Ferrari 550 Barchetta (2001)

Ferrari unveiled in September 2000 a highly exclusive limited edition 550. The 550 Barchetta was to be built to celebrate Pininfarina's 70th Anniversary. Just 448 units were produced, up from the initially planned 444, to appease superstitions around the number 4 to the Japanese market. All were pre-sold to VIP Ferrari preferred clients. Apart from some supplementary bracing, the Barchetta's high tensile welded tubular steel chassis was much the same as the Berlinetta. Weight was practically unchanged too and meant performance would be on a par with the closed car, a 0-60 remaining at just 4.3 seconds.

It was the bodywork that inevitably saw the most radical alterations in the transition to Barchetta configuration, Pininfarina removing all evidence of the roofline and cutting the windscreen down by 100mm to give a roadster-like appearance. A muscular tail, flat deck and roll hoops behind each headrest further transformed the restrained Berlinetta into a racey extrovert. New five-spoke, riveted alloy Speedline wheels were used and soon after a very similar design became optional available on the Maranello.

Each example built received an individually numbered plaque out of 448 making this the last individually numbered, manual V12 Ferrari Barchetta. The final days of the ultimate recipe that had served Ferrari since its inception. On a RHD car, the plaque can be found on the lower dashboard on the right-hand side of the steering wheel.

This UK supplied example is one of just 42 UK right-hand drive examples produced. Ordered through Maranello Sales, Egham this car was optioned in Nero Daytona with 4-point safety harnesses and very unusually, the upgraded Fiorano Handling Package.

Throughout its life, this example has been used sparingly. Originally supplied to a very important client in Ascot in 2001, the car was a put through as priority order as noted by the original Maranello order form.

The car changed hands soon after delivery and was leased to its second owner, who retained the car for 4 years and just 3,000 miles. The car has benefitted from two long term owners. The first, Mr Hogarth, who purchased the car in 2007 and kept the car until 2012. During his ownership the car continued to be used with mileage rising by just a couple of hundred miles a year.

DK purchased the car from Mr Hogarth in 2012 and sold the car after a major service to a Lancashire based Ferrari collector. During this period the car would almost exclusively return to Stratstone Ferrari Wilmslow for its annual servicing requirements and as such, today the car presents with no fewer than eleven services. At the time of purchase, the owner acquired the aftermarket Michalak high-speed roof; a revised design to the standard Ferrari item that enormously improves the usability of the car. Easy to attach, the highspeed roof does as the name suggests and raises the speed the car can be used at from Ferrari’s 60km/h imposed limit to a much healthier 130km/h!

Enjoying the car throughout his ownership, the owner covered around 400 miles a year until DK once more purchased the car in 2022.

In April 2022, we carried out a major service on the car including cambelts as well as tending to several other cosmetic details. The sticky switches as are so common on cars of this era were removed and refinished and the split-rim wheels comprehensively refurbished. This menacing Nero Barchetta with desirable Fiorano Handling Package is accompanied by its additional Michalak highspeed roof, original roof, bookpack and helmets presents wants for nothing with just 8,400 miles from new and is available to view at our showrooms outside London immediately.