The idea of developing a unique Ferrari 550 GTZ begun when Yoshiyuki Hayashi, the famous Japanese collector, asked for a special body for his Ferrari 575M, in the style of the famous 250GTZ Berlinetta of 1956. When Zagato received his request they informed Ferrari of the project, and they considered it an ideal opportunity to celebrate that model’s 50th anniversary. This chain of events is what led to the creation of a Ferrari that harkens back to the 250GTZ with a Ferrari 575 base. The car was great as a coupe model, but Zagato wanted to create a special roadster version, and so they did.
For this project Zagato chose to work with the 550 Barchetta. This model is powered by the same 5.5-liter V12 engine that develops 485 HP at 7,000rpm. The design of the inlet and exhaust systems is derived directly from that of Ferrari’s Formula 1 engines. After five months of intense work they obtained an amazing car featuring the Ferrari prancing horse on its bonnet and the ’Z’ of Zagato on its side.
The right-hand drive Barchetta Zagato ’N9’ features a combination of a dark gray exterior finish and cream leather interior, and has only 900 miles on the odometer. At a recent Bonhams auction in UK it was sold for £353,500 or around $550,000 at the current exchange rates.
One of the rarest Ferraris on the face of the planet is up for sale, and those interested in buying it will have to fork over all of their appendages for the chance to bring home this ultra-exclusive Prancing Horse roadster.
The car is the Ferrari 550 GTZ Zagato, one of only five cars to have ever been made and, in the case of this particular model, it’s the only model to have been made as a right hand drive. Based on the Ferrari 550 Barchetta, the car was given a full bodykit courtesy of Zagato and comes with a sticker price of – wait for it - £1 million. Yep, that’s around $1.5 million by current exchange rates.
So, in the remote chance that you’re interested in buying this five-of-a-kind automotive jewel, check out this video of the 550 GTZ Zagato being given a full walk-around, just enough to entice anyone with finances to make such a purchase.
We do not have the chance to talk about cool cars like the Ferrari 550 and the 575 Maranello every day, but today we want to present to you a Novitec Rosso tuning kit for both of them. So, if you drive one of the two models, you need to know that the tuner can improve both your car’s performance and aerodynamics.
The aerodynamic kit includes: a front bumper, side skirts, rear diffuser and rear wing (offered in reinforced fiber glass or carbon fiber), smoked rear lights and side markers. The exterior package is finished by 19" NF2 alloy wheels.
Under the hood, the tuner upgraded the engine’s electronic mapping and added a stainless steel sport exhaust system without flap-regulation. The result is an output of 533 hp. Top speed goes up to 223 mph.
The interior gets an aluminum pedal set, an ergonomic sport steering wheel, and seats for tall drivers in multiple leather color choices.
Back in 2006 the Italian design studio Zagato unveiled the 575 GTZ, a one of a kind concept created for Japanese collector Yoshiyuki Hayashi. Today Zagato has revealed the first details on the Ferrari 550 GTZ, a model limited to only 5 units, each with the lofty price tag of $1.6 Million per vehicle.
The 550 GTZ is based on the 550 Barchetta, a model powered by a Ferrari 5.5 Liter V12 pumping out a total of 485 HP to the rear wheels. The prancing horse managed to run from 0 to 60 MPH in just 4.2 seconds and reach a top speed of 199 MPH. As far as we know, Zagato has yet to release any specifications on the 550 GTZ, but we do know that all five examples are already spoken for.
Mama always told us to be careful when driving our cars while crossing an intersection, or in this case, the train tracks.
This poor guy from Sherman, Texas probably figured that his super car could get across the tracks unscathed. He was wrong, and his beautiful ride paid a pretty steep price.
That heap of metal you’re looking at was once a shiny and glittering Ferrari 550 Maranello. But after getting slammed a train crossing, well, it doesn’t look as shiny and glittery as it used to be. Fortunately for the poor guy, he managed to escape with only a few injuries.
As for his ride?
The front has been reduced to a twisted heap and if not for that Prancing Horse badge on the rear that somehow remained intact, then nobody would’ve guessed that this car is – or was – a Ferrari.
