Got the 550 and already put it to 177 mph ;-) | FerrariChat

Got the 550 and already put it to 177 mph ;-)

Discussion in '456/550/575' started by gl911, Jun 10, 2004.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

  1. gl911

    gl911 Rookie

    Jun 5, 2004
    12
    Luxembourg
    Went to pick up the 1997 550 I spoke about - awesome. I have been pretty lucky in terms of ownership (Porsche, Aston, BMW, TVR etc.) but never had a Ferrari. I was intrigued and convinced by its history but less by its intrinsic qualities, having test driven a couple of them over the years. The Maranello has fundamentally changed this opinion.

    This particular car has close to 30,000 miles, all services done, all recalls done, it has a sports exhaust and sports suspension (lower by 2,5 cm). The owner has REALLY driven it, which means that the engine revs angrily and is very well run in. This was the 3rd 550 I drove and the fastest subjectively. While I did pay top $ the car is as new condition. The only blemish were stonechips on the front, which was resprayed only after the owner had shown me the car!

    So I went to pick it up in Germany, past Dortmund, a lot of traffic going up there, but very comfy in the Alpina 7 series. Spent a while looking, test drove, my mechanic had a good look, and off we were at around 8:30 pm and with 220 miles to go.

    Weather was awesome, warm, sun down, driving mostly B roads until we got on the A1 before Köln. Another 30 km of heavy traffic and suddenly it was in front of me - the opportunity to nail it - REALLY nail it. About 2 km of straight 3 lanes wide tarmac ribbon, no traffic and no speed limit. I took her up to around 285 km/h to 290 km/h around 177 mph until traffic appeared and I had to slow down. From then on I averaged speeds of about 135 mph almost to the border with traffic becoming less and less cumbersome and the car feeling absolutely stable.

    I really am positively surprised by the stability and even, yes EVEN the quality of the car. Some people, although not on this forum, might not like what comes next, but although there are some little squeaks from the seats, or other parts behind (still looking), the performance is great, the drive is gratifying and most unbelievably the finish is of higher quality then my 2003 996 TT!!!

    The brakes will be replaced though.....

    G.
     
  2. bobafett

    bobafett F1 Veteran

    Sep 28, 2002
    9,193
    Congratulations and welcome to the fold. Many happy motoring miles ahead of you.

    --Dan
     
  3. udalmia

    udalmia Guest

    Beautiful! Must be fun to drive that baby without a speed limit.. Here in the tri-state area we always drive at or below the speed limit :)
     
  4. JBsZ06

    JBsZ06 Formula Junior

    Dec 6, 2003
    761
    Thanks for the report and the photos!

    Best wishes with your new toy!

    JB
     
  5. Doug.

    Doug. F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Apr 16, 2004
    2,948
    Las Vegas, NV
    Congratulations! Great pictures....your 550 is beautiful.
     
  6. ze_shark

    ze_shark Formula 3

    Jul 13, 2003
    1,274
    Switzerland (NW)
    Congrats for your purchase. I agree that the high speed stability of the car is great, but I'll be intersted to read your comments about the brakes which left me unimpressed.
     
  7. shelbee

    shelbee Guest

    Congrats,

    Nothing likes front engine V12 cylinder Ferraris,

    Enjoy the ride, enjoy the TORQUE :)
     
  8. Koby

    Koby Formula 3

    Dec 14, 2003
    2,307
    The Borough, NJ
    Full Name:
    Jason Kobies
    beautiful car, congrats! If you're ever in NJ be sure to stop by and give me a ride! :D
     
  9. riverflyer

    riverflyer F1 Rookie

    Nov 26, 2003
    3,583
    Mendocino, Ca
    Full Name:
    John
    Yes, very nice car and congratulations to you. Every time I get behind the wheel, the 550 amazes me with its extreme capability and extreme fun. what a pleasure to own one of these cars, especially at current prices. Hope you enjoy yours as much as I have mine, John
     
  10. Kds

    Kds F1 World Champ

    The luckiest people in the world live within a short drive to the autobahn.

    Nice write up...congrats !!
     
  11. gl911

    gl911 Rookie

    Jun 5, 2004
    12
    Luxembourg
    ...and 1h15 minutes from either Spa Francorchamps or the Nürburgring ;-)
     
  12. TomSilver

    TomSilver Karting

    Jan 26, 2004
    112
    Germany
    Full Name:
    Tom
    45 Minutes to the Nurburgring here :)
    But when you drive the Ring with a Ferrari, its very dangerous. Lot's of idiots will try to pass you at any cost...
     

Share This Page