Story and History

2002 Ferrari 550 Barchetta LHD - 1.189 kms only

Introduced at the Paris Motor show in 2000 the Barchetta was initially very well received and was available only to those very special and regular customers of Ferrari

Some owners cited the lack of a decent hood as a deficiency at the time

However move the clock forward 15 years and all that has been forgotten - the 485bhp of the 550, the incredible handling (especially with the Fiorano Handling pack) and the most incredible looks have meant that the Barchetta is now recognised for the brilliant car that it really is - and values have escalated to levels which acknowledge this too

Originally 444 were scheduled to be produced, however 448 were made to overcome some Japanese superstition apparently

This fabulous example is number 284 and was originally supplied to collector in Germany and has the split rim alloy wheels and the Fiorano Handling pack

Amongst his varied collection the Ferrari saw hardly any use at all and he eventually sold it to another serious collector in Spain

This chap again didn't use the car and when he decided to focus more on the older Ferrari's sold it to a chum living nearby, again he very rarely used the car as by now the mileage was incredibly low for the age

He then sold her to a French chum who lives in the UK - so now UK registered and with less than 1.200 kilometers from new this magnificent example is pretty much as new - unfortunately somewhere along the line the 2 crash hats have been held back by a previous seller

We are on the trail of some others

He has purchased the wonderfully flowing after market soft top, which allows you to drive at up to 120MPH without the hood blowing away and removing your toupe - I think it was a snip at £12.000. Anyway it's incredibly well made and, to be fair, does look the part

Values seem to be on the up continually - we know of another car where the owner has declined £365.000 (200 miles since new) and a similar v low kilometer to ours where the owner has declined £300.000

I think therefore that ours, just fully serviced at Maranello, and cam belted at another Official dealer last year is correctly priced at £325.000