A 2001 Ferrari 550 Maranello recently fetched a cool $240,000 at auction. Finished in the aristocratic Blu Tour de France over a Beige Tradizione leather interior, this Italian thoroughbred proved that while money can’t buy happiness. It can certainly buy a gated shifter and a soundtrack that makes your neighbors nervous.
With roughly 30,000 kilometers (about 18,600 miles) on the clock, this isn’t a “bubble-wrapped” museum piece. And that’s exactly why the price makes sense. In the world of high-end Ferrari collecting, we often treat cars with more than 50 miles like they’ve survived a war, but the 550 was built for the Grand Tour. It’s a car meant for actual roads, not just for staring at while sipping espresso.
This specific shade of blue is so timeless that it’s still featured on the 2024 Ferrari Roma, though the 550 wears it with a certain swagger that modern electronics just can’t replicate.
The exterior is a clinic in subtle aggression, featuring Scuderia shields, those iconic quad exhaust tips, and 18-inch silver alloy wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport tires. Behind those spokes sit red Ferrari-branded calipers and cross-drilled rotors, hardware that was clearly specced by someone who knew their way around a configuratore.
Inside, the cabin is a 2001 time capsule, complete with an Alpine CD changer mounted in the trunk. Nothing says “peak performance” like a V12 engine harmonizing with a disc that might skip if you hit a pothole too hard.
The real heart of the matter, however, is the 5.5-liter naturally aspirated V12. Delivering 478 HP and 568 Nm of torque, this masterpiece sends all its fury to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. While the official stats claim a 0-100 km/h sprint in 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 199 mph, we suspect it moves even faster when you aren’t worried about the auction value.
