Friday Drool – This Could be the Perfect Used Ferrari for your Grand Tour

Those in need of a new grand tourer can’t always simply swing by their local dealer and drop £200k on the newest Vanquish S and call it a day. That’s right, some of us must keep our sights set a bit lower in order to keep our dreams realistic. That’s why I find today’s drool car, a 2001 Ferrari 550 Maranello, so appealing; although it might not be the newest and shiniest GT car on the road, it still has plenty on offer at a (slightly) more realistic price. And it is quite possibly a much better investment, to boot. Let’s see what sort of performance you expect from this 18-year old Ferrari.

The 2001 Ferrari 550 Maranello featured a 5.5-litre V12 producing 478 hp. That power, paired with a very stout 568 Nm of torque, means the car is capable of hitting 62 mph (100 km/h) in just 4.4 seconds on the way to a 199-mph top speed. You won’t be losing too many drag races with those specs, now will you? Now, notice that iconic gated shifter in the car. The 550 was one of the last Ferraris offered with no automated transmission option: that’s right, it’s manual or bust. Maybe this 6-speed doesn’t offer the same lightning-fast shifts as more modern sequential gearboxes, but it does mean that this car will be that much more satisfying to drive as you snick through the gears on your road trips.

Scuderia Praha in Prague are proud to present this Ferrari 550 Maranello. Here is what they say about it:

Ferrari 550 Maranello in unique color combination Grigio Alloy ext. and Bordeaux int.
Perfect condition, full service history (only Ferrari service).
New timing belts and annual service.
Manuals and original toolbox included.

With a complete Ferrari service history, this might sound like a steal at €95,000, but buyer beware: there is some accident damage reported, so a thorough inspection should be in order before any purchase is made. Still, that black-on-red interior paired with the Grigio Alloy paint is a highly desirable colour combination, and as Ferrari 550s only seem to be increasing in value lately, this could just be a great investment.