Hi All, Some of you may know that I purchased a 550 in Scotland approx 4 months ago with the intention of driving it through Europe on a Touring Vacation in June/July. At the start of the year I began to consider what, where and why; 1) The car had to be a suitable exotic GT that was capable of travelling 2,500 Miles in 4 weeks. 2) The route was to commence in Scotland with the following route - drive to London, Paris, Stuttgart, Prague, Lake Como, San Remo, Monte Carlo, Maranello, Vicenza, Genoa and then ship the 550 home. 3) The vehicle had to be reliable and comfortable. 4) Travelling with my wife meant excess luggage space was required. 5) Obviously I needed the car to be eligible to be imported back to Australia at the end of the tour. Which a 550 is. To non car people even the thought of this sounded ridiculous. With many of them asking "WHY?" To which I simply stated that I didn't want to hire a car. However to car people this marks an opportunity to truly enjoy some of the finest roads in the world and to be driving one of the greatest ever GT's. Yesterday was the day that I finally collected the 550 and thankfully the car was as good as I could have hoped her to be. DAY 1 & 2 We drove into Edinburgh and visited the Edinburgh Castle and various other tourist attractions. My initial thoughts on 550 are as follows; 1) There is an abundance of Torque which enables the car to potter around in 2nd gear with ease. 2) The steering is precise and the car wraps itself around you in the bendy bits. 3) The Tubi exhausts have a nice loud, low pitch burble in the rev range of 1 - 3,000 rpm, however this never really amounts to anything. I personally believe that this due to the centre resonator, which I will have removed as soon as the car is registered in Australia!! 4) The clutch is heavy, making city driving a painful. 5) The Aircon is not cold. I'd be interested to know if there is a quickish fix for this? 6) There is ample room in the boot and rear shelf. 7) The visibilty whilst driving is sensational. 8) The car has a very long bonnet and a short rear end which makes parking interesting. 9) The 550 in Grigio Titanio is stunning to look at. The designers really nailed this car as it is truly gorgeous from all angles. 10) Under hard acceleration the rear wheels struggle to gain traction. 11) She drinks fuel like a drunk in a Pub! Makes my C63 feel economical! We have booked some pretty cool hotels & castles throughout Europe and many I can't wait to get to. The hotel that we are staying at is the 2nd last photo, a 16th Century Building on the water front. I hope you enjoy and I will be sure to update this thread on a regular basis. For those with a keen eye, you may notice where the styling cues in the red couchs are from...... Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
CM- What a great trip and cannot get better than making it in a Maranello. Air conditioning quick fix is no problem. Most people ignore the factory maintenance recommendations, but some of them are important. First, get a new receiver/dryer/filter, which Ferrari says should be changed every two years. That is probably overkill, but if it has not been documented lately as being changed (likely ignored in Scotland I would think, not noted for heat up there), change it. Next, have a really good vacuum pulled before filling with refrigerant. Mine was left overnight on the vacuum pump, which I recommend. Refilling with refrigerant should be done every 2-3 years for peak performance. I just drove my Maranello from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Albuquerque, New Mexico (~100 kms/60 miles) at 90 mph (145 kph) in 95 F (35 C) weather and considered turning the temperature up because I was getting too cold. Substandard air conditioning is 95% a lack of proper servicing in a Maranello, 550 or 575M. You will probably need it in Italy in June and there are many shops that can fix it for you while you have a nice meal and relax in your hotel. Taz Terry Phillips
I am travelling to Germany, Austria, and Prague next week! Any chance we will be in the same place at that same time? I'd love to sit down for some coffee with another FChatter! (I am already meeting one in Frankfurt)
Observation 4) is the first complaint I recall hearing about a heavy clutch. Is that typically the case?
I don't know if we will get to Prague that soon. We land in Frankfurt June 25. I'll PM you later today with more info.
Could it be that I need to replace the clutch? If so, it would make perfect sense to do so whilst in Italy.
