You have to wonder if someone’s going to call up Rod Stewart and offer to by the Ferrari Maranello 575 he’s put on sale, if only Rod’ll take a certified check for more than the price and provide the balance in cash to the buyer.  The various scams involving Auto Trader listings have left some sellers of higher-end sports cars holding a worthless, forged “certified check” from an out-of-town buyer, even after banks ostensibly vouched for the check’s authenticity and value.
   
But, Stewart is reportedly worth more than $200 million, so presumably he doesn’t take rubber checks.  Moreover, Auto Trader says that’s the way that Eric Clapton and Pete Townshend got rid of their Ferrari’s.
   
He is, however, serious about dumping the Ferrari, a second-hand ride he’s now willing to let be someone else’s third-hand ride for about $150,000.  It could be a good deal.  With only 10,000 miles, it could be said that it has been driven only by an elderly gentleman: Stewart is 62.
   
On the other hand, 10,000 miles in a car with 515 hp, a 0 – 60 time of 4.2 seconds and a top end of 202, might have seen some hard use.
   
Of course, it could be that Stewart’s getting out while the getting out is good: if the report from Bob Lutz are true, the new ZR1 Corvette will beat the Maranello’s numbers, and for considerably less than Stewart’s asking price for the Ferrari.  Lutz has boasted that he’s personally pushed a ZR1 prototype to over 200 mph.
   
But, Lutz is 74.
   
Stewart probably isn’t old enough to be driving that Corvette.