550 Barchetta soft top - any difficulty raising/lowering?

I'd heard these were difficult to raise and lower - are they problematic?

 

They do not raise or lower, the entire top is not mechanical. You need to physically remove it, or put it on. Even if you know what you are doing, it will take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour to install!

Once the roof is on the car, you should not drive past 65mph, as the roof will completely blow off!

 

30 minutes and a 2 person job as well.

 

It is a joke, and a bad one at that. There is a picture of me in an old Forza holding up the top to mine, with a look of complete derangement....

 

I have been considering buying a 550 B, why is the hard top a go-slow top?

There is no soft top?

doug crall

 

You've got it backwards. The top that comes with the car is a black rag stretched over some steel rods without any shape or connection to the car apart from a few straps and snaps. No HT from the factory. The aftermarket HT makes the car look like a bad imitation of a Viper.

 

It does look like a Viper.
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A Viper never looked so good!

 

They had a little too much Vino at lunch when they designed that one LOL

 

That picture is a classic...

 

That hard top hideous.

 

Frank- Where was that photo taken? That looks like the Palais de Chaillot (Paris) in the background . . .

 

Oui Monsieur. That is correct , its the Trocadero / Palais Chaillot in the background.

For the record , i love the Barchetta with that hard top. Reminds me of a 64 GTO .

 

I really like the 550 Brachetta, the car is one of the better looking topless cars Ferrari makes and I hope one day in the not too distant future to own one. That top just dosen't fit the car, wonder what it was adapted from?

Even though it looks better than a Viper with a top, in my opinion, that car should remain topless.

 

I happen to like the car too Doug but you should see one in person before getting too hung up on them. In person they have some interesting proportions. Without a top the rear deck looks incredibly wide and the windshield frame takes some getting used to. It is very different in the flesh.

 

LOL - I thought you were going to say BREADVAN!

Do you have access to one?


PS - you've said some very positive comments on the 550's Reliability, but the Barchetta is about twice the price of the hardtop. Just wondering about all aspects of ownership; reliability, drivability, and values down the road being important on my list.

 

I have worked on a few but I do not at this time have access per se.

Mechanically it was the same great car.

 

Brian, you mentioned the windshield frame, does it block the driver/passenger view?

You make it sound like you are suppose to drive the car. I thought they were suppose to sit in the garage like my Shelby, and all the Studies. Even my Dodge truck sits for months at a time. We did keep it at the ranch, I would move it every month or so so it looked like someone was there.

The only 308 I had driven was way back when I started work in San Francisco about 20 years ago. I didn't test drive ours or even drive it on the trailer when we bought it. I figured anything that was broken I would sort out when I got the car home. I probably will test drive the next one, just not sure what model it will be, I have seen a few color combonations of 550B's that I really liked. But open to ideas...got any?

 

Black. Interior can be whatever.

 

IIRC whart traded his for a Lambo.........

The glass is cut down from 550 normal height, from memory...

 

Actually he traded it for a GT2

 

The 348 Spyder had a terrible top, best left down....then the 355 got really complicated with all the prox sensors and seat travel interlocks...

Just get an F50..........!!!!!!!!!!

Or an old GTB......

 

Brian and Douglas Crall?

Is this for real?

Never seen a black Barchetta, probably looks great.

 

Il mio Fratello

 

I think it helps with the proportions and hides that weird windshield post treatment.