FERRARI 550 MARANELLO

More 550 Pics

    The 550 Maranello is Ferrari's interpretation of the 12-cylinder Berlinetta, with a front engine and a pronounced sports personality for the 21st century.
    The brief given to the technicians was particularly demanding: design and build a car able to meet the needs of Ferrari customers looking for driving emotions and exciting performance, who do not want to forego driveability or comfort.  Customers attracted by state-of-the-art technical proposals from a company which has always treated design as an aesthetic solution to the demand for performance, and has always built its cars with sophisticated craftsmanship.
    The formula that produced the 550 Maranello is the sum of several factors: superb response to every requirement (acceleration, speed, braking, road holding), quality of life on board (driving position, passenger comfort, soundproofing, loading space, climate control), styling efficiency (aerodynamic shape, including the sixth surface) by way of a design that combines a modern concept with the best of Ferrari tradition.
    The result is a car capable of covering Ferrari's private track at Fiorano in 1 minute 34 seconds, 3.2 seconds faster than the best time ever achieved by a 512.  When assessing performance of this kind we must remember that the ethos of the 512 was optimised to obtain extreme performance on a circuit.
    Pininfarina has designed a body with characteristically extreme proportions for this return to a front engine on Ferrari's top performance Berlinetta: low and wide, with a large bonnet and cut-off tail, features that immediately give the impression of a great sports car.
    To do this Pininfarina used only the following requirements:

    The large wings that point up the big wheels, the small roof resting on the solid shoulders of the car's sturdy body, and the long bonnet shaped by a functional air intake, all respect this tradition.
    The air intake for the fuel feed is positioned at the centre of the large bonnet - an engineering requirement that links the present to the past.
    This is the first Ferrari to have been conceived and designed from the start with visible light clusters integrated in the shape of the bodywork.
    Two outlets for the engine bay air have been created in the large front wing between the wheel arch and the door - close obligatory reference to the classic front-engined Berlinettas.  The rear is simple and powerful: it is higher in the middle where it links up to the roof with a small spoiler and lower around the wings.
    The bodywork adopts the criteria of a classic front-engined two-seater Ferrari Berlinetta.  The car is built around a tubular steel frame to which the bodywork is welded.
    The bodywork is in light aluminium alloy and is welded to the steel frame using a special alloy known as Feran which allows steel to be welded to aluminium.
    Fixed homofocal front light clusters were designed for this model, and they were incorporated in the bonnet to improve the Cd (drag) and wind noise during night driving.
    The fog lights are incorporated into the front bumper.  The door windows are flush with the body work and fitted with an automatic opening/closing device that is activated when the doors are opened or closed for better all-round sealing.
    The 550 Maranello's aerodynamic shape is the result of hard work that needed 4,800 hours of wind tunnel tests to achieve the targets set by the project, which consisted of:

    The 550 Maranello has taken another step forward in the aerodynamic development of the car underbody, which has led to excellent stability and driving safety.
    Particular care went into the design of the front of the car with its characteristics groove, the aerodynamic efficiency of the air intakes, and the interior air flows.
    The driving position has been designed to offer every driver maximum comfort in all conditions in terms of:     In the best Ferrari tradition, the interior harmonises the functional practicality of the sports car with the lavish array of equipment and the finish of a luxury car.
    The contoured fascia links the central control, where all the car's instruments are concentrated, with the doors, in two symmetrical curves.
    The driver has a cockpit where all the instruments are grouped at the central field of vision, and the controls, all positioned in front of the gear lever, can be reached easily and instinctively.  The passenger has plenty of space at their disposal, and seat adjustment is identical to that of the driver's seat.  There is a second airbag in front of the passenger's seat.
    Behind the wrap-around seats there is a large storage shelf complete with classic leather straps.
    The car is equipped with a Sony radio and a CD changer (holding 6 CDs)  is located in the boot.  The boot is equipped with a tool kit and provides 6.5 cubic foot of storage space.  The car incorporates an anti-theft system that is combined with the engine management unit (immobiliser) and is activated by a radio frequency signal.
    The frame of the 550 Maranello is built of high tensile welded steel tubes with a variable section to optimise the weight.  Torsional rigidity is 1500 kgm/degrees and flexional rigidity is 800 kg/mm.
    The Ferrari frame has the constructional simplicity that comes from many years of experience in building racing cars.  Simplicity and structural discipline combined with extremely stable performance, in time, produce an excellent result for vehicles with a strong sports temperament destined for production.  All this guarantees total engineering safety in terms of structure, and the reliability of engine, transmission, suspension, steering and brakes anchorage.  The safety features are outstanding, particularly with regard to the central cage which is very strong and protected by peripheral elements which constitute a system with high energy absorption.  Such high safety standards are a must for a company like Ferrari, which exports over 85% of its production to foreign markets.
    The suspension incorporates a system to vary dampers settings.  Suspension settings can be adjusted by the driver, using a switch on the facia, in two different levels of performance (normal and sport).  An electronic control unit with four electric motors monitors the adjustment of each damper.
    The damping logic changes inside each range depending on speed and taking into account vertical acceleration, the steering angle, the throttle valve angle and brake circuit pressure.  The same system controls car pitching during transients.
    The front track is wider than the rear to guarantee prompt turn-in to corners and the structure of the front axle is designed to ensure an anti-dive effect when braking.
    The result is pinpoint steering and perfect control of the car in all conditions, but particularly in those problem situations when excellent overall dynamic balance is necessary.
    The 550 Maranello has independent suspension on all four wheels with a transverse parallelogram structure and triangular arms, aluminium gas dampers with coaxial coil springs and anti-roll bars on the front and rear axles.
    A car's performance is determined not only by its acceleration and stability but also by the quality of its deceleration.  Ferrari developed the braking system of the 550 Maranello jointly with Brembo, applying methods borrowed from Formula 1.  The system is structured as follows:

