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The 550 maranello is Ferrari's interpretation of the 12-cylinder berlinetta, with a front engine and a pronounced sports personality, for the 21st century. The brief given to the technicians was particularly demanding: design and build a car able to meet the needs of Ferrari customers looking for driving emotions and exciting performance, who do not want to forego driveability or comfort. Potential customers should be attracted by state-of-the-art technical proposals from a company, which has always treated design as an aesthetic solution to the demand for performance, and has always built its cars with sophisticated craftsmanship. Technical Specifications Dimensions and Weights Length 179.13 in Width 76.18 in Height 50.27 in Wheelbase 98.43 in Front track 64.25 in Rear track 62.44 in Kerb weight 3726 lb Tubeless radial tyres Front 255/40 ZR 18 Rear 295/35 ZR 18 Light alloy tank 30.1 US Gal. (25 Imp. Gal.) Engine 12 cylinders in 65° V Bore and stroke 3.46 x 2.95 in Total displacement 334.0 cu. in Compression ratio 10,8:1 Maximum power @ 7000 rpm 485 bhp Maximum torque @ 5000 rpm 568.5 Nm Four overhead camshafts Four valves per cylinder Injection/static clectronic ignition Bosch Motronic 5.2 Engine weight 518 lb Oils Shell Performances Speed 199 mph 0-60 mph 4.3s 0-1/4 mile12.6 s 0-1 mile 30.9 s
Design
The 550 maranello is a creature of the wind tunnel. Its aerodynamic shape is the result of hard work that needed 4,800 hours of wind tunnel tests to achieve the targets set by the project, which consisted of:
The 550 maranello is another step forward in the aerodynamic development of the car underbody, which has led to excellent stability, strucuture and driving safety. The vertical load independent of set-up and a Cz lower than nought are a unique result for a car with no mobile parts or added aerodynamic surfaces. Particular care went into the design of the front of the car with its characteristic groove, the aerodynamic efficiency of the air intakes, and the interior air flows. Pininfarina has designed a body with characteristically extreme proportions for this return to a front engine on Ferrari's top performance berlinetta: low and wide, with a large bonnet and cut-off tail, features that immediately give the impression of a great sports car. To do this Pininfarina used only the following requirements:
The large wings that point up the big wheels, the small roof resting on the solid shoulders of the car's sturdy body, and the long bonnet shaped by a functional air intake, all respect this tradition. The design of the 550 Maranello is fast and sinewy, with marked dihedrons that stretch the soft surfaces of the sheet metal, creating strong characteristics signs from whatever angle you view the car. The volumes are clean and frank, not smoothed or tapered, so that the car's physical presence underlines its performance. The roof is unusually light for a Ferrari, with fine pillars that make it less obvious visually and stress the importance of the car body by contrast, the structure housing the mechanicals, which are the heart and soul of the 550 maranello and lower the optical centre of gravity. The front has several original elements: the air intake is positioned very low down and has a narrow shape, incorporating the foglights at either end. The lower edge has a complex, modelled shape that creates an aggressive play of lights. The air intake for the fuel feed is positioned at the centre of the large bonnet, an engineering requrement that links the present to the past. This is the first Ferrari to have been conceived and designed from the start with visible light clusters, integrated in the shape of the bodywork. The side is highlighted at the top by a dihedron that gives it force and dynamism, forming a strong, personal motif that emphasises the rear wing. The relationship between the long bonnet and the small rear cabin, and the smooth link with the high tail, are typical of Ferrari. Two air outlets for the engine bay have been created in the large front wing, between the wheelarch and the door, close obligatory reference to the classic front-engined berlinettas. The rear is simple and powerful: it is higher in the middle where it links up to the roof with a small spoiler, and lower around the wings; the double round lights are characteristics of Ferrari car design. This apparently natural, spontaneous shape is, like the front spoiler in particular and more generally the whole of the 550 maranello, the fruit of work to integrate styling and aerodynamics.
To mark Pininfarina's 70th Anniversary, I asked Sergio Pininfarina to present a design for a front-engined 12 cylinder Ferrari roadster that would capture the spirit of the classic road races of the past and cars such as the 166 MM, 250 GT California and 365 GTS4 Daytona. Sergio proposed this 550; a car that combines the coupés powerful design with a refined interpretation of "barchetta" styling cues - this is a car destined exclusively for open use. The result surpassed expectations, so we decided to name it after the coachbuilder in his honour, the 550 Barchetta Pininfarina. Luca di Montezemolo Interior The car's purpose is indicated with the interior of the 550 Barchetta Pininfarina, where leather-faced carbon-fibre racing-style seats are complemented by carbon-fibre on the upper section of the steering wheel, the main and secondary instrument panel, tunnel moulding and gear knob.
Black Lorica fabric covers the central tunnel, the dashboard in front of the driver and the rear wall behind the seats, while the underdoor mouldings are in aluminium complete with the Ferrari logo. To set off the interior a silver plaque is mounted on the tunnel with the car's own progressive number and Sergio Pininfarina's signature.
The 550 Barchetta Pininfarina can be personalised in accordance with the Carrozzeria Scaglietti programme. Most of the options are the same as the 550 Maranello with the exception of an exclusive 550 Barchetta Pininfarina canvas five piece luggage set and the colour of the roll bar and rear upper wall upholstery.
Dimensions and Weights Length 4550 mm Width 1935 mm Height 1258 mm Wheelbase 2500 mm Kerb weight 1690 kg Engine Type 65° V12 Bore and stroke 88 x 75 mm Cylinder displacement 456.19 cm ³ Total displacement 5,474 cm ³ Compression ratio 10.8:1 Maximum power @ 7000 rpm 485 bhp (357 kW) Maximum torque @ 5000 rpm 568.5 Nm (58 kgm) Twin overhead camshafts per cylinder bank Four valves per cylinder Injection/static clectronic ignition Bosch Motronic 5.2 Engine weight 235 kg Oils Shell Aeodynamics Cd 0.41 CI 0 Performance Top Speed 300 km/h 0-100 km/h 4.4 s 0-400 m 12.5 s 0-1000 m 22.6 s Design The 550 Barchetta Pininfarina is dedicated to those people for whom Ferrari's great V12 engined sports cars hold a special appeal. To those who truly appreciate the pleasure of driving both on and off the track with that special sense of freedom that only a roadster can give. To those who believe that driving a Ferrari should be an incomparable experience - a mixture of emotion generated by contact with fresh air and by the sound of the engine, precise feedback through the steering wheel, the sensation of speed, and the pleasure of being surrounded by the unique and unmistakable lines of a Ferrari. Sergio Pininfarina
The design of the 550 Barchetta Pininfarina echoes that of classic Ferraris past. The powerful profile of the 550 Maranello is maintained with minor body changes to reflect the individuality of this limited run. The windscreen is redesigned, around 100 mm lower than the 550 Maranello, incorporating a high strength steel tube, with a body coloured finish to the lower section of the surround. An aluminium fuel filler cap and Scuderia Ferrari shields on the front wings add sporting touches to complete the exterior.
Further standard features add a unique touch to 550 Barchetta Pininfarina ownership; with a production certificate and letter delivered under separate cover to the car's owner, a couple of exclusive 550 Barchetta Pininfarina open face racing helmets coloured in soft touch Ferrari red and finished in Cuoio leather and a couple of 550 Barchetta Pininfarina caps.
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