I wish I was in a position to buy a Zanardi and spend that much on a car. I'd have a hard time spending 65k on a Zanardi not because it may not be worth that but because the technology has been surpassed by other sports cars - I know blasphemy right. There it is though. I mean I can go out and by a low mileage Zanardi for 75k or more or I could go out and buy a 2010 Carrera S or if I wait just a bit I could buy a used 991 in a year. Just because they are better performers and have the latest tech - nav, etc.
Now as to whether to drive one or not or store and look at it or something like that for fear of depreciating the asset - an old discussion that has two distinctly different sides and although I would not buy one and let it sit I wouldn't drive the wheels off it either. That's just my perspective as a driver of cars and not a "saver" of cars for someone else or just with the eye to concourse or museum quality stuff. Not for me.
The other issue that has been raised is how damage or repainting will diminish the cars value - maybe right now -but what 1958 Speedster hasn't had a floor pan or front storage compartment pan or even structural stuff replaced because of rust - does that mean that you wouldn't be wise to restore one of those if it was in bad shape or because it had been raced and wrecked??? Man that is a ridiculous argument. Hell even James Dean's Porsche 550 was resurrected and repaired - more like brought back from a pile of sheet metal - think that diminished it's value - ummmm - no. By the time our beloved Zanardis get that old you better believe there could have been paint and wreckage damage all repaired to a high quality and those that have gone many a mile and will have been completely restored - this idea that only pristine examples are going to be worth anything is poppycock. They'll all be worth plenty, imho, of course.
As to whether to drive or not to drive - case in point - man owned a 1970 911 T and drove it 800,000 miles - rebuilt the motor 3 times, painted it 3 times and replaced the interior 2 times and rebuilt the transmission 3 times as well as a whole lot of other replaced parts more than once! Do you think for a minute that car isn't worth a pile? If you say no it wouldn't - guess what - you'd be wrong. That car was lovingly maintained and the guy died and left it to his mechanic that had worked on it for over 20 years. He considered himself to be the new privileged owner and steward of a car that is very, very special. I have to agree. There are 356s owned by PCA members that have traversed the country many times with over 500,000 miles on them and they are still in wonderful condition.
Folks there are a lot of ways to own cars - I believe that all of them eventually will have a wonderful place in history and in some lucky person's garage where they will continue to be pampered, loved and yes, DRIVEN!
I had the same feeling that I would loose money on a car by driving it - it was an 87 Turbo Look Cabrio that I bought with 12,400 miles on it - yep you read that right - still had the original tires on it and I drove that car back to Atlanta from Columbus, OH on those flat spotted tires - slowly I'll grant you. It was perfect - I mean perfect - the top looked like it was new right out of the box almost. Rear window plastic was perfectly clear and the interior was incredible. Just a few minor paint chips. I got that car home and started to drive it but I got worried about the fact that I was putting miles on the car and that it would no longer be the value that it was when I bought it if I kept that up. So I sold it cause I couldn't stand it - but I WAS WRONG! That car would have been just as valuable, almost, with 40k miles on it. That car today would be even more valuable with 40k on it than when I bought it - yes it was limited production too!
I should have kept it and driven it for a while but it wasn't so fast, etc. etc, blah blah blah. I would say that if I had bought a pristine Zanardi and done the same thing - it's just wrong thinking. First of all you buy a car because you like it and if later it becomes a collectors item - well goody for you! But you should buy a car because it is something you'd like to own and drive but however much you drive the car - don't be scared of it or scared to own it or drive it or use it for what it was intended for! Save it - save it for who?
Oh, well - whatever, but that's just the other side of this continuing discussion - just another point of view that may or may not be worth considering. Whoever gets this Zanardi should enjoy it and buy it for that purpose - not buy it and lock it away in a vault like a Rembrandt. It's like putting a Stradivarius away in a closet and not playing it for fear of wearing it out....what a travesty that would be.
Adios....
