The Ferrari 550 Maranello 5.5 litre V12 engine was launched back in 1996 with mixed reviews. But over the years people have learned to love the 550 Maranello. It has perhaps become more appealing due to the fact pre owned cars are starting to enter the second hand market. The price has now reduced from a 6 figure sum to a 5 figure sum which although is considerably cheaper than its original price it is still too expensive for the majority of people. In addition to this the car has kept its originality over the years. The biggest news came in October 2000 when Ferrari launched 448 limited edition 550 Barchetta Pininfarina cars.
Like most Ferraris the Maranello 550 immediately hits you with its Ferrari unique style. It looks exquisite, sleek and expensive. The interior of the car is faultless with elegantly designed lines and luxurious material reinforcing that this car is fantastically expensive. This supercar is like a work of art which is shown by the average Ferrari driver only travelling about 2000 miles per year in this beautifully crafted car. Of course the other reason why most Ferrari owners only drive relatively short distances is because most Ferraris are fantastic to drive which is one of the main factors that a Ferrari sports car is purchased in the first place whether it is pre-owned or otherwise but they are fairly impracticable. For example driving around city centres is almost impossible because of several obstacles such as speed bumps and pavements reducing the road width. Vital experiments in this area have been carried out, Top Gear presenters driving around Paris in luxury sports cars which caused a major traffic jam and who could forget the difficulties in driving out of a city car park due to the way the supercars are designed.
Ok, so the car is not the most economical car to drive in the world but then again you wouldn’t be buying this type of car if you wanted to save money. The starting value for a 550 are around £43,000 which would get you a 1997 P-registered car, whilst a more recent 2001 X-plated model will be priced in the region of £62,000. The Maranello can do up to 12.3mpg and an impressive 200mpg. The lowest insurance group you can expect to be in is Group 20 but again if a person is buying a car like this you certainly won’t be concerned about a few thousand pounds worth of insurance bill. Road tax is likely to be high particular. This supercar really is a wonderful car to drive; this is a car to drive not a car to do anything else in. There are no gadgets, steering wheel buttons, cup holders or anything else to distract you from driving in this phenomenal Italian supercar. It may be basic in terms of extras, but I doubt you will find a greater thrill available on 4 wheels
