550 Barchetta or 575M Superamerica? Which would you get?

I am biased towards the Barchetta. I would have to agree with you.
I personally like the shape, body lines and roadster look of the Barchetta better.
I also like the fact that the Barchetta has a 6 speed gated shifter.....more fun to drive for me.
The Barchetta also has a firmer ride than the 575, it is a more raw driving experience for me.
I drove my Barchetta last evening and the true open top driving experience is more fun than a partial open roof for me.
I am not knocking the SuperAmerica, I had a chance to buy a 6 speed gated SA with the GTC package at the same time that I was looking at the Barchetta. The Barchetta appealed to me more and the SA would have been 50K more at the time (2009).

I think that they will both hold their value based on limited production.
IMO, I think the Barchetta may appreciate more in the future years based on less produced and the fact that it is a true gated roadster.......just my perspective.

 

i vote barchetta.
the superamerica top is likely to fail and it will be very expensive and difficult to repair/replace in the future.

 

I know another Barchetta owner who has used his top when caught in the rain and he said that it did leak. This owner also told me that it is a bit of a pain to attach, but I have no experience or interest in ever attaching it.
I have never used the top, it has never been removed from it's compartment and I do not intend on ever using it.
I know that the car is not as practical as a Super America, but the open top driving experience is really enjoyable on a nice day. I have driven the car on cool fall days and just dress appropiately and use the heater if necessary.
I carry a roll of plastic in the trunk if I ever get caught off guard and that way I can cover the whole car or drive for cover......
Yes, I park it open; but it is not a car that I leave unattended very often.

 

Barchetta

 

Open Roads has a cut 550. That's the way to go.

Dale

 

Let me chime in as a SuperAmerica caretaker. I have had a 550, 575 and now the SA. And I have driven a friend's Barchetta albeit a limited amount. It felt very much like my previous 550 w/o a roof.

I will drive my SuperAmerica on long trips, in the rain in the mountains and in any condition except snow and ice. And when I want to drive in the sun it's 20 seconds down. The versatility of the SA makes it a great GT w/ a hardtop that opens. I also think the SA is the best performing of any of the Maranellos that I have had. And I plan to put many miles on it and use it to it's fullest. Regarding the top issues there is a preventative fix for the glass and a low cost repair for the strut replacements. I would be glad to discuss these issues if anyone needs to know more.

The Barchetta certainly has a wonderful feel to it. It is more raw than the SA or 575. And it does have the full-open top benefits. And the stick adds a fun factor to this outstanding GT. Some owners use their car primarily for short drives in good weather. Others that live in dry climate areas might get more opportunities to take the car out a bit further away from home. I just don't think of the Barchetta as a car for a long trip.

So I guess it depends on how you will use your car. If it's a sunny day driver then the Barchetta will provide more of a visceral experience. If you want to travel about without worry of inclement weather the SA is the more practical choice. And it ain't too shabby in the fun department either.

 

It all depends on where you live and how you want to use the car.... For me, living in a tropical country, the SA is the way to go. The mechanical parts might fail but they do have emergency method to raise the top (slowly, I heard). And the benefit of having a true hard top in a wet weather condition is great.

That said, the Barchetta definitely looks better than the SA.

And for me who currently drives 575, I must say the SA will better suit me for what I use it for, meaning all weather all the time...

 

As a 550BPF owner, the Barchetta. Every day of the week and twice on Sunday. Not just because I think it harkens back to the days of true open motoring, but because the SA top is hideously ugly (sorry, SA owners) and has had a number of mechanical issues. We did buy the aftermarket hard top for the Barchetta, but I don't feel we use it enough to have justified it.

BTW, everyone I've spoken to at Maranello concurs. 550 BPF. Only buy one, however, with the handling package. The chassis was specifically designed to work with it.

CW

 

Actually if you need to close the roof (or open it) by hand it is almost as quick as by motor. With the engine off, the roof clutches are open and you can rotate the roof by hand. You just turn the handle, jump out of car and rotate roof.

The only issue is what you do with the rotating clamps in the trunk that "hold" the roof when open.

For this, all you need is to keep a small Allen key in the trunk to turn the overide screw which retracts (or opens) the clamps.

This works for me and I often use this method when I am washing/cleaning the car to save having to start the engine to open the roof.

I would say this is still quicker by far than putting up the soft top on my old Merc 500SL (pre-folding hard-top), so not bad at all if you get caught out.

....and whilst I agree the Barchetta is better looking, the SA is far more practical and incorporates all the last of line upgrades for performance and reliability over the long line of 550s and 575s.
Therefore I still chose-choose the SA....and it is still a beautiful car.

If you want a really pretty car that harkens back to the days of "true open motoring" and you only take it out in the rain, then go for an old AC Cobra (and it has a stick shift and will appreciate)

PAUL

 

This is a really helpful thread for me as one of these two cars may likely be my next exotic...I didn't realize that they had dramatically different "look" and top mechanisms...I've only seen a Barchetta once and I've only seen pics of an SA...sure would be nice to find an opportunity to see an example of each side by side somewhere/someday...

Love the concept of these cars...in one car they fill three "roles" in my garage; (1) GT, (2) 12 cylinder, (3) open top.

Just posed to say "thanks" to those owners who posted here helping explain their likes/dislikes...and maybe to entice anyone with pics to help me better see how these cars are different...