Allan- No, it is not. Typically clutch pedal pressure gets heavy when the clutch plate is worn enough for the linkage to go non-optimal (mechanical and hydraulic advantage no longer high). In CM's case, most of his driving will be on high speed routes, where clutch usage will be minimal. The good news is the Maranellos have 1.5 mm of usable clutch plate wear, compared to 0.8 mm for the 360, so she will carry on for quite a while. May just require a bit of weight lifting on the left foot. CM- A new clutch and throw-out bearing will likely be needed in the near future. Italy would be a cheaper place to get that done than Oz. Taz Terry Phillips
What a great trip. We have been to almost all of the points on your itinerary, although not in one tour. You are in for a lot of thrills. When you get to Maranello be sure to eat at Montana, not just at Cavallino. Also, if you have the time, I recommend trying to get a tour of Classiche. I think you might find it more interesting than a tour of the factory, which has to be arranged in advance in any case. Thanks so much for sharing your experiences. I will be checking this thread frequently. Happy motoring! (How could it be anything else in that great car?!) Jack
CM, Fantastic trip and the car looks great. If you have time when you visit Maranello and want to try out a great road, take SS12 (It's the road the same road as the Factory & Cavallino restaurant) south towards the Abetone ski area. The road cut's through the mountains and small towns and does not have much traffic. When you get to the Abetone, you can stop for coffee as it is a fairly large town with plenty of parking. Our Ferrari's all seem to have that drinking problem - but well worth the fun! Have a great time. John
Yes, that's a great road, even in the Alfa turbo-diesel we were driving! I believe the road was used for road testing by the factory in the 50s and 60s. We were tipped to it by the manager of the Planet Hotel. Jack.
What an excellent trip. Some of the best roads, fine dining, and historical sites await you. I hope you and your wife enjoy the trip and please update us with plenty of pictures
I just returned from 2400 mile trip in my '99 550 from Michigan to Savannah for the FOA meet, ran two hours on the track and drove back via the Smokey mountains. AC was fine in 100 degree heat and car ran perfectly and quickly the whole way with no tickets. My co driver and I believe it the best GT weve ever driven.
A/C works great on Maranellos. Glad yours was up to the hear and humidity. We cheat here. Humidity was 4% yesterday. Great for A/C, but bad for your nasal passages. Taz Terry Phillips
Thanks heaps guys! Some really good pointers. I will be sure to update on a regular basis. By the way, the red couches are made by NART one set of only 3 in the world and they are fashioned on the 550, at the base is the tail pipes and the rear tail lights are at end of the arm rest.
Wonderful trip, Wonderful car ! Air conditioning... make sure the button is out (since the car is new to you) My clutch was heavy and I changed it, What a difference worth every penny. Keep the pictures coming. Bill
"drinks fuel like a drunk in a Pub" Really, maybe in in-city driving it's not great. How fast are you going over there? I see 15 mph when I keep it around 80. I'm actually quite happy with the 550's mileage. It's only a couple mpg less than the Lexus.
Cheers Knighty, The costs are variable. I would usually budget for $40 - $60,000 to get her to on the road stage.
Day 3 Edinburgh to Robinhood Country and Beyond Today was the first opportunity that I really got to stretch the legs of the 550. Travelling 330 Miles from Edinburgh to Stoke Rochford Hall. The travelling conditions weren't ideal with rain for most of the way, traffic, road work and 14 Speed Cameras to deal with. The 550 was cruising at a sensible speed of 70 - 90 MPH which made the journey a breeze. Some Positives; 1) Extremely easy to overtake in any gear when required. 2) Handling was great especially in Sport mode. 3) The seats do a great job of hugging my torso. 4) There is a terrific feeling that the car in hunkered down to the road which is always re-assuring. 5) Fuel Economy was much better than I thought it would be. More on that later... Some Negatives; 1) No cruise control. 2) Hard to modulate the throttle. It's quite a hard pedal, can this be serviced to be smoother? 3) Did I mention the clutch...... 4) The pioneer CD Stacker didn't work, however I used the individual CD section in the head unit and also the sound is a little high pitched. Now back to the fuel economy....... At first I thought that the fuel usage was way over the top based on the fact that I read in the manual that the car had a 114 Litre tank, therefore this would have meant that the car only returned 330 Miles on the highway from a 114 Litre tank. However, when I filled the tank for the first time, I was mildly surprised to find out that the tank was in fact only 85 Litres. Therefore returning a very impressive 16L per 100km. I have booked the air con to be serviced on Monday morning and the clutch will have to wait for Italy as I was quoted 2,000 pounds for a replacement. As mentioned previously we are held up in Stoke Rockford Hall for the night. Please enjoy the pics of this stunning 1841 residence which underwent a 12 million Pound restoration some 5 years ago and is now an imressive Grade 1 listed building according to English Heritage. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Sounds like a great trip. Some fantastic places to visit and a cool car to travel in. The 550 looks good in silver.
