The Ferrari Testarossa was likely one of the most iconic Ferrari models ever. The shape of the Testarossa absolutely defined one of the most exciting decades in modern history, the 80s. Even today, the Testarossa looks absolutely insane so it's not difficult to imagine how the world wasn't all that excited about its replacement, the 550. The Ferrari 550 was by no means regular traffic, but compared to the Testarossa it looks more like a big 2+2 Ferrari than a top-of-the-line V12 supercar. Even the fact that the 550 was considerably more powerful and faster didn't do much to delete people's memory of the Testarossa. That's likely part of the reason why Ferrari decided to introduce the 550 Barchetta in 2000 some four years after the 550 came out. The Ferrari 550 Maranello Barchetta Pininfarina's horsepower was the same as it was in the coupe, so the performance was also very similar. And with the top down and in red color, the 550 Barchetta not only was fast, but it also looked fast. Fortunately, the 550 Maranello Barchetta Pininfarina price was considerably higher than that of the coupe back in 2000, and it's even higher now with an average price of just over $450,000. If the price seems confusing now, it should all be clear by the end of this 550 Maranello Barchetta Pininfarina review. And if you are looking to buy one, check if there are any examples here at Exotic Car Trader.
The 550 Barchetta was never supposed to exist just like the Testarossa convertible wasn't, or any of the previous conversions Ferrari had done to its coupe models, and there are few of them. Still, of all the Ferrari convertibles, the 550 turned out to be the most sold one up until that point, which could be part of the reason why Ferrari decided to make a dedicated convertible, the California. It's also the reason why Ferrari made the 599 SA Aperta. But Ferrari only made and sold 30 599 SA Apertas so you might wonder how many 550 Maranello Barchetta Pininfarinas were made. And the answer is 448 which is more than impressive considering that the 550 was the most expensive Ferrari you could buy until 2002 when the Enzo came out. And if you are wondering where was the 550 Maranello Barchetta Pininfarina made, the answer is in its name, Maranello. That means the 550 wasn't a special coach build at Pininfarina which is likely what helped increase production numbers. The 550 Barchetta is then a high volume special that makes it relatively affordable, and special it is because how many V12 convertible GTs can you name that have a manual transmission. Not many I'm afraid. Now, let's take this 550 Maranello Barchetta Pininfarina review to the more technical side of things.
Usually, when manufacturers make a convertible version of a coupe model, it's almost universally slower than its hard top equivalent. The main reason behind that is chassis rigidity which is diminished by cutting the hard top off. Manufacturers then have to strengthen the floor which increases the overall weight while never really achieving the same structural rigidity as the coupe. However, the 550 Barchetta is a little different. The 550 Maranello Barchetta Pininfarina weight sits at 1,690 kg while the coupe weighs 1,774. Convertibles weigh 100 kilograms more on average, but the 550 Barchetta weighs almost 100 kilograms less. How Ferrari achieved that is impossible to tell, but it's safe to assume it reached the desired structural rigidity so the 550 Barchetta shouldn't be any slower than the coupe. That's until we come to the top speed. The 550 Maranello Barchetta Pininfarina's top speed is limited to 186 mph because of safety concerns regarding the soft roof so that's 14 mph slower than the coupe. That's a shame because the 550 Maranello Barchetta Pininfarina horsepower and torque figures can definitely do more despite the aerodynamic drag. The 550 Barchetta has the same 485 horsepower as the coupe and it's otherwise mechanically identical to it. Even the 550 Maranello Barchetta Pininfarina's 0-60 is 4.4 seconds, the same as the coupe.
The 550 Maranello Barchetta Pininfarina interior is basically identical to that of the coupe. There isn't even a roof switch as that's entirely mechanical. But of course, that's not a bad thing. The Barchetta's interior is more than worthy of a V12 roadster as everything is covered in beautiful leather plus the Barchetta gets the leather bucket seats as standard and those look phenomenal as well. The gated shifter also compliments the interior which coupled with the Daytona seat pattern makes the 550 Barchetta a classic Ferrari. But the switchgear on the center console is not that exciting I'm afraid. The toggle switches on the dashboard are definitely original, but are still plastic as are the rest of the switches. But the important thing is that everything works and everything is intuitive. The three small gauges on top of the dashboard angled toward the driver are more exciting. And so is the gauge cluster which completes the 550 Maranello Barchetta Pininfarina's design. The gauge cluster has a rev counter on the right which redlines at 8K RPMs, and a tachometer on the left which goes to 360 km/h or 220 mph. Just looking at those gauges will definitely prepare you for that monstrous V12.
The 550 Maranello Barchetta Pininfarina's exterior is a lot different than that of the coupe even if we don't count the missing roof. The 550 Barchetta has a more angled windshield to help with aerodynamics which also makes the car look faster when standing. The Barchetta also has a longer tail which means the trunk is bigger making the convertible more practical than the coupe. But it's only more practical because it doesn't have a real roof. The 550 Maranello Barchetta Pininfarina design is such that it doesn't have a foldable hard top or even a foldable soft top. The roof on the Barchetta has to be manually assembled just like it's the case on a Murcielago roadster. And once assembled, the 550 looks like someone strapped a tent on top of it. But then again, the 550 was never meant to be driven every day, plus the small roof saves space in the trunk. Other than that, the rest of the 550 Barchetta exterior is identical to the 550 coupe.
The 550 Barchetta is mechanically identical to the 550 coupe. That means it gets a 5.5 liter V12 that's fairly primitive by today's standards. The 550 came out at a time when OBD diagnostic ports had just become mandatory in the US, which means the 550 is much more analog than it is digital. Apart from a dozen or so sensors, a lot of which are the same, there isn't really much to go wrong on the 550 making it one of the cheapest Ferrari V12 models to maintain. That's the case not only because it doesn't have complicated technologies, but because it was built at the pinnacle of mechanical engineering, the nineties. The 550 Maranello Barchetta Pininfarina technology is pretty basic then, which is ultimately a good thing.
Now we get to the big question, how much is a 550 Maranello Barchetta Pininfarina worth, and the answer is, that it depends. The cheapest 550 Barchettas are going for around $300,000 which is almost double of what an average 550 coupe costs. As for manual transmission Barchettas, those go for around $400,000 or more. But keep in mind that the 550s were very cheap for a long time so people who bought them actually drove them. That also means that low mileage examples are hard to find and when they pop up, they can sell for well over $600,000. So, if you are looking for a 550 Maranello Barchetta Pininfarina for sale, you will have to be patient and be prepared to spend a lot more money than you would on a 550 coupe. But on a positive note, you don't have to worry about the 550 Maranello Barchetta Pininfarina trim levels as there aren't any besides the color.
In the end, you can conclude from this Ferrari 550 Maranello Barchetta Pininfarina review that it's definitely not a cheap car, but at the same time, it is the cheapest V12 Ferrari convertible you can buy right now. The 599 SA Aperta has an average price of $1.2M which is double that of even the best 550 Barchetta examples. To try your luck with finding a 550 Barchetta, check Exotic Car Trader, and if you are looking to sell one we can help you with that as well. Ultimately, when it comes to buying and selling supercars, you can reach out to us so we can minimize all the stress usually involved and help make the entire process enjoyable. And in the end, if you are thinking of the California and newer Ferrari roadsters, remember that those are all V8s. They are better cars in every way possible, but they will always be missing something that the 550 Barchetta has which concludes this 550 Maranello Barchetta Pininfarina review.
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