1998 Ferrari 550 Maranello

Firmly placed in Ferrari's history as one of their finest modern era big GTs, the 550 Maranello's combination of elegant lines and legendary front mounted 12-cylinder engine, meant that these cars had the potential to become instant classics. The 48-valve, 5.5-litre V12 developed 485bhp at 7,000rpm and the 6-speed manual gearbox complements a slightly more even torque curve, ensuring that the power delivery was a little less frenetic, whilst excellent weight distribution and delightful road manners make the 550 Maranello a truly refined driving machine, whilst still capable of almost 200mph.

Offered here in our May event at the Supercar Fest is a beautiful 1998 Ferrari 550 Maranello, a right-hand drive example supplied new to the UK and first registered on 11th September 1998. Finished in classic Ferrari colours with Rosso Corsa paintwork and a Sabbia leather interior with matching carpets and red brake calipers, a superb colour combination that really suits the Pinifarina profile.

This collectable V12 Ferrari is presented to our sale in outstanding condition, the paintwork retains a deep gloss across the entire body and the interior shows virtually no wear. On test the engine fires on the first turn of the key sounding strong and healthy and the electrical equipment functioned correctly. It's evident that this is a very well looked after Ferrari and the service record supports this. The speedometer indicated just 23,900 miles at the time of cataloguing.

Accompanying the 550 is a large history file including the original Schedoni leather book pack which has the Ferrari manuals along with the original service book showing 15 Ferrari main agent service stamps. The most recent service was at 23,800 miles completed by a main dealer with superb knowledge of these 1990s models and the car will have a new MOT Certificate prior to delivery at our event. Also within the file are invoices, old MOT Certificates and a current V5C ready for export or transfer.

In summary, this is a modern classic front-engine Ferrari powered by a powerful V12, driving the rear wheels through a gated, manual gearbox – a configuration suited more to those who appreciate raw, analogue driving pleasure. The 550 is great looking GT that appears to get even better with age and is a comfortable and long-legged sports car that will devour the miles on road trips across Europe. This example, however, in such fine order, with low miles and low ownership might just end up in a collection with other landmark classics.