that agreements detail though and decide to sign on the line regardless. According to Autoweek, Ferrari in the US makes their customers sign a contract upon purchasing a new vehicle.

In that agreement is a clause that prevents owners from reselling their car in the first year. The automaker makes buyers sign this in an attempt to discourage owners from flipping their cars. This is both a reminder to read the fine print and further demonstrates the automaker’s stringent protocol placed upon new owners.

19 - Employee Rule: Forbidden From Buying New Cars

Last September, Ferrari unveiled a pair of Roadsters long-time employees can appreciate. Even if the employees want the cars though and can afford them—tough luck. The Drive reports that the company makes their vehicles first and foremost available to the public.

One of Ferrari’s executives, Enrico Galliera, had this to say about employees getting second dibs on new cars: “The philosophy is that with such limited production and clients waiting so long to get their car, it's not nice if the car is delivered to employees.” The only exception to this rule are Scuderia Ferrari F1 drivers who can buy one from the company.

18 - Owner Rule: Leave The Logos Alone

Ferrari believes that as soon as their car rolls off the production line, it's perfect as is. There’s no shortage of Ferrari owners who feel differently though; here’s photographic proof of owners who took their Ferrari rides for granted. If Ferrari had it their way, they’d opt for owners to leave their iconic logos untouched.

According to Tech Dirt, the electronic DJ and artist Deadmau5 got in trouble for covering up his Ferrari logos with custom ones. His 458 Italia “Purrari” sports a blue vinyl wrap that has a Nyan cat painted on the side. It’s a move Ferrari supposedly issued a cease and desist order over.

17 - Employee Rule: Communicate On Their Terms

Ferrari has gone to extremes to sell cars before by tampering with some odometers on used cars, so it’s only natural they’d apply radical policies in the workplace as well. It appears that too many employees were reaching for the keyboard on too many occasions instead of opting for old fashioned face-to-face communication.

According to The Guardian, the executives at Ferrari advised their employees to “talk to each other more and write less.” Since it should be pretty easy for supervisors to monitor their employees’ computer activity, it's safe to assume workers adhere to this directive in order to stick around.

16 - Owner Rule: No Pink Ferraris

Ferrari isn’t fond of pink Ferraris. That’s what Executive Lifestyle reports, despite the company tolerating some customer paint jobs. The disapproval of pink came directly from Herbert Appleroth, the President and CEO of Ferrari Australia. “We do reject the exterior color pink,” Appleroth said, as per the same source.

He went on to say that Ferrari would never produce a pink car. Without a doubt, red is the most iconic color they wrap their cars in. At the same time, the company promotes the idea that no two Ferrari rides should be identical, they just wouldn't go so far as to stand out with a pink paint job.

15 - Employee Rule: No Discounts On Cars

Working for certain companies has its perks. For one, it allows employees to buy products made and sold by that company at a discounted rate. This luxury, however, is too generous to bestow upon Ferrari employees.

According to The Drive, should Scuderia Ferrari F1 drivers choose to purchase a personal Ferrari, they're required to pay full price for it. That puts them in an awkward position, considering it’d be hard to spot team members driving in anything else but a Ferrari; in a way, it forces their employees to invest back into the company without a price concession if they want to properly represent the brand.

14 - Owner Rule: Accept Ferrari’s Right To Buy Back Car

In an earlier entry, we noted that Ferrari in the US has made buyers sign a special contract. While that contract discouraged owners from selling their new Ferrari, it also adds another stipulation: the automaker can buy the vehicle back.

According to the site Car Keys, if someone wanted to get rid of their LaFerrari Aperta, it’s pursuant for Ferrari to purchase the vehicle back from the owner. It would appear that on the surface, Ferrari would rather the car go to someone who wants it instead of someone who doesn't. This is all part of that special contract owners may sign at the time of their purchase.

13 - Employee Rule: Sworn To Prevent Security Leaks

Whether someone is an actor in an upcoming Avengers movie or an employee at Apple, the bigwigs in charge want to keep details under lock and key—that includes any plot spoilers and future product releases. Ferrari is a similar company that’s always making new vehicles while wishing to work in secrecy.

To maintain a level of mystery, the whole operation depends on trustworthy employees. According to Kaspersky Lab Daily, something as simple as copying data to a USB drive has to go through an approval process. This in turn discourages employees from going routes that may lead to a security breach and exercises a higher level of caution.

12 - Owner Rule: Must Love The Ferrari Brand

The world is full of sides, clubs and camps. Those who are outside of them get picked on unless they join a team, while those inside a base pledge undying loyalty. Ferrari is no different. It’s more than just an automaker—it’s a special culture with its own philosophy, style and following.

As the site Car Guy points out, the company sifts through applicants and chooses who gets to buy certain models because they want to make sure their cars are properly taken care of. It’s a sure bet they’re going to pick someone who’s not just a Ferrari fan, but also lives and bleeds the brand.

11 - Employee Rule: Prohibited From Sending Certain Group Emails

Expanding further on an earlier point, Ferrari went to great lengths to crack down on employees emailing more instead of talking to each other. As a means to curb digital communication so that employees would talk to each other directly, they added terms to sending emails.

As per The Guardian, a spokesman for Ferrari said, “From now on, each Ferrari employee will only be able to send the same email to three people in-house.” This must have been a wake up call for employees at the time and discouraged them from falling into old habits of CCing everyone in the whole company on a single thread.

