Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, owner of the iconic Ferrari, is to float the luxury sports car maker later this year. As a petrol head, you’ll be racing to get in on the Ferrari IPO, right? Well good luck with that! Only 10% of the shares will be made publicly available on the New York Stock Exchange. 80% are to be distributed amongst existing FCA shareholders for free, while the remaining 10% are being kept by Piero Ferrari (whoever he is).

Now that I’ve successfully crushed your hopes of owning a bit of history via the Ferrari IPO (it’d be cheaper than buying one of the cars after all, would carry no maintenance costs and it may even appreciate in value. Oh, wait, Ferraris often do appreciate in value), we can get down to some of the interesting bits of this piece (I’m only deciding what they are just now).

Ferrari is one of those car manufacturers to whom the phrase ‘one born every minute’ doesn’t refer. In fact, it’s been actively limiting its production – keeping a good proportion of hopes of owning one crushed – in order to maintain the exclusivity of the brand. Ferrari has even managed to increase profits on lower production by taking the concept of the personalised number plate to new levels. Personalised Ferrari anyone? You won’t get a personalised product by getting in on the Ferrari IPO, that’s for sure.

With the ability to increase profits on lower output, what would be the consequence of….upping output? If the demand is there, and it clearly is judging by my assumed measure of crushed hopes, then a Ferrari IPO would raise the capital needed to increase production capability for high-end Ferraris (like personalised ones) much faster than current growth would allow.

What’s more, we also have Ferrari’s involvement in Formula one which after a disappointing 7 years without a constructors’ title looks to be back on track after it signed four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel. The aim with this, I believe, is that Vettel will win both races and exposure for Ferrari – a F1 team that has seen lacklustre performance of late. Could a Ferrari IPO allow for another superstar driver to join Vettel for total domination of the sport?

The move to shore up the Formula One arm of the business is largely down to the appointment of Fiat CEO and turnaround king Sergio Marchionne as chairman. Marchionne is credited with bringing US giant Chrysler back from the brink of bankruptcy as well as turning around the fortunes of Fiat. Will he use a Ferrari IPO to put the iconic brand back on pole position too?

Marchionne is a strong proponent of sector consolidation in an era of spiralling production costs for car companies. There is considerable disagreement, however, between Marchionne and his peers in the industry on this subject, and understandably so – Ferrari is the sort of company that could realistically go under if things turn sour.

I almost disagree with myself on that one, but let’s assume it’s true. Ferrari is relatively small and niche, not a major global employer like GM or Ford. The big car makers will simply never be allowed to fail. They’re too big! These guys can pretty much count on state intervention to save them in the event of another financial crash (but Ferrari can’t). None will be keen on consolidation as a risk mediator, and that leaves little in favour of such an idea.

However a Ferrari IPO may benefit the business, one thing is almost certain: those that get in on the Ferrari IPO will likely realise a profit. The question is would they make more money if they just went out and bought a Ferrari?