    The enormous amount of energy exerted on the front axle when braking required a system with large, extra thick diameter, drilled front discs and pads made of friction material that guarantees high performance whether hot or cold.
    The car's outstanding performance also made it necessary to develop pistons for the front calipers with special thermal insulation devices that exploit concepts tested by Brembo on Formula 1 Ferraris.
    This made it possible to keep the brake fluid temperature at a very good level, even in difficult conditions.
    The excellent performance of the braking system is enhanced by the drilled discs, which ensure better grip, even in wet weather, because they burst the film of water when the pad comes into contact with the braking surface.
    Continuous refinement of all the components of the braking system ensures prompt braking and shortens the braking distance in all situations.  The system is completed by a four-channel ABS incorporating electronic brake effort proportioning which guarantees ideal performance in deceleration above 0.5 g.  The whole system was produced taking particular care to limit the weight of the complete assembly.
    The system prevents the driven wheels from spinning by the combined action of the rear brakes and the engine management system, which it communicates with a CAN line.
    The system adopted by the Ferrari 550 Maranello is the only one to offer a choice of two operating levels, selected manually by a switch on the facia:

    Depending on which mode is selected, the system intervenes by cutting off the torque delivered by the engine or coordinated by the ABS system, by braking the two rear wheels independently.  In other words, it is the first active anti-wheel spin system which the driver is able to control.
    The normal/sport selection of the ASR system coincides with selection of the function level of the suspension (one switch governs both selections), giving the driver total control of lateral and longitudinal dynamics of the car.
    The ZF rack and pinion steering system comes complete with the Servotronic speed-sensitive power steering device.  This varies in relation to the speed the level of power assist in order to adapt steering wheel response to different operating conditions.      The direct steering ratio is 13.8:1, while the turning circle is 39.3 feet.
    The wheels of the 550 Maranello were manufactured by Speedline to Pininfarina's styling indications and Ferrari's technical specifications.  They have a monolithic structure made of magnesium alloy with low pressure casting.  The wheel has five convex spokes with five central bore holes.  The front wheels measure 8.5" x 18" and the rear 10.5" x 18".
    The wheel has passed both Ferrari's own severe tests and those of the German LBF Technical Institute (duration at least 300,000 km).  Each wheel is protected by a special cycle of anti-corrosion paint patented by Speedline.
    For the first time on a production car the tyres were designed with the car.  Having set a target for the car's performance level, the frame, suspension and tyres were developed in parallel deciding the characteristics of each subsystem, including the tyres, and optimising performance on the basis of the final result.
    The 550 Maranello has four different types of tyres, all produced specially for this car.  Each manufacturer has given a particular interpretation to the brief, based on specific experience in racing and long-standing cooperation with Ferrari.
    Engine management is by an electronic Bosch Motronic 5.2 system with combined injection and static ignition.  The two systems, one for each row of cylinders, are linked by a high speed serial line (CAN).
    Particular attention went into the design of the exhaust system, resulting in a system with variable back pressure (similar to that on the F50), and by-pass valves situated on the rear silencers.  The by-pass valves are activated by an electro-pneumatic servo governed by the engine management system on the basis of engine speed and throttle valve.
    The possibility of governing the back pressure at the exhaust also makes it possible to optimise engine efficiency in the various use conditions.  Greater back pressure, with the valve closed, allows the torque to be improved in average load conditions, while reduction of the back pressure at the exhaust by opening the by-pass valves enhances engine efficiency at high speeds with a full load.  The exhaust system is in insulated stainless steel with "six into two into one" mixing nodes for each row.  The system has two input lines into the silencer.
    The layout of the car is classical, with a front engine and rear wheel drive.  The differential unit incorporates the gearbox, and is positioned at the rear (transaxle) for better weight distribution.
    This solution makes it possible to distribute weight equally between the axles with the driver on board.  Drive is transmitted by the clutch to the gearbox by a propeller shaft supported by three bearings and housed in a rigid steel tube which links the engine and the gearbox.  The single plate dry clutch is mounted on the flywheel and is driven hydraulically.  The gearbox has six synchronised speeds plus reverse.  The synchronisers are of the dual cone type.
    Lubrication is pressurised, with an oil pump and radiator.  Gearbox control is the classic Ferrari type with an aluminium knob, lever and grooved selector.

Gear ratios:

1st 13/41
2nd 17/37
3rd 23/36
4th 27/32
5th 31/29
6th 33/25

 
This Exotic Cars & Sports Cars WebRing site is owned by
Chris Turner.

JOIN the Exotic Cars & Sports Cars WebRing?
[List Sites] [Skip Prev] [Prev] [Stats] [Next] [Skip Next] [Next 5]