Ultra rare conv RHD 550 spotted in UK-----------

The desklid and rear pillars are very poorly executed IMO, awesome find nonetheless! I'd say it's a one-off hardtop convertible ala SL500, probably done by an aftermarket company.

 

I am pretty sure it is one of the ex-Sultan of Brunei cars. It has a electronically controlled top which folds into the boot. The rear body panel is also different from "normal" 550s. Anybody knows the s/n?

 

That 550 was once owned by the Sultan, it now belongs to someone in Monaco, it is one of 2 that were converted this way, the other is red, there was a thread a while back about a member of F-CHAT claiming to own this car, i think he was busted.
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Tony, what was the plate of the car seen in the UK? Was it B 4 HAR?? If yes, then it's the same car as on the picture shown by Steve.

HOWEVER, I don't agree with all of Steve's info: the picture shown by him was made by my brother Arvid. I've seen the car myself and most information about that specific car is coming from me (see also one of the Forza issues).

So: the picture was made in Monaco, but it was owned by a member of the family of the Sultan of Brunei (I´ve seen that myself). Not by someone in Monaco. I think it is still owned by the family of the Sultan, as many of the family members live in the UK.

This is a ONE-OFF, so only one car made. This one was made by the Ferrari factory itself, in cooperation with Pininfarina. So, in fact an `official` Ferrari. All other `550 Spiders` are conversions. For example, there are two red cars converted by Straman and one of them is owned by an FChat member.

Anyway, thanks for reporting this wonderful spot. Very nice to see the car again!

And if you want more info, just let me know.

 

Yes, It was B4 HAR.

The roof did look like a folding hardtop but I cant be 100% sure.

Interior was the same as a 550 Maranello and not the 550 Barchetta.
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Thanks for the confirmation. Then it is clear that it's indeed the one-off 550 Spider made for the Sultan of Brunei ...

Yes, you are correct that it is a folding hardtop. When I saw the car in Monaco, the driver showed how it worked. Just a simple push on a button and the hardtop would (dis)appear. Much and much better than the 550 Barchetta system.

Very well seen. It indeed has an interior of a 550 Maranello, so another confirmation of how special this car is. But you probably missed one thing when you looked at the interior: it has an AUTOMATIC gearbox. Another well-known feature of the Brunei-cars.

 

Supposively the reason that Ferrari never made a retractable hardtop 550 was that they were contractually not allowed by the Brunei family. Part of the Brunei deal was that Ferrari would never build an identical model to the ones that they built for the Sultan. I too would be a little upset if I paid 2 million for a custom Ferrari convertible, and then a year later they came out with an identical model for 200K.

 

at the time of the picture in monaco, the car was owned by the sultan's cousin. the hard top was designed by pininfarina and not ferrari and was contsructed by pininfarina, as were the other sultan speciales. there was word that this feature was going to find it's way onto the 575. with the superamerica now announced, i don't think that will happen.

we have talked many times about the sultans cars and his financial status. i have to wonder if this car is still in the sultans keep. we have seen many of the cars that had previously destroyed show up in the uk and asia. plus a few that have made their ways to the us (including the fx, 456 venice cab. and the "special" delivery 456's that were delivered to the sultans california home by fna). does anyone know if this car is still owned by the sultans family?

 

And thanks to you and AHMTHSSN for sharing the pictures! Pretty cool!!

I know that a similar thing happened with the Aston Martin Shooting Brakes (the Wagons). But really, that hardtop system on the 550 Spider was really cool. Don't know about room for luggage, so that could have been another reason too ...

I'm wondering: what's your source that it was the Sultan's cousin who owned the car??? And believe me: Ferrari worked on that car too, in cooperation with Pininfarina. I had it from a very good source ...

The family still owns DOZENS of Ferraris. Some got on the market, but certainly not all of them ...

 

Very cool thread