8/14/2023, 12:55:15 AM cet

Ferrari Stand

Pininfarina Stand

Keith Bluemel

Paris, 30 September, 2000



After the private presentation to selected collectors at Luca di Montezemolo’s villa on 14/15 September, the 550 barchetta pininfarina made its public debut at the Paris salon, The Mondial de l’Automobile at the end of the month. The new model was unveiled to the eagerly waiting hordes of journalists on the morning of the first press day, less than an hour after Porsche had unveiled their V10 engined Carrera GT concept car immediately opposite the Ferrari stand.

The new barchetta stood on a raised angled podium under a red dust cover until the appointed time, when after short introductory speeches by Luca di Montezemolo and Sergio Pininfarina, the unveiling ceremony took place. They drew back the cover to reveal the svelte lines of the newcomer to the Ferrari family, finished in gleaming rosso corsa with a grey interior, to appreciative applause from the assembled masses thronging the stand.

The new model is only different from the closed version around the cabin area, where a 100mm lower windscreen is fitted to this open version, with body colour finish extending up the screen side rails. The screen surround incorporates a special steel tube, capable of supporting the weight of the car, to protect the occupants in case of a rollover accident. The rear of the open cabin is dominated by the pair of leather trimmed rollover hoops, which tend to distract from the fluidity of line, but perform an important safety purpose and also act as an integral part of the chassis stiffening of this open model. Below each hoop is a tapering buttress running from the rear edge of the cabin into the boot lid, echoing those seen on the sports racing cars of the fifties and sixties. The most notable other external feature is the special aluminium fuel filler cap on the right rear wing, whilst the front wings have enamel Scuderia Ferrari shields, and the car sits on highly polished split rim alloy wheels.

Internally it is a mixture of leather and carbon-fibre, with the Scaglietti sports seats option of the 550 Maranello fitted as standard. The dash and centre console layouts are identical to the closed version, with the exception of a series sequence number plaque on the centre console to the rear of the gear lever.

During the introduction Luca di Montezemolo stated that the reason for the car’s production was twofold. One to celebrate 70 years of Pininfarina, hence the inclusion for the first time by Ferrari of the Pininfarina name in the model title, and secondly to go back to the company’s roots in providing an open front engined V12 model for a limited number of discerning clients. The total production run was originally to have been 444 cars, but due to disquiet over this number being unlucky from Far Eastern clients, the figure has been revised to 448 examples to be built during 2001.

The stand also featured examples of the complete current Ferrari range, including the 360 spider which was making its public debut in France.

A racing cycle was also shown, this is a limited edition series of 500 units to be produced by the famed Italian manufacturer Colnago. It features a full carbon-fibre frame that meets all the requirements of the International Cycling Union, with carbon-fibre forks and wheel rims, and a 10 speed Campagnolo gear set. It has a standard finish of rosso corsa and natural carbon-fibre, and is called the Colnago for Ferrari CF1.

Pininfarina had a stand separated from that of Ferrari only by Maserati, and displayed the Ferrari concept model that was first shown at the Turin salon earlier this year to celebrate their seventieth anniversary. This beautifully executed model draws styling cues from a number of past and present Ferrari models, together with shades of their Mythos, plus a number of new ideas, that blend to form an aggressively elegant open two seater built on the 550 Maranello platform. Perhaps an indicator for a future limited edition Ferrari model ? As this is a fully functional concept vehicle, it certainly wouldn’t take much, in relative terms, to put into production with its series production car underpinnings.

Paris Motor Show

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