| Author |
Message |
wayne skiles (Bad_tt)
Junior Member
Username: Bad_tt
Post Number: 161
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 29, 2003 - 10:47 am: | |
Is the "discreet leather rollcage" available
for your everyday 550? I need one to run Silverstate with the 550 I just bought.
Here I go again...... modifications!!!!!!!!! |
J R K (Kenyon)
Intermediate Member
Username: Kenyon
Post Number: 1014
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 29, 2003 - 12:31 am: | |
Sorry Goto www.auto-italia.co.uk
Its in the November issue..
|
J R K (Kenyon)
Intermediate Member
Username: Kenyon
Post Number: 1013
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 29, 2003 - 12:30 am: | |
Izel,
There is lots of photos of it in the New Auto Italia magazine. I am unable to down load them sorry..
goto www. auto-italia.co.uk |
Izel K. (Ferrarist)
Member
Username: Ferrarist
Post Number: 311
Registered: 3-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 3:47 am: | |
Can anybody post pics?
I haven't heard about it before. |
MarkPDX (Markpdx)
Intermediate Member
Username: Markpdx
Post Number: 1174
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 1:02 am: | |
Video of the record is on Ferrari's site
Click here go to "Events" and click on "550 Maranello records" |
Dan (Bobafett)
Intermediate Member
Username: Bobafett
Post Number: 1756
Registered: 9-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 12:48 am: | |
There was an article written by Damon Hill some time ago for times.co.uk I think, but I don't recall exactly.
--Dan
|
J R K (Kenyon)
Intermediate Member
Username: Kenyon
Post Number: 1012
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 12:44 am: | |
Eric,
I wonder that Ferrari never annouced the sale of this model in a bigger way. |
Eric Vartanian (Evartanian)
Member
Username: Evartanian
Post Number: 306
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 12:39 am: | |
JRK, I also only learned of this only recently (maybe a couple months ago or something) from this board. I think Doody brought it up. On that thread there was also an official video of the speed record session. I'll try to find it (the video and the thread) |
J R K (Kenyon)
Intermediate Member
Username: Kenyon
Post Number: 1009
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 12:22 am: | |
Guys, I never knew they made a special 550 before the 575. Was this a test bed for the 575 ???
Did you know that Ferrari made a handful of special 550S were produced to celebrate new land speed records established by the model in the USA ???
In January 2000 the World Speed Limited Edition 550 models were produced, ONLY 10 in right-hand drive. They were all finished in Gregio Titanio with Bordeaux leaher and carpets. These to 550's celebrated Ferrari's acheivement on October 12th 1998 when the model entered the record books with the fastest production sportcar in the world.
The 550 Maranello shattered three land speed records, travelling at more than 180mph on a 7.5mile circuit in the USA at the Transportation Research Centre in Columbus Ohio. With only a routine pit stop of 1min 30 secs to change tyres, Ferrari took three prototype records which had been previously held by Chevrolet. It beat the 100km record by 26km/h, reaching 304.1 km/h. It beat the 100 miles record by 24 km/h reaching 306.037 kn/h, 16km/h faster than the previous record. The drivers were Csaba Csere (editor of American magazine Car & driver) and Duilio Truffo (Director of Quattroruotes safe driving school in Italy).
This 550 LE they used was largely standard, with just a roolcage, fire extinguisher system, and tyre gauge fitted for safety.
The 550 LE has Fiorano handling kit (lowered springs, uprated anti-roll bars, sport dampers), a discreet covered in leather rollcage, carbon fibre door sills plates, carbon fibre gear knob, carbon fibre reclining sport seats and suede steering wheel.
There is a few twicks to the body work, the front front bumper is edged with a lower splitter, a discreet lip at the rear edge of the bonnet deflects airflow over the cabin, and an integral boot dam generates modest downforce at the rear. Theres underbody shields with sopisticated winglets channelling airflow under thcar, airflow which is subsequently acceralerated to a duiffuser at the rear.
The engine is standard,5,4474cc quad-cam V12 packing 485 bhp at 7,000 rpm and 419ibft torque at 5,000 rpm.
The main article is in this week's Auto Italia Magazine... |