Ferrari 550 Barchetta

Furlonger are delighted to offer this wonderful Classiche Certified Ferrari 550 Barchetta, finished in Rosso Barchetta over Nero leather and Grigio Scuro Lorica.

Under the presidency of Luca Di Montezemolo it was decided that Ferraris V12 replacement would return to a front engine layout. It had been 23 years since the 365 GTB/4 was replaced by the mid-engine Berlinetta Boxer which continued until the final version of the Testarossa (The F512M) was produced in 1994. Pininfarinas designers were commissioned with penning an entirely new exterior and interior design which abandoned the sharp angled style present from the Daytona up to the F512M and adopt a more modern profile. Just under 3 years of development saw the birth of the 550 Maranello which was unveiled at the Nurbirgring Race Circuit in July of 1996. The 550 Maranello name simply denotes its 5.5L engine displacement and the home of Ferraris headquarters.

The car’s engine was of course a naturally aspirated V12 which had 4 valves per cylinder, dual overhead cams and a variable intake manifold. The engine produced 478 horsepower which allowed the car to reach 60 miles per hour in just 4.4 seconds and could achieve a staggering top speed of 199mph.

The 550 featured a 6-speed manual gearbox located at the rear axle coupled with a limited slip differential, double wishbone suspension with coaxial coil springs and dampers and anti roll bars front and rear. The cars steering featured variable power assist among other electronic driver aids such as anti-slip regulation and four-way anti-lock braking system.

Ferrari unveiled the 550 Barchetta at the Paris Motor Show in 2000 to commemorate Pininfarina’s 70^th Anniversary.’ Barchetta’ is often referred to Italian sports cars that have an open roof, in this case the 550 Barchetta is a true roadster with no convertible top provided. Being a roadster, it was encouraged that the car be used in the right conditions, however the factory did supply a soft top roof which could be easily assembled should you need to protect the interior if it began to rain, usable up to 70mph. Although it may appear to simply be a 500 Maranello with no roof, the Barchetta did receive some aesthetic changes, most obvious being the deeply raked windscreen for improved aerodynamics. Other changes included roll over hoops behind the seats for driver safety and a longer rear section which smoothly finished the overall design and gave the boot more space. New 19’’ wheels were specially designed for the Barchetta known as ‘Modular’ alloys.

The 550 Barchetta offered for sale here is finished in its original specification of Rosso Barchetta over Nero leather and Grigio Chiaro Lorica with Aluminium brake calipers, fire extinguisher, 5 piece Nero ‘canvas’ luggage set and spare wheel kit. Present within the cars history is an original order form and invoice from Graypaul specifying the above options along with ‘Out of production paint colour’ which had an additional cost £1,880. Delivered new on 01/09/2001 to a Mr Morrison of London, NO. 83 is likely one of the few examples available today that still possesses all of its original optional extras in such good condition, all of which gives the impression it’s had little or even no use in its lifetime.

The 550 Barchetta has been well maintained throughout its lifetime, evident from the multiple invoices, MOT’s and receipts found within its history file. Being 1 of 448 total production cars and just 42 right hand drives that made their way to the UK’s shores, NO. 83 is likely to be one of the best examples available in the UK today in such superb condition throughout with the benefit of Classiche Certification.

This marvellous 550 Barchetta is one of just a Few limited ‘Numbered’ Ferraris, being incredibly rare and only available with a manual gearbox, without a fixed roof, this poses an opportunity to own such a unique modern Ferrari that truly sits in a league of its own.

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