UK 550 WSR pricing now firm at 180,000 GBP ($275,000 US)

Why do these things attract interest when they are standard cars ? Apart from a marketing gimmick I don't get it ?

 

The 550 WSR has every right to sit in its own orbit price wise but I have no idea what that level should be.

The differences over and above what anyone could have specified on a standard 550 may be limited but at the end of the day, highly optioned 550s with carbon seats and roll cage aren't 10 a penny in any event. The handful of WSR specific bits may not mean much but they bit of kudos to the party.

And then there is the limited production run... Personally, I 'don't get' the current hysteria around manual 575Ms of which there were 246 built. There are just 33 WSR's and possibly single digits in colours other than the default Titanio/Bordeaux.

I dipped in and out of that auction on my phone (without access to the audio feed) and was surprised by the number of cars that passed though unsold. The details will no doubt be published on the website next week.

That Cat D 550 made strong money at £61k though.

 

I agree and, judging by the auction result, so does the market.

I've always felt that he WSR list of options don't suit a GT anyway. Rollbars are for trackday cars and carbon backed seats make sense on 360 but not really on a heavy 550.

With that mileage the auction car if non WSR would be approx. £140k. The estimate of £220k just doesn't make sense.

I bet if you jumped in a WSR after driving a standard car you couldn't tell the difference and that is key here. We're not talking 993RS versus standard 993!

 

Quite high miles. For an "investor". You'd hold out and pay more for lower miles, if that were your game. And I guess drivers don't see the point of the price delta over a standard 550. But, right or wrong, there is an extra value perceived in WSR cars..just not that much for this particular car!

 

Precisely it's the same car with a few pointless gimmick additions. Roll bar ? Harness on a road car ?

Mogul - pretty obvious why 575 manual is sought after, ignoring a couple of manual 599s (a car whose electronics are not even designed for a manual gearbox) it's a very very historic car being the last V12 manual after 60 year of production.

I drove mine today and the clack clack of the very tight mechanical box and the overall rewarding nature is fabulous. Even in traffic there is so much torque it's fabulous.

I am lucky to have a 458 Special Aperta and prefer the 575M to drive, it's just FUN.

 

Now a 575HGTC manual would be worth paying for !