Die Überraschung
Auf den ersten Blick sieht der Ferrari 550 Maranello nicht so aus, als ob er zum Rennwagen taugen würde, zu gross, zu feist, viel zu luxuriös. Auch auf den zweiten Blick taugte er eigentlich nicht, wie Ferrari selber bitter erfahren musste, nachdem man auf Anregung von Stéphane Ratel, Ende der 90er Jahre Organisator der FIA-GT-Meisterschaft, ein paar Erprobungsfahrten durchgeführt hatte. Maranello winkte ab – und auch deshalb änderte die FIA wieder einmal das Reglement, schaffte die sehr teure GT1-Klasse ab, erhob die GT2 zur Spitzenklasse, hoffte, damit auch mehr Privatteams zur Teilnahme motivieren zu können. Auch wichtig dabei: Privatteams konnten Fahrzeuge auch ohne Zustimmung des Herstellers homologieren. Der geschäftige Ratel selber hatte nämlich unterdessen ein paar Interessenten um sich geschart, die gerne mit einem Ferrari angetreten wären, aber Kosten und Aufwand und Ärger mit Maranello gescheut hatten. Ende 1999 kam dann ein erster, von Italtecnica entwickelter Ferrari 550 GT (siehe weiter unten) zu seinem Debüt, war auch schnell, doch unzuverlässig. Frédéric Dor, der auch solch einen Italtecnica-550er hätte erhalten sollen, rief deshalb im englischen Banbury bei Prodrive an.
Prodrive, gegründet 1984 von Ian Parry und David Richards, 1981 als Co-Pilot an der Seite von Ari Vatanen Rallye-Weltmeister, hatte sich im Tourenwagen-Rennsport vor allem mit dem BMW M3 einen guten Namen gemacht. Richards nahm sich der Sache an, sehr analytisch wie immer, und schlug ein paar Verbesserungen vor. Dor bestellte zwei Fahrzeuge, verstärkte die Motoraufhängungen, schob diesen weiter nach hinten und tiefer, erhöhte den Hubraum auf 6 Liter (anstatt 5,5 Liter), kam auf Anhieb auf eine Leistung von 600 PS (anstatt 485 PS wie in der Serie). Durch den grosszügigen Einsatz von Kohlestoffasern konnte das Gewicht von 1690 auf 1100 Kilo gesenkt werden. Dazu gab es noch einen riesigen Heckspoiler.
Das neue Fahrzeug kam Mitte der Saison 2001 zum ersten Renneinsatz, schied da aber aus. Aber schon beim zweiten Rennen konnten Rydell/Kox auf dem A1-Ring in Österreich den ersten Sieg feiern, in Jarama gewannen dann Rydell und der Schweizer Alain Menu. Dor bestellte weitere Fahrzeuge, 2002 gewann die italienische BMS Scuderia Italia mit dem Piccini/Delétraz vier Läufe, bei den 24 Stunden von Le Mans holte der Ferrari die Pole (schied aber nach 13 Stunden aus), dazu schaffte man auch noch einen ersten Sieg in der American Le Mans Series. Und es wurde immer besser: Biagi/Bobbi gewann auf dem 550 den Fahrtitel in der FIA-GT-Weltmeisterschaft 2003, BMS Scuderia Italia die Team-Wertung. Und bei den 24 Stunden von Le Mans schaffte Prodrive mit Enge/Kox/Davies sogar den Klassensieg gegen die klar favorisierten Corvette C5-R, die mit Unterstützung des Werks antreten durften. Beim Ferrari waren die Vorzeichen komplett anders: Null Unterstützung für Prodrive, ganz im Gegenteil, die Italiener entwickelten selber den 550 GTC (2003, 2 Ex., siehe unten), dann 575 GTC. Der aber bei weitem nicht an den Prodrive-550 heranreichte.
Zehn Exemplare des Ferrari 550 Maranello Prodrive wurden gebaut. Zwischen 2001 und 2008 traten sie bei 343 Rennen an, holten 60 Pole-Positions, 69 Siege und 151 Podiumsplätze – und gehören damit zu den erfolgreichsten Renn-Ferrari überhaupt. Wir behaupten ja, dass sich die Anschaffung eines «normalen» Ferrari 550 Maranello derzeit noch lohnt, bei den Prodrive-Fahrzeugen ist der Zug sowieso längst abgefahren, da nähern wir uns den zweistelligen Millionenbeträgen. Was die Strassen-Fahrzeuge mittelfristig ganz sicher auch nicht günstiger macht. Einen Nachteil werden sie gegenüber den Rennwagen aber immer haben: Der Lärm, den so ein Prodrive-550 macht, ist absolut einmalig.
