Hey everyone, I'm looking for Barchetta owners. Can be international.

Please PM me for more info. Thanks!



Joe

 

The editor of Evo magazine in the UK has a 550 Barchetta.

 

Yes, he had it at the Ferrari Owners Club Concours in the UK last year.

 

What do you want to know? Have owned a BPF from new.

CW

 

I have been very tempted to buy a 550 Barchetta several times but never quite done so due to concerns on useability. Is it partical for using on long journeys ? I normally like to take off on week long trips a couple of times a year.

 

Tim Ward from the Gold Coast of Queensland Australia has one.. hes got a myspace i think, my mate took it to his formal, was utterly insane the noise it made.. i rocked it in a Gemballa GTR. THE hottest car made.

 

60,

The Barchetta is pretty impractical due to the topless configuration. There is a very unattractive softtop included that resides in the boot, though. It takes 10-15 minutes to erect. Probably faster if you do it regularly. Other than that, the BPF is a standard 550. Same engine. Same suspension (btw, the BPF was designed around the Fiorano handling option, so seek out a car with it). Same brakes. Same maintenance issues and schedule.

The factory softtop is only rated to 70mph, so if you're planning on driving briskly, you wouldn't want it on. In fact, the top was likely designed for parking overnight and emergencies such as unexpected rain showers. Other than a test fitting to learn how it works, I've never had it up.

There are also at least 2 and now possibly 3 companies manufacturing aftermarket tops. One softtop and two hardtops. They're all expensive. I bought the German-made hardtop. IIRC, it was around $25K painted. It goes on the car at the end of the fall and off again in the Spring. The newest design is a carbon fibre t-top-like panel. Actually, 2 panels that insert. I can't tell how it looks as the issue all tops have to deal with are the roll hoops. They're high, fixed and not so attractive.

As far as the performance goes, it's standard 550 fare. Pulls all the way to redline. Frankly, under acceleration, I find I run out of rpms. So, I think the gearing is a bit off, or maybe the car is just so quick that I have to process my shifts faster. Anyway, I find myself banging off the rev limiter often.

These cars generally don't have a lot of miles on them due to their usability issues. They're usable in very moderate climates like So Cal and the Cote d'Azur for sure. I'm still happy with mine. It's held value reasonably well, and it's never had a mechanical issue.

Good luck,

CW

 

Very much appreciate your detailed description. I am really at a loss. I like the Barchetta idea but am struggling to justify the 2X cost vs the 550 Maranello when you add in the practicality issues along with the same basic performance on each. On the other hand, long term the Barchetta will hold value much better.

Is it possible to remove the roll hoops (a la the F50) and fit a full hard top ?

 

The Barchetta should hold value over the long term, and it is suggested by a number of people that it will appreciate nicely. The day I took delivery of mine, I was offered twice what I paid. I don't think you can lose much, if anything at all, on it. The 550 Maranello has already gone way off.

IIRC, the F50's roll hoops are fixed, as well. The hard top merely goes over them. Same in the BPF. However, the BPF's roll hoops are higher and result in an odd look. That's also because the windscreen in the BPF was chopped a few inches. The roll hoops in the BPF are not removable, either. I have seen renderings of a BPF with "swept" hoops, that looked nice, but I don't know what kind of protection they'd provide.

Regards,

CW

 

Agree, I think the BPF will hold value much better in the long run as it has to date. My big struggle at this point is the daily usability as I would need to be able to drive it at least a few days every week.

On the F50, the roll hoops are removable. You need to unbolt them to put the hard top on. In fact the whole deck in which the hoops sits comes off when you put the hard top on.