1997 Ferrari 550 Maranello
Sold
Introduced in 1996, the flagship Maranello replaced more than twenty years of twelve cylinder mid-engine cars that began with the Berlinetta Boxer and was continued by the three variants of the Testarossa. Designed to recall the glory days of Ferrari's legendary front-engine sports cars (notably the 275GTB and 365 GTB/4 Daytona), the Maranello was simultaneously contemporary and classic. The Pininfarina styling evoked all the grace, proportions, and muscularity of the great vintage Ferraris without succumbing to retro design idioms. Mechanically, the car was at the cutting edge, with a quad cam naturally aspirated 485 hp V12 engine and 6-speed manual transaxle, which endowed the car with a 199 mph top speed.
This particular car is a US market example which was sold new in Las Vegas and spent the majority of its life in California. Its current owner has had it since 2016 and has maintained the car scrupulously at considerable expense, with invoices totaling $32,144.96. The work included new motor mounts, new front brake pads and rotors, all 12 fuel injectors, two fuel pressure regulators, leaking fuel pump repair, new fuel lines, new spark plugs and wires, an airbag control module, one new shock absorber, two new shock actuators, an alignment, a new battery, new brake seals and fresh brake fluid, retrimmed dashboard, center console, rear parcel shelf trim panel, and door panel tops, new wheel center caps, new seat switch, Tubi exhaust, radiator repair and new coolant, and new headlight gaskets. In November of 2016 the timing belts were found to be new and were accordingly not replaced. The timing belt tension and cam timing checked and adjusted as required at this time.
The car received a recent paint correction and makes a good cosmetic impression although close inspection reveals some cracking in the paint on the front bumper as well as some peeling black paint on the window trims. The wheels show some minor flaws in the paint but no curb rash and the car wears Continental tires from 2015. Inside the car, there is some wear on the driver’s seat bolster, although less than is typical in these cars given the mileage. The carpet displays some fading as well. The remaining upholstery is in very good condition, as are the buttons and switches which do not suffer from the common stickiness issue that affects Ferraris of this era.
