Thoughts: 550 Barchetta

They are incredible to drive. No cowl shake. The engine sound is sublime.

To me, the only negatives are:
1. The boy scout pup-tent top is difficult to set up, and beyond ugly.
2. A minor nit... the roll bars are higher than the windscreen. Aesthetically, it would be more pleasing if they were a touch lower.

Unfortunately, for south FL,... they make no sense in the real world. If they did, I would have one...

 

Jacques- We have some owners here on FChat. Here is Road and Track's 2001 road test.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/tests/car/2001-ferrari-550-barchetta-pininfarina

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

And that was whart's (user name whart) Barchetta.

 

Well, I started to seriously look for a Barchetta after I saw one in the flesh at our local track in 2007. I had been looking at them online prior to 2007, but I wanted one after I saw the car in person.
I went as far as asking the owner of the Barchetta, at the track if he would be willing to sell it; and his answer was a positive NO.
I ended up buying my car from Steve Harris Imports in October of 2009.
I love the lines on the car, a classic roadster look in my opinion.
I love driving the car, it is a very firm ride in comparison to my 2005 575F1 with the Fiorano Handling Package.

I love the way it handles and it feels to me that it has more low end torque, more responsive than the 575 off the line......maybe it is the 6 speed and/or rear axle ratio......

As far as the V12 sound, I have Tubi's and a ceramic coated X-Pipe that I bought from and had installed from our local Ferrari dealer........this car is loud and fun.
I drive it as often as I can, even though I live in Calgary.

The Barchetta is a very sure footed and stable car on the road.
I get a more driver engaged experience in the Barchetta than the 575, definitely a more raw car.

I am not sure of the difference between the 550 coupe and Barchetta though.

The Barchetta may not be practical to some, but that is why I enjoy it every time I decide to drive it.

 

Though my var isn't a Barchetta I've been driving it quite a bit recently. Another one of my better purchases.

Front engine V12 Ferraris are the real deal. Plus I just love the sounds it makes.

 

For a ten-year old car that doesn't make any sense outside of Southern California, the Barchetta has held its value very well. I don't follow them that closely, but they seem to trade for about 65% of MSRP.

The Superamerica has also done relatively well, for a six-year old car. Despite rumors of problems with the retractable roof, they also seem to trade around 65% of MSRP.

But I would love to hear from anyone with actual knowledge. These cars are a very narrow and shallow river.

Dale

 

Domenic- All the Maranello variations, including the Barchetta and Superamerica, had the same gearbox and final drive ratios. The Barchetta was slower than the 575M in all measured accleration runs I have seen, but the open cockpit probably makes it feel faster. The Barchetta, like the 550, had a steering position sensor that stiffens the suspension on initial turn-in, before the accelerometers can feel the turn. This early shock stiffening does lead to a different feel for the 550/Barchetta and late 04/05 575Ms from early 575Ms with no steering position sensor, even those with FHP. It does not affect absolute cornering power.

Beautiful car that has held value well and can turn quarter mile times in the 12 second range at 110+ mph. Living with the top is the only issue, and for a multiple car owner, not much of an issue. There are alternative tops available, but they tend to be in the $10K+ price range.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

The Barchetta had a bit of a free fall in value for a short while between 2007 and 2008. I distinctly remember them trading for higher than MSRP for a long time and then dropping like a brick. But very interestingly, they have firmed up since then and perhaps there is a icon in the making here after all (they were great in my eyes but whether the market agreed remained to be seen).

It's essentially a 550 without a roof so it must be a great car. . If you watch the end of the Victory by Design DVD you see a Grigio Titanio with Bordeaux interior being driven by Alain de Cadenet through London. Just stunning. I just don't think Rosso Corsa suits them very well, it seems to cheapen the image of the car in my eyes somehow.

Regarding road tests: Martin Buckley did a road test last year in one of the English classic car mags (I think Classic & Sportscar). He was a bit stand-offish about the car (understandable if you know his likes), but ultimately praised it as a great road car with classic driving appeal or some sort.


Onno

 

always wanted a yellow or black one

 

I'd love one, but I'm 6'4", and when I sit in one, the windshield header bar is right in front of my face.

 

donv, is the windshield more raked on the Barchetta than on the coupe? Or do you have the same problem sitting inside a standard 550 hardtop?

I love the lines on the Barchetta too - the 550 looks so graceful and well proportioned as a convertible...that is until you see it with that horrendous factory top on.

I think if they'd designed the top better (i.e., lowered the rollbar hoops and installed a more attractively styled top), the Barchetta would be a million dollar Ferrari someday. It still might be, but in the years before it achieves collectible status, resale prices are going to be dampened by having to live with the impractical, ugly top.

 

I believe the windshield in the Barchetta is either more steeply raked, or cut off lower, or both, than the standard 550. I have no problems in a standard 550.

 

It's a limited production Ferrari, so it's going to hold its value better than most cars. It's also a Maranello with the roof cut off. IMO, the perfect Ferrari. All of the hand wringing over the top is silly. It's a day sailer. You only take it out when it isn't going to rain. I could easily get along with a Barchetta because I don't take my car out if there's a chance of rain and I have a coupe. It's not a daily driver. The top is intended to be used like a spare tire...it's an emergency device that hopefully stays in the trunk.

