2001 Ferrari 550 Barchetta

• Shown in iconic Rosso Corsa paint

• Special edition, limited to just 448 examples

• Flimsy top only operable below 100 mph

The Ferrari 550 Barchetta is the quintessential summer cruiser at any speed. This was a special-edition open version of the new 550 Maranello model produced from 1996 to 2002, to mark Pininfarina’s 70th anniversary. A total of 448 examples were built.

Rosso Corsa (or racing red) has been synonymous with Ferrari for decades, however, the history of this color stretches back a century with Italian marques such as Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Lancia. The car is so common with Ferrari that it is now jokingly noted as “resale red” as Ferraris painted in Rosso Corsa tend to sell for more than other colored Ferraris.

The Barchetta was first displayed at the 2000 Paris Motor Show, and it featured a shorter, more aggressively raked windshield, two-piece alloy wheels, an aluminum fuel-filler door, and a restyled trunk that was larger than that of the coupe. Additionally, all 550 Barchettas were equipped with racing seats which were optional in the coupe, along with leather-wrapped roll bars for safety.

Unlike the Daytona Spider of old, the Barchetta was a true roadster, as it was equipped with a soft top substantial enough only for low-speed use—Ferrari’s way of enticing their customers to have fun in the sun. Barchetta, or “little boat” in Italian, is used by Italian car manufacturers to denote two-seat sports cars with either an open top or convertible roof. The first use of the term “barchetta” was by the editor of the Italian sporting newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, Giovanni Canestrini, to describe the new Ferrari 166MM displayed at the 1948 Turin Auto Show.

Specifications

Engine: 5.5 Liter V12

Horsepower: 478 @ 7000 rpm

Torque: 420 ft./lbs. @ 5000 rpm

Transmission: 6-speed manual

0-60 mph: 4.3 sec

Top Speed: 200 mph

Weight: 3726 lbs