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.
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12.8.2010 @ 22:15