That the Ferrari 550 Maranello is one of the great classic car success stories of the past few years isn't really news any longer. From a lowpoint of somewhere near £30,000, 550s have soared in value. While the focus of classic car fascination has typically been on air-cooled Porsches and fast Fords, the rise of the 550 Maranello shouldn't be ignored.
Why has it happened? A few fairly simple reasons. The Maranello was the last Ferrari made with a V12 and a manual as the sole transmission choice; while the 575 update kept the open-gated 'box and clutch, it also introduced the F1 option. Which a lot of buyers chose. And spoilt the car. As both manuals and V12s become rarer, so the configuration will look all the more desirable to collectors and enthusiasts alike.
Moreover, the 550 Maranello has a link to the classic Daytona, as it stuck 12 cylinders back ahead of the driver again - post-Daytona, and for 20 years, Ferrari's flagships has 12 mid-mounted cylinders. As the 365 GTB/4 climbed above half a million pounds, so the Maranello must have felt a positive rub-on effect as that car's spiritual - if not direct - successor.
Add to that the realisation that the past 25 years or so have represented a high point for fast cars - modern enough to use regularly and extensively, traditional enough to be properly driver focused - and you can see why the 550 has performed so well. Right now it sits in a very enjoyable niche: an F512M that preceded the Maranello is not something you'd feel comfortable to get in and drive immediately, while the 599 that came later will probably feel too much like a contemporary Ferrari to qualify as a classic. Arguably the 550 dissects the two nicely, traditional enough with its manual yet approachable enough thanks to its front-engined layout.
What it means is that you'll now find a lot of 550Ms listed as POA, and the lowest mileage cars comfortably above £150k. (We'll exclude the Barchettas and the 575 Superamerica for this, because they've always been in their own little space.) To get in even a left-hand drive car now takes more than £70k, which makes this £99,500 right-hand drive car even more interesting.
Can many more similar cars emerge at a five-figure price now? Given only 457 UK, right-hand drive Maranellos were made, surely the supply is running out as values surge. This particular car appeals with the iconic Ferrari Rosso Corsa paint (though it could be said the 550 suits other shades a tad better), a reasonably average mileage of just over 2k a year, a "HUGE FILE WITH ALL RECEIPTS AND HISTORY", plus an interior that appears to be holding up well. Isn't it odd to see a Ferrari wheel without any buttons?
While buying a 550M now as an investment is less shrewd than it would have a looked a few precious years ago, it's likely to remain coveted as a Ferrari in the future for all the reasons outlined above. To buy one of the last RHD cars at less than £100k is not a viable opportunity for most of us, of course, though here's a bit of perspective on the relative value represented by the Ferrari - this 993 Carrera 2S has just 6,000 fewer miles and is the same money. It's not even a Turbo! The 550 Maranello was never the fastest Ferrari, the most dynamic or the prettiest, but it does represent an important era for the marque, that period between the stubborn 80s pin ups and the F1-heavy 21st century. Don't be surprised if more people see the appeal in that, at £100,000 or maybe more, as the future draws closer.
SPECIFICATION - FERRARI 550 MARANELLO
Engine: 5,474cc, V12
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 485@7,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 420@5,000rpm
MPG: 12
CO2: 530g/km
First registered: 1998
Recorded mileage: 43,000
Price new: £143,685
Yours for: £99,500
See the original advert here.
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