It’s 2003. You have over $200k to spend, and you want a European twelve-cylinder super-tourer. So what’ll it be, an Aston Martin V12 Vanquish or a Ferrari 575M Maranello?

It would have been a tough call, but if it made any difference, the Ferrari was actually a little cheaper. Its US-market MSRP of $217,890 undercut the Aston’s $231,260 by nearly $14k – as if that made much of a difference at this level, or if either were actually leaving showrooms for their sticker prices. But the story today is quite different.

Just look at these examples of both that are heading for the auction block next month in Santa Monica. There’s a Maranello in dark blue with red leather and less than 11,000 miles on the clock, expected to sell in the range of $150-175k. It’s joined by two Vanquishes: a black-on-black example with 6,333 miles on the odometer valued at $75-85k, and another in red over black that’s logged over 27k miles and estimated to sell for $55-65k.

Strange, considering that they were both produced by storied European marques, with V12 engines displacing nearly six liters, mated to six-speed sequential transmissions, and their prices when new were only off by about six percent. And yet, even if the Ferrari reaches the bottom of its pre-sale estimate range, and both of the Astons just reach the top, the Maranello will still have brought in the same amount as both Vanquishes.

So what gives? Well, there’s a gap in performance: with 508 horsepower, the Ferrari was quoted to hit 60 in 4.2 seconds, while the Aston with its 450 hp took 4.7. And the Aston topped out at 190 mph compared to the Ferrari’s 202. (More potent versions of each would appear later.) And there’s the relative scarcity: while Ferrari made 2,056 of the 575, Aston produced 2,589 of the Vanquish. Those differences are hardly glaring, though.

More than anything, the discrepancy likely comes down to the cachet that Italy’s finest still hold over England’s, among collectors especially. Which tells you that if you’re buying new, better go for the Ferrari and take less of a hit on the depreciation. But if you’re looking for deal on the second-hand market, best go for the Aston. (Images courtesy of RM Sotheby’s.)

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