Ferrari 550 Barchetta

The 550 Barchetta Pininfarina was specifically designed to be reminiscent of legendary Ferrari road race stars of the likes of the 166 MM, the 250 GT California and the 365 GTS4 Daytona. The aim, in fact, was to create an open-top front-engined 12-cylinder with a retro feel to it. The 550 Barchetta Pininfarina was designed and developed to be a unique interpretation of Ferrari’s purest and most extreme sports cars. In fact, it was a deliberate and provocative departure from the rest of the current range. As such, it was made available only as a limited edition of just 448, all of which were built in Maranello in 2001. Each car was numbered and its number displayed on a special in-car plaque signed by Sergio Pininfarina.

The 550 Barchetta Pininfarina was the perfect new millennium interpretation of the classic, open-top front-engined V12 Ferrari sports car, complete with modern styling and technology. One of its signature styling cues was a traditional barchetta-style cut to the windscreen (around 100 mm lower than the 550 Maranello) with a body-coloured finish to the lower section of the surround. It was also, tellingly, a model aimed exclusively at open-air use, providing just a manual soft-top for emergency use.

The functional and unadorned barchetta-type solution with a simple manual soft-top allowed Ferrari's engineers to offset the additional weight gained by reinforcing the chassis and additional safety features (rear roll-bars). Consequently the 550 Barchetta Pininfarina weighed the same as the 550 Maranello. The 550 Barchetta Pininfarina's exclusive design included other distinctive flourishes, such as Ferrari badges on the wheelarches, two-piece alloy wheels and an aluminium fuel cap. It was also available in any colour in the Ferrari range.

Engine

Type: front, longitudinal 65° V12

Bore/stroke: 88 x 75 mm

Unitary displacement: 456.16 cc

Total displacement: 5473.91 cc

Compression ratio: 10.8 : 1

Maximum power: 357 kW (485 hp) at 7000 rpm

Power per litre: 89 hp/l

Maximum torque: 569 Nm (58 kgm) at 5000 rpm

Valve actuation: twin overhead camshafts per bank, four valves per cylinder

Fuel feed: Bosch Motronic M5.2 electronic injection

Ignition: Bosch Motronic M5.2 static electronic, single spark plug per cylinder

Lubrication: dry sump

Clutch: single-plate

Chassis

Frame: tubular steel

Front suspension: independent, unequal-length wishbones, coil springs over gas-filled telescopic shock absorbers, anti-roll bar

Rear suspension: independent, unequal-length wishbones, coil springs over gas-filled telescopic shock absorbers, anti-roll bar

Brakes: discs

Transmission: 6-speed + reverse

Steering: rack-and-pinion

Fuel tank: capacity 114 litres

Front tyres: 255/40 ZR 18

Rear tyres: 295/35 ZR 18

Bodywork

Type: two-seater spider

Length: 4550 mm

Width: 1935 mm

Height: 1258 mm

Wheelbase: 2500 mm

Front track: 1632 mm

Rear track: 1586 mm

Weight: 1690 kg (kerb)

Performance

Top speed: 300 km/h

Acceleration 0-100 km/h: 4.4 sec

0-400 m: 12.5 sec

0-1000 m: 22.6 sec