EDIT: I took the time to look up photos...wow whata difference...I was thinking SA for sure for me until I saw the pics...now I'm going to have to do more research. I much prefer the treatment of the "open top" on the Barchetta over the more confining SA. But, I actually have fallen for F1 shifting (never thought that would happen) and frankly find it hard to go back and forth between stick and paddles and the CS is staying for sure...so I was thinking the SA with F1 and a newer car and a bit more power was the way to go...but the Barchetta is more of a true open car for me (perhaps the SA is better called a "targa"?)...this is going to be harder than I thought...and, the 2 Barchetta's that came up on cars.com are as expensive as SA's...I was thinking they were more like 150k vs. 200k for an SA...but...seems like askings are a bit different than that...switchcars had two pristine looking SA's for 200k ish IIRC recently...so, I looked at pics...they are each great looking in there own way...I prefer the interior and F1 of the 575...I'll have to drive an example of each at some point...

EDIT #2: Ferrari fo Long Island has an "F1 transmission" 550 Barchetta! Problem solved! LOL...(car.com add...pretty funny mix up)

 

I think it all comes down to what you intend to do with the car. The SA is a real car that can be driven anywhere regardless of weather. The Barchetta is a fair weather car, period, even with one of the aftermarket tops.

There are Superamericas with three pedals, but they are rare. I only have two in the admittedly small FChat database.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

Also a current owner of a 360CS. Also a few of race cars (some with manual, others with paddles). I've never had an issue going back and forth, however. Obviously you want the operation and controls to become like second nature, but I've never had a problem adapting whatsoever. So, I wouldn't blow it out of proportion.

Interesting, though, about the paddle Barchetta. It was not an option, IIRC. So, either it's a special one-off, a post-production alteration (contact FNA about Classiche if that's important to you, at all, BEFORE purchasing to see what they say about it) OR it's s typo. But photos ought to be able to establish that pretty easily, I should think.

EDIT...it's a typo. FoLI's Barchetta is NOT an F1. Lol! Typical! Web guy doesn't know what a manual transmission is!

CW

 

I hear ya, it should be easy...I actually have been driving a Maser Grandsport with paddles since Oct 09 and the CS the past few months...so paddles have become second nature.

I learned this when I took a Bondurant 4-day course (awesome btw) in May and used their Corvette's and Formula Mazda cars. I did, under the "heat" of driving fast on the track, find myself grabbing for the paddles on a couple of occasions on the first day or two! Momentary panic as I then had to properly downshift while heading into a corner and having lost an important second or so futzing with the "air" paddle! IIRC I didn't keep making the mistake as the days progressed. It also could have been because I had recently tracked the CS on the same courses a few weeks earlier and thus my brain was used to the paddles while on the track. It might be fun to have a gated manual and F1 at the same time...I'll keep an open mind in that regard...

oh, yes, that ad is a mess-up...its actually got some language from a 360 (F1) in there along with the text re the mysterious F1 550!

 

Does the shortened windscreen on the Barchetta limit forward visibility for tall drivers?

 

A few folks have complained of that, but I have had no issues. I'm 5'11". I'd think if you're in the 6'1" and up crowd you should sit in it first, adjust the seat and judge for yourself before buying. It is indeed lowered. IIRC, something like 3", maybe?

CW

 

My thoughts are that the barchetta is proportionally much nicer looking than the sa. The roof design on the sa is bulky a detracts from the cars lines. There is an aftermarketvsoft top for the bchetta that works well and that would be an option I would buy as the oem roof is pretty useless. I have seen one blow out at 60 mph it's woefull . The lines of the barchetta make it one of the nicest looking 12 cylinder cars Ferrari has made in modern times IMO.

 

I love the SuperAmerica and who wouldn't. I'm proud of the whole thing, the name, history, technology, everything. Being a development of the 550 makes it so attractive. Who wouldn't want an improved 550?

But I am the owner of a 550 Straman Spyder, or 550SS as I sometimes call it. I love driving it. It is very engaging for me. If it's beautiful out, I drive it. If it's raining, I drive it. If it's date night, I drive it. If it's commuting to Tampa a couple weeks, I drive it. What would you do given the chance?

And there is something special about this car. This car sings. Seriously. I think that's something special and I have definitely bonded with this car. It took a bit of time. I used to treat it somewhat as a boulevarder which it certainly does so handsomely. But in reality it is also quite a nice drivers car.

I've not driven a 575 but the 550 has plenty on tap and it's always nice to dip into the power to get her singing. The looks are prefered by about half the people.

I've taken my time to weigh in because I didn't feel strongly one way or the other. It's like a coin flip that lands on the edge. Well it's tipping.

The fall goes to the 550.



Now don't any of you guys start getting any ideas. I like having one of two in the US.

Chances are most people will find their way into a Barchetta if so inclined. It's not real for me and the way I like to drive my car. And if serious touring was called for, the Super will take it in a heartbeat.

So it comes down to what do you want to move you?

I got mine... on the open roads.

 

Do you know where the other car is?

Also did Straman do any reinforcing to prevent cowl shake?

What year is your car? It musta been one of the last things Straman did before he set sail.

Dale

 

My car is a '98 and is red/tan. The other is red/black and is/was owned by the founder of Guess Jeans. There is a thread here somewhere about his cars in the driveway at Beverly Hills IIRC.

I don't know of any extra bracing. My belief is that there isn't any. I have heard that torsional tests were done and the results remarkeable. My 550 has about the same scuttle shake as my '98 SL500, which is to say, not alot.

Yes, Richard Straman is said to be retired and sailing. This would probably be one of his last. This was the second one he did. The first was said to be done for $80K. Business was good. This one was $100K.

 

Very cool, you gots a keeper there!

Dale

 

The Barchetta is one of the most beautiful Ferrari ever. I love how classic it looks and with the top up, i love how awkward it looks. The Superamerica never did anything for me, the top/rear buttress treatment is massive.