| Author | Message | ||
| Dan (Bobafett)
Intermediate Member Username: Bobafett Post Number: 1880 Registered: 9-2002 |
I think this is the article peole were looking for when referring to the 550LE --Dan | ||
| Andrew Menasce (Amenasce)
Intermediate Member Username: Amenasce Post Number: 1840 Registered: 10-2001 |
I really dont think its 10k� per year , thats cheap ..a 360 Spider rental for the week end is about 6 000 $... | ||
| Vaughan (Vanimal)
Junior Member Username: Vanimal Post Number: 114 Registered: 3-2003 |
There is one for sale in the UK 1-10 made. http://www.rossocorsa.co.uk/carshowroom.html �95k | ||
| Vaughan (Vanimal)
Junior Member Username: Vanimal Post Number: 109 Registered: 3-2003 |
I think its �10k / year, will try and get more details. | ||
| Andrew Menasce (Amenasce)
Intermediate Member Username: Amenasce Post Number: 1837 Registered: 10-2001 |
Brian i think its pretty expensive.. something like 100 000 $ ( or � !!! ) per year . | ||
| Brian Kennedy (Kennedy)
Member Username: Kennedy Post Number: 624 Registered: 3-2002 |
> Unsurprisingly, our members happily guzzle up the miles in our cars > and get to sidestep the choice problem by trying out a wide range. Okay, North Texans... who's game for a supercar club?  Anyone have details on Damon's club... what does it cost? how is maintenance handled? how many cars? how often do you get to keep it? what rules/limits are imposed? how does insurance work? | ||
| Andrew Menasce (Amenasce)
Intermediate Member Username: Amenasce Post Number: 1836 Registered: 10-2001 |
oops never mind ..i guess i should read it all next time. | ||
| Andrew Menasce (Amenasce)
Intermediate Member Username: Amenasce Post Number: 1835 Registered: 10-2001 |
WSR = world speed record ? | ||
| Vaughan (Vanimal)
Junior Member Username: Vanimal Post Number: 108 Registered: 3-2003 |
For those of you who missed it Reviews Ferrari 550 WSR by Damon Hill Damon Hill looks over his professional stable of super-quick machines and lets his feet pick the winner Cars come and cars go ... Well, they�re supposed to do that, I know. But what I mean to say is that they�re sort of like shoes: some shoes become as much part of you as your foot. In fact, after a while they seem to become more your foot than your actual foot is. I tend to live with things until they have my imprint upon them, for as long as it takes for them to bear witness to my having used or abused them. They are my kind of personal cave painting, proof of my having existed. When it comes to shoes I generally finish them off for ever. They never walk again. The Ferrari 550 WSR that we have in the P1 fleet (P1 is the club I set up for paying members to drive a range of supercars for a limited number of days each year) has that old-shoe feel to it, which is not surprising since it is one of the most popular cars in our collection. Based on the Ferrari 550 Maranello, it has the trimmings of a genuine endurance racer without complete loss of comfort and practicality. Originally available in 1999 (ours is a 2000), it is not a typical P1 car in that it is not brand spanking new, but we felt the driving experience was sufficiently unique to warrant its inclusion. The WSR was built partly because Ferrari�s standard 550 Maranello was starting to look a little long in the tooth and inviting epithets like �the gentleman�s express�. The slightly sluggish handling and bulky body weight did little to counter the insult. But essentially the beautiful 550 still had the ingredients under the skin to make it a highly desirable proposition. So they decided to give it a shot in the arm by sending a slightly souped-up one to an oval test track in Columbus, Ohio, and getting some poor motoring journalists to go round and round in it as fast as they could, for as long as they could, before they either crashed or broke the car. By some amazing stroke of luck they didn�t crash, and in fact scored three new world records for incredibly expensive touring cars. These were: covering 100 miles at an average speed of 190.2mph, driving for one hour at an average speed of 184mph and covering 100 kilometres at 188.9mph. Bizarrely, this seems to prove that mph are faster than kph (another world record for Britain). It also demonstrates that if there were a banked lane exclusively for Ferraris on the M25 you could do a lap in less than 40 minutes. Write to your MP. The limited-edition 550 WSR that Ferrari went on to sell was based on this record-breaking car. Only 33 WSRs were ever sold worldwide, with 10 coming to Britain. All were in �Grigio Titanio� (titanium grey) with �Bordeaux� interior. The precise technical differences over the standard 550 are pretty small. The Fiorano handling pack gives it stiffer suspension, carbon-fibre bucket seats, racing harnesses (totally impractical), suede steering wheel and leather-trimmed roll-over bar. The latter amuses me because when skimming along on the roof after an improperly executed roundabout manoeuvre I imagine you�ll be fairly indifferent to that leather trim. The WSR has also been put through a kind of Atkins diet to shed some of its bulk. All of these little details are a mere aperitif to the main course that is the WSR, yet they remind us of the heritage of this great marque, one founded on racing and endurance testing. As I sit in the 550 WSR I get a slight shiver down my spine because I have raced cars like this. The environment is an essential part of the driving experience, and this interior smells, looks, feels like it has been used, worn, and sweated in. Like my shoes. There is the tang of fear. Perhaps even a suggestion of �I love the smell of Ferrari in the morning � it reminds me of the smell of victory�. Then again, perhaps not. But down to the driving. This car will shortly be joined in the fleet by the Ferrari 575 Modificato, but for now we shall have to be content with only a 5.5 litre V12 and 485bhp delivered in a sumptuously wide, smooth power curve and accompanied by the ultimate �music of internal combustion�. I don�t know what it is about V12s, or any multiple of three cylinders for that matter (I�m not yet aware of a nine-cylinder engine), but this arrangement delivers a peculiar pulse that is the sonic equivalent of strawberry mousse and cream. The phallic gearlever is essential: anyone tackling this wild beast has to be very sure of their manhood. It takes off like a panther on the attack and that gearlever gets a good work-out as we shift through the sea of torque. You can feel the rear tyres struggle under the stress, but fortunately the car has its traction control still active. However I know how to turn it off. I press the switch. It is such a relief to drive a car without brain-numbing understeer and with a limited-slip differential. Yes, this is the way to travel � slightly at an angle. Well, I know this is not politically correct, but it�s a bit like eating meat. I mean, if it�s already dead, you might as well eat it. Similarly, the car does the sideways thing, and I can handle it, so why not? Travelling in a straight line can be equally rewarding. Wind down the windows, find a tree-lined country road, put on some music that inspires you and imagine you�re in Italy. The shark-like body shape glides through the thickest of air with ease. So beautiful to admire from the exterior . . . let�s get Damien Hirst to put one in a tank of formaldehyde. Slice her in half and put her in the Saatchi gallery. To choose a favourite from our entire collection of cars (see www.p1international.com) is a serious challenge, and for me to select the Ferrari 550 WSR is a little dishonest. I don�t ever want to have to choose only one, but as Napoleon once said: �It is a luxury to have a choice, so decide!�. For many supercar buyers choice can be similarly painful. Unless you are so sensationally sure of yourself that you know for certain which car is for you, you will forever be impotently flicking through Flash Car Monthly or buying and selling cars like the Sultan of Brunei. Some of the very rich end up with a warehouse full of lifeless exhibits that go nowhere and do nothing but cost a fortune in depreciation. The point is that even though some people come to realise this trap, they can still never buy what they really want. The truth is they want it all. The other problem is that after the agonising choice, and painful parting with large amounts of money, owners often tend not to drive their precious cars much for fear of putting too many miles on them. Unsurprisingly, our members happily guzzle up the miles in our cars and get to sidestep the choice problem by trying out a wide range. I think that regularly swapping cars gives the impression that anything is possible, and underlines how we limit ourselves by fixing our minds on one thing only. Cars are the ultimate fashion accessory, but there is no such thing as �just the car for you�. Our cars are virtually never in the garage, and that�s how it should be. I want my cars to be worn out. Only perhaps not quite as much as my shoes. VITAL STATISTICS Model�Ferrari 550 WSR Engine type�V12, 5474cc Power �485bhp @ 7000rpm Torque �420 lb ft @ 5000rpm Transmission �Six-speed manual Suspension �(front and rear) independent, triangular wishbones, gas shock absorbers with coaxial coil springs, anti-roll bars Dimensions 4550mm length; 1935mm width; 1277mm height Tyres �(front) 255/40 ZR 18 (rear) 295/35 ZR 18 CO2 �n/a Fuel �n/a Top speed �199mph Acceleration �0 to 60mph: 4.3sec Price ��157,867 (when launched) Verdict �An absolute favourite Rating � Jeremy Clarkson is away |