Think of a typical Lamborghini and chances are you’re thinking of something in a garish shade of nuclear green or acid orange. But think of a typical Ferrari, and you’re likely thinking of something much more modest.
Unquestionably, the Ferrari colour is the famous Rosso Corsa red, but there’s also yellow, that coke-dealer white made famous by the Miami Vice Testarossa, silver, black and… Well, that’s about it.
For cars that tend to be bought exclusively by the mega-rich, Ferraris generally escape the more-money-than-sense hues of other supercars, instead usually just appearing in a set of rather limited, rather sensible colours. Why?
Well, as it turns out there’s a very good reason why you only order a Ferrari in a few colours regardless of how much money you have, and it’s all to do with Ferrari’s jealously-protected brand image.
Ferrari’s Australasia CEO Herbert Appleroth recently told Australian news site news.com.au: “It just doesn’t fit into our whole ethos to be honest. It’s a brand rule. No pink. No Pokémon Ferraris!”
"It's a brand rule. No pink"
For as long as it’s been around, Ferrari has strived to maintain an air of being the last word in luxury, high-performance and exclusivity, and it’s not going to let you try to ruin that.
Ferrari does, however, offer a huge number of personalisation options for its buyers according to founder Enzo Ferrari’s ethos of “a different Ferrari for every Ferrarista”.
In other words, it doesn’t like having two individual cars exactly the same and buyers can choose from a near infinite list of options for everything from the interior to custom chassis tweaks.
But when it comes to the bit that everyone can see, in other words the exterior, if you’re looking for a wacky paintjob you’ll either have to settle for a custom wrap or put your wallet back in your pocket.
“There are other colours that aren’t in our DNA as well and they are wonderful colours too but some are perhaps more suited to other brands,” Appleroth said.