10 - Owner Rule: Buy Not One, Not Two, But Multiple Ferraris

Owning a Ferrari isn’t exactly enough to be a part of the club. As the site Car Guypoints out, it’s more suitable to own several Ferrari cars before one feels part of the bunch. That narrows down the list of potential owners to only a handful around the world with how much they cost.

Even older models are going up in value, as the 1964 Ferrari Prototype demonstrates. The same source points out that the most committed owners, at minimum, are the ones who upgrade their old Ferrari to a newer model. It’s not enough to purchase a one-off Ferrari and call it a day if someone wants to be a true fan.

9 - Employee Rule: Required To Wear Red And White Uniforms

An amusement park can make its employees wear costumes that match the park’s theme; a restaurant may have its employees wear a vest and bow tie; an office requires business casual attire. Ferrari is like most jobs, requiring its employees adhere to a dress code.

According to Freep, those on the manufacturing campus must wear red and white uniforms. They have the company’s iconic yellow logo stitched on, which unites all the employees under the same banner and purpose. There are plenty of people around the world who would love to wear these uniforms, but only a select number ever get to suit up in one.

8 - Owner Rule: Be Older Than 40

Despite Ferrari being one of the most famous car brands today, many people aren’t aware of its history or the automaker's philosophy. There are so many facts about the legendary automaker, we dedicated a whole piece to things most people don't know about Ferrari.

It’s not unusual for potential owners to go through a rigorous process that feels commensurate to a background check. According to the site Car Keys, automaker won’t hesitate to request a customer’s history of ownership for review. Even more, the same source suggests that Ferrari dealers are more likely to sell a car to a new owner who’s over the age of 40.

7 - Employee Rule: Formula 1 Team Must Win

When Scuderia Ferrari struggles, it affects the whole company. The site News.com.au reports that despite being the "most iconic team” in Formula 1 racing, Ferrari was unable to secure a Grand Prix win in 2016. The team only has one remedy when this happens: winning.

As F1-Fansite points out, they were able to bounce back in early 2017, with Vettel winning the first race and securing 5 race wins. The Formula 1 team not only represents the automaker but carries the pride of the entire brand. It’s important that they do well in order for the brand to continue thriving.

6 - Owner Rule: Treat Fellow Ferrari Owners Like Family

Buying a car from certain automakers, such as Tesla, Porsche or Ferrari, feels like joining a family. When someone purchases a Ferrari, they enter into a brotherhood and sisterhood alongside fellow owners. As the site the Car Guy notes, entering into the Ferrari fraternity means that owners help each other when the need arises.

This is one of those unspoken rules the automaker hopes and expects its customers will follow. Even outsiders who don’t own one may find it easy to support someone who does as an expression of their admiration towards the brand. Ferrari owners got to stick together.

5 - Employee Rule: Must Adopt The “Formula Uomo” Philosophy

The company not only cares about its customers, but its employees too. They recognize that these are the people that make it all possible. Autoblog reports that Ferrari launched a project called “Formula Uomo” in the 1990s which lays down many of the tenants employees live and breathe by.

The same source notes that this philosophy deals with the working conditions, one’s professional growth and personal benefits. Each individual is important and must embody these principles in order for the whole enterprise to work properly. As a Ferrari employee, “Formula Uomo” lays the groundwork for one’s success while working there.

4 - Owner Rule: Must Have Fame, Fortune And More

To own some of the world’s best supercars, all it takes is a lot of dough. If that wasn’t enough though, Ferrari raises the bar on what they expect from their owners. Part of what makes their cars so exclusive are the limited number they make. Take the LaFerrari for example, which Wired reports only 499 exist.

In order for their cars to get attention, they have to give them to owners who can not only afford them but put them in the spotlight. The same source notes that even high-profile buyers who applied for the vehicle weren't able to land one.

3 - Employee Rule: “Clients First”

Ferrari cares about its customers. The company doesn’t treat its clientele as a dollar sign—although they do get a lot of money for the cars they deliver—but instead seeks to make a bond with its owners. The company is like a father who’s entrusted his child with the keys to the treasured car.

They want to know their cars are in good hands, which is possible through respect. That’s why they make clients a priority. The Drive reports that Enrico Galliera, a Ferrari executive said, “It is clients first.” Behind those words is a whole company of employees who live by this aim.

2 - Owner Rule: Respect Ferrari’s Way Of Doing Things

No one likes obeying rules. If there’s a realm with enough rules as it is, it’s driving on the road. The last thing people want is more rules they have to follow as a car owner. Under the Ferrari umbrella though, there are lots of expectations one has to follow as an owner.

That means going with their unique way of doing things. The site Car Keys reports that the automaker’s politics, including their selection process for who they deem is eligible to purchase limited edition cars, is one such rule owners have to follow. It may not be easy to accept, but it’s part of playing the game.

1 - Employee Rule: Protect The Brand At All Times

Ferrari has managed to be an independent automaker over the years while still making loads of money. Part of what makes them so successful is the brand’s reputation, which is about making flawless cars that perform well.

One of the executives, Stefano Lai, as per Freep said, “My job ... is to protect the brand as much as possible.” This is a principal that trickles down to employees, affecting their conduct and the image they project in and out of the workplace. Many employees likely have the Ferrari logo on them throughout the day, making them an extension of the company wherever they go. That means they have to watch what they say and do since they represent the company’s image.

Sources: Autoblog , Tech Dirt , Wired , Executive Lifestyle , Car Guy , Car Keys , Autoweek , The Drive , Freep , The Guardian , Kaspersky Lab Daily , News.com.au , F1-Fansite.

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1989 Ferrari Testarossa by SoulRider.222 / Eric Rider

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1997 Ferrari 550 Maranello