Ferrari 550 Driving Experiences

The 550 was two and a half years in development by Ferrari before it was finally unveiled at the Nürburgring racing circuit in Germany in the summer of 1996. It was an evolution from their previous GT two seater sports cars, which always traditionally had a mid-mounted 180° 12-cylinder flat engine.

The 550 saw a return of a front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout, the first Ferrari model to be engineered in this way since their 365 GTB/4 Daytona ended production in 1973. With a wheelbase of 98.4 inches, and a 6-speed gearbox, and aluminium body panels, it is a GT car built for impressive performance out on the track.

Powering for this two seater supercar comes from a roaring V12 engine, packing 508 bhp. And with acceleration from 0 - 60 mph in 4.2 seconds and 0 - 100 mph in 9.8 seconds, it’s capable of 203 mph, making it one of Ferrari’s fastest ever models, and one you’re unlikely to forget in a hurry.

It’s not many supercars that you can say have inspired the design of a pair of trainers, but it’s absolutely true in the case of the Ferrari 550. The Nike Air Jordan XIVs, which were released in 1998, were inspired by NBA basketballing legend Michael Jordan’s own 550 model.

The 550 also won Ferrari an esteemed accolade from EVO magazine in 2004, as it won their ‘Greatest Drivers’ Car Showdown Challenge’, seeing off competition from, amongst others, the Porsche 911 GT3 and the Honda NSX-R.