550 Barchetta Pininfarina (Italy, 2000)

Launched in 2000 at the Paris Motor Show the 550 Barchetta Pininfarina is a special model as it celebrates the 70th anniversary of Pininfarina and the 50th anniversary of a very successful long-term partnership with Ferrari. A very short production series was produced until December 2001, with only 448 cars built.

The 550 Barchetta Pininfarina was designed and developed to be a unique interpretation of Ferrari’s purest and most extreme sports cars. Inspired by the 166 MM, the 250 GT California and the 365 GTS4 Daytona, the 550 Barchetta Pininfarina was specifically designed to be a reminder of such legendary Ferrari road race stars. It was specifically designed this way with the goal of creating an open-top front-engined 12-cylinder with a retro feel to it.

One of its most specific styling feature was a traditional barchetta-style cut to the windscreenwith a body-coloured finish to the lower section of the surround. It was also a model aimed exclusively at open-air use, providing just a manual soft-top for emergency use.

Other exclusive design cues includ Ferrari badges on the wheelarches, two-piece alloy wheels and an aluminium fuel cap. The 550 Barchetta Pininfarina was also available in any colour in the Ferrari range.

Each car was numbered and its number displayed on a special in-car plaque signed by Sergio Pininfarina.

The 550 Barchetta Pininfarina was powered by the very same 5474 cc 65° V12 as the 550 Maranello. It delivered 485 hp at 7000 rpm, with a maximum of 58 kg of torque at 5000rpm. The 6-speed plus reverse gearbox was mounted at the rear in unit with the limited-slip differential for improved weight distribution.