 

I would think what would be really useful would be a tonneau cover, so you could park it and not worry about stuff falling in it.

 

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?tracktype=usedcc&csDlId=&csDgId=&listingId=53389557&listingRecNum=1&criteria=sf1Dir%3DDESC%26mkId%3D20014%26stkTyp%3DU%26mdId%3D20505%26rd%3D100000%26crSrtFlds%3DstkTypId-feedSegId-mkId-mdId%26zc%3D91325%26rn%3D0%26PMmt%3D1-1-0%26stkTypId%3D28881%26sf2Dir%3DASC%26sf1Nm%3Dprice%26sf2Nm%3Dmiles%26rpp%3D50%26feedSegId%3D28705&aff=national

I dont like the interior color. Looks like rental car gray.

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?tracktype=usedcc&csDlId=&csDgId=&listingId=49619311&listingRecNum=0&criteria=sf1Dir%3DDESC%26mkId%3D20014%26stkTyp%3DU%26mdId%3D20505%26rd%3D100000%26crSrtFlds%3DstkTypId-feedSegId-mkId-mdId%26zc%3D91325%26rn%3D0%26PMmt%3D1-1-0%26stkTypId%3D28881%26sf2Dir%3DASC%26sf1Nm%3Dprice%26sf2Nm%3Dmiles%26rpp%3D50%26feedSegId%3D28705&aff=national

Much better color combo.


Im not affiliated with either...I just love the 550 Barchetta

 

Jerry- It is Charcoal, which photographs way lighter than it looks in real life, which is sort of a light black. If you look at these two photographs of my car's interior, you will see what I mean. The close-up is a better approximation of the real color and still lighter than actual. The shot further away looks several shades lighter than actual, where everything appears to be Grigio Scuro. In person, it is a very rich color, and way different from the Barchetta photos.

Taz
Terry Phillips
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Ah thanks for explaining. Not that Im in the market but if I were i would have passed that car over because of the pics of the interior.

They should color correct in PShop.

 

I love the Barchetta. It was the first Ferrari I rode in.

 

Guess that's in big part why the vast majority of the Barchettas I see listed for sale have fewer than 4000 miles on them. The other part is probably owners avoiding putting miles on them to preserve the collectible appeal.

I love the styling of the Barchetta more than the coupe. But with 2/3rds of the year in the Pacific Northwest being overcast with some chance of rain, I'd never get to drive the thing if I bought one. Maybe it's the ideal car for Arizona or Southern California.

 

Great cars, we've got a yellow/black one and would not trade it for any of the new cars.

Had a cover made that drapes over the cockpit and Velcro's on for leaving it out in the sun or overnight. Most have issues with interior fade and leather shrinkage, unless they've been impossibly babied.

The top is really a non-issue once you assemble it two or three times, it will go on in a few minutes especially if you have someone to help. That being said it is still a compromise car, which IMO makes it that much better.

 

Having owned a 550 Barchetta since 2006, I thought I should share some of my experiences with you too.

First off, the standard roof is not good; it's tricky to put on, ugly and limits top speed to 70mph. My answer to this major problem was to purchase the excellent Michalak Design roof conversion. This transforms the car completely because you start using the Barchetta whenever you feel like, as you no longer have to worry what the weather is going to do (I took the Barchetta on this year's Mille Miglia Tribute, for example). It may seem expensive but it's a quality item, TUV tested to 130mph, completely waterproof and very quick to take on and off.

It clips onto the top of the windscreen and then the rear part of the roof fixes to brackets which you need to attach to each of the rear boot hinges, so as you close the rear boot, it tensions the roof. I tend to run the roof without the rear screen installed, as it's still pretty watertight in this format but you still feel exposed to the sound of the world outside. Here's a link to Michalak Design for more info;

http://ferrari.michalak.eu/index_gb.htm

Having run a 550 Maranello for a couple of years (I wrote about my experiences in evo magazine http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evolongtermtests/55791/ferrari_550.html ), I wanted to find a 550 I would keep for ever, so started looking for a Barchetta. Because most sit in collections, it was like buying a brand new 550 because mileages tend to be incredibly low, as they only get driven in perfect conditions. I ended up buying one in Grigio Titanio with Bordeaux trim showing just 3,400miles.

I'm convinced my Barchetta feels quicker than my old Coupe but it might just be a perception thing because of being in the open air. Naturally, there is more flex in the body but I'll happily trade that for the pleasure you get from driving such a wonderful open Ferrari.

Finally, the reason why it's one of the most secretive Ferraris of all is because the motoring press were never invited to drive one when it was new. Montezemolo invited a group of selected customers to a private event at his villa on Lake Como, where he presented the car. There was a suggestion that if you ordered a 550 Barchetta then you would get priority if you wanted the then still secret Enzo.. As a result, all 550 Barchettas were pre-sold and Ferrari never allowed the press to drive the car. Weird but typical Ferrari!