Left hook for Aussie LaFerrari Aperta owners

Ferrari hopes that local collectors who have shelled out big dollars on the limited-edition LaFerrari Aperta will soon be able to drive the left-hand drive hypercar on roads across Australia.

Speaking at the weekend’s Motorclassica exhibition, Ferrari Australia CEO Herbert Appleroth said that ‘a few’ antipodeans had taken ownership of the 70th anniversary model.

“Whether or not they bring them here, that’s another thing,” he said. “Our customers are global. They’ve got homes all over the world.”

The most recent changes to the federal vehicle standards were proposed in August and could be in place by 2019.

If changes to specialist vehicle ownership rules are enacted at a federal level then rare vehicles such as the LaFerrari Aperta will be able to be imported to Australia without the need to be converted to right-hand drive.

“Obviously with the current tax system and current regulations, hopefully they will change in the future, whereby our collectors can bring left-hand drive cars here. We hope that those changes do go ahead,” said Appleroth.

However, without corresponding changes to state legislation, vehicles like the Aperta will remain restricted to track use.

Current registration regulations vary by state and territory but largely prohibit the use of newer left-hand drive vehicles on public roads, restricting many supercars from being driven here.

“There appears to be some changes afoot from a federal point of view, but now we also want to make sure the state governments also relax their laws to allow these cars to be registered, in some form of numbers, etc. Not only to bring them into the country, but we’d love to see them on the road. That’s the next step,” said Appleroth.

“The state governments would be crazy not to allow these cars to be registered because they’re going to be collecting stamp duty, so that’s an important thing.

“Ferraris are not about just cars sitting in a garage -- they’re to be enjoyed, they’re to be driven and so we want people to be able to collect Ferraris but also drive them on the road.

“It may be during classic car events, or some form of limited registration but it would be great to see them on the road.”

Right now, the LHD Aperta is only registerable in the Northern Territory since a personal-import vehicle of any age (that has been used overseas by the owner for a minimum of 12 months) can be fully registered for personal use in the NT.

The Aperta could also be driven on the road in most states with an unregistered vehicle permit or trade plate if the owner is a dealer, but in both instances use is limited – for example, the UVP is valid for up 28 days but must be used for a specific journey.

“State by state it’s different,” said Appleroth. “There’s just some which are more open to seeing these wonderful cars coming to Australia.”

Powered by a 6.3-litre naturally aspirated V12 and a 120kW electric motor, the LaFerrari Aperta convertible was created to celebrate the brand’s 70th anniversary and has become the world’s most expensive limited-edition supercar.

One example was shipped to Australia from Italy to take part in Australia’s local anniversary events and is one of only 209 examples produced in Maranello. Some 200 have been sold to customers, with the remainder being retained by Ferrari for promotional work.

Tim Schenken, Australia’s only Ferrari race team driver, took the wheel of the red Aperta to lead a parade of more than 100 Ferrari models in the Ferrari Car Club of Australia’s 45th anniversary rally, travelling from Albert Park to Langwarrin for a concours d’elegance event.