Who better to explain the merits of a Ferrari 550 Maranello than someone who spent over 50k miles with them?
If that someone is also Harry Metcalfe, evo magazine’s founder and noted car collector, then you’ll know that you’re about to learn some very interesting stuff about this magnificent machine.
The 550 Maranello was a big shift for Ferrari back in the day as it revived the legacy of the front-engine V12 models of the past, with the company engineering it to be a usable daily driver.
Gone were the silly engine-out maintenance routines, the service intervals were longer than ever and that V12 offered all the torque you needed right from the tickover. The cabin is logically laid out, there is plenty of space for two and their stuff and the manual gated shifter was more precise than the previous generation Ferraris.
The Ferrari 550 Maranello also comes from a less shouty time for the company, one when Ferraris didn’t have to bark their presence in every occasion. Compared to today’s Ferrari’s V12s, the engine note is somehow muted but still produces the right kind of melodies and still revs over the 7k mark.
It’s a great car that only recently started to appreciate in value but if you want to find out more about it, Harry Metcalfe is your man.