No affiliation. Looks like a nice example. https://www.collectionbyvermant.be/onze-stock/ferrari-550-world-speed-records-edition-1-only-33
https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/pa20/paris/lots/r0003-2000-ferrari-550-maranello-wsr/821734 Looks like it's going to run at auction now.
Thank you again, are any of the WSR 550s in the U.S. And are all the extras on this car available for regular production 550s ?
I am not sure on if / how many were delivered in the US. 23 LHD and 10 RHD versions were made however. You can find the most information over at 550wsr.com
Not sure the premium (over regular 550) is worth it though... I will be happy with a 550 for €100K, I don't care about a €150K WSR edition.
All the options on the WSR were available on the standard 550. US models did not get the roll bar or 4 point harnesses. Ferrari equivalent of a Corvette Pace Car to me.
"...Most were finished in Grigio Silverstone over a Rosso interior...". Grigio Silverstone didn't exist until after 550 production had ended. It really isn't very hard to get these details right so why do auction houses so frequently get them wrong?
Agreed that it's not particularly special but more of a commemorative edition. I don't think the Corvette Pace Car is quite the correct analogy though...just a hair above that.
Corvette pace cars were just replica pace cars, no? The WSR at least commemorates holding the world speed record, although short lived. Not disagreeing though, would rather save the money and just get a nicely optioned 550.
Comparing a 550 WSR to a '78 Corvette Pace Car Edition is a little shaky, IMO. As we know in the collector car world, rarity is one of the major factors in determining a car's value. Out of 40,274 Corvettes produced in 1978, 6,502 were Pace Car special editions. That's 16% of 'Vette production that year. Not a very rare "special" edition of an otherwise mass-produced Chevrolet. By contrast, only 33 550 WSRs were produced in 1998 out of maybe 600 (give or take) 550s produced that year, or about 5% of total 550 production that year. That's only 1% of total 550 production (3,083) from all years. Yeah, it's a rare bird alright. Aside from rarity there is also desirability. The WSR is rare, but is it also highly desirable? To a Ferrari connoisseur/collector who wants only the rarest models in his collection it is probably a "must have." To a "regular" used Ferrari buyer who just wants a Ferrari to enjoy on nice weekends, maybe not. Or at least not at a huge price premium over a regular 550. Since non-WSR 550s in 1998 could be ordered with WSR-spec equipment, it'd be interesting to know how many were produced in that configuration. They might actually be rarer than WSRs.
I don't think I've ever seen a highly optioned 550's come up for sale in North America in the past 4-5 years I've been watching. Maybe people aren't selling those examples...but I would bet not many were spec'd with all the carbon bits and seats etc.
In my opinion, a 550 is a luxury GT and not a track car. They are more comfortable and elegant with leather and standard seats which in fact are Recaro sports seats anyway and of premium quality. The suspention is stiff enough and the car must be driven seriously hard before a more sporty setup is needed. That is why I would not pay much extra for that WSR version. Then it would be better to have more power. There is a standard 550 in Italy with 600 hp. as naturally aspirated. That would be the real TdF version of the 550...
All I remember is that it is Argebto Nürnburgring met., had the intake plenum side covers (the part that the throttle body bolts to) spaced out about 4 cm. It also had some other air filter boxes. Except for that, I believe it looked pretty much original. I am not sure, but is it possible that it has camshafts from a 456. They do not have the switchable intake runnerslike the 456, and I have been told that the 456 cams are more aggressive. However, my opinion is that my 456M was more powerful in the low revs than my 550 which is also quite a bit lighter. That 550 was for sale on Autosclut.it around 2014 If memory serves me right. Should be a lot of fun.
456 cams had more overlap to wring some extra hp at higher revs, but lower than the Maranellos reach. With the dual length intake tract, the Maranellos could use milder cam timing and still get more hp. Note the 456 cams are designed for solid lifters and the Maranellos' for hydraulic lifters.
Yes, but the 456M had hydraulic lifters, so they might have put in a set from a 456M? Or is it possible to custom build cams? It would be seriously cool to see and these that car. It was prepped and tuned by a Formula 1 company from my memory. The Italian Ferrari club should know about the car....
Erik- No, the 456M uses the exact same cams and solid lifters as the 5.2 456. I am sure there is someone out there who can custom grind cams for our V12s. Just bring your first-borne son. There were P6 versions of cams for both the Daytona and the 2 valve 308 available at one time.