Klar, eine Sammlung:
Die Prodrive-Fahrzeuge:
Umbau: CRD-02/2001 (Bilder oiben)
Auktion: RM Sotheby’s, Monterey 2021, verkauft für 4’290’000 Dollar, angeboten mit folgendem Text: «This particular chassis, serial number CRD #02/2001, is the second of twelve Ferrari 550 GT1 program commissioned by Care Racing Development to Prodrive, and is arguably one of the most illustrious of them all. In a competitive career spanning more five years, it competed in 49 races, taking 15 pole positions, 14 outright race wins and finishing on the podium some 29 times. Incredibly, the car only failed to finish on six separate occasions, mainly due to mechanical failure, and on an on-track accident».
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Umbau: CRD-03/2001
Auktion: RM Sotheby’s, Monterey 2023, Schätzpreis 8’500’000 bis 9’500’000 Dollar, nicht verkauft, angeboten mit folgendem Text: «The car presented here, chassis number CRD03, is the third of only 10 Ferrari 550 Maranello Prodrives commissioned by Care Racing Development to race in period. Acquired new from Ferrari by Frédéric Dor and used as his daily road car, it boasts a competition career spanning five years, testament to the raw pace and inherent reliability Prodrive’s designers and engineers were able to unlock from Ferrari’s then-flagship 12-cylinder model. Of the 34 events CRD03 entered across the world between 2002 and 2006, it won five races, took 14 podium finishes, and scored 10 pole positions. More importantly, with five consecutive editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans on its competition résumé, this car has the distinction of being the single most-raced 12-cylinder Ferrari in the world’s most famous endurance motor race».
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Chassis-Nummer: ZFFZR49B000108612
Umbau: CRD-05/2002
Steht zum Verkauf bei Girardo & Co. (Februar 2024), angeboten mit folgendem Text: «The second 550 Maranello Prodrive constructed in 2002 and the fifth built overall, chassis number CRD05 boasts the distinction of being the most raced example of them all, with 69 starts on its competition résumé between 2003 and 2008».
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Die Werksfahrzeuge:
Chassis-Nummer: 115811 (2000)
Auktion: RM Sotheby’s, Mailand 2021, verkauft für 1’805’000 Euro, angeboten mit folgendem (eigenartigen) Text: «Ferrari made it clear that any racing version would have to be developed privately, with Italian Race Preparation firm Italtecnica and their British counterparts Prodrive taking the lead. Indeed, it was not until 2003 that the factory-approved N. Technology squad, somewhat belatedly, chose to develop their own version. One of four Italtecnica cars built, chassis 115811 was purchased by wealthy Italian Andrea Garbagnati, making its race debut in the first round of the 2001 FIA GT Championship at Monza. Entered by Team Rafanelli, the car was driven by former Formula One drivers Emanuele Naspetti and Mimmo Schiattarella. Although running fifth early on, their race ended in retirement following steering failure just after two thirds distance. At the second round at Brno, the pair enjoyed a largely uneventful race to finish fifth, whilst at Magny-Cours two weeks later, they recorded a valiant fourth behind the winning Lister Storm and two Chrysler Vipers. After another fifth at Silverstone, a busy early season of five races in seven weekends concluded with a visit to Zolder in Belgium, in mid-May. Naspetti took a richly deserved pole position, although once again bad luck intervened with the car retiring once again due to accident damage. The season resumed at Spa in early August for the series’ blue riband event, the 24 Hours. Naspetti was retained as lead driver of 115811 with Schiattarella replaced by two-time Spa winner Eric van de Poele; Belgian amateurs Philippe Steveny and Martial Chouvel also joining the squad. After qualifying second, Naspetti made a blistering start, even taking the race lead briefly in the third hour. However, the early pace had taken its toll, the car retiring after just six hours with a broken crankshaft. A truncated season saw the car compete at the A1-Ring in late August, but the squad opted to miss the final three rounds of the Championship at Nurburgring, Jarama and Estoril. In Austria, Naspetti was partnered by Marc Duez, and after a somewhat lacklustre qualifying session—which left the pair only 13th—the car retired once again with engine maladies, this time shortly before half distance.
After lying dormant for the majority of the 2002 season, 115811 was loaned to erstwhile Touring Car team Dart Racing for the last three rounds of that year’s FIA GT Championship. Although driven by vastly experienced Red Bull-backed Austrian Dieter Quester and former Le Mans class winner Luca Riccitelli, and suitably updated to 2002 specification by Milan-based J.A.S Motorsport, the alliance was not a fruitful one, with all three rounds—Enna, Donington and Estoril—ending in retirement. For 2003, car owner Garbagnati entrusted preparation responsibilities to JMB Racing, entering selected events in both the FIA and Italian GT Championships. Once again, the former was a disappointment, with drivers Terrien, Derichebourg and Pescatori enduring lamentable reliability and retiring from all four race starts. However, an otherwise disappointing season was salvaged when Garbagnati himself shared the car with Ferrari test driver Andrea Bertolini in two Italian GT races at the A1-Ring, taking overall victory in both. The 2004 season represented 115811’s competitive swansong, with JMB’s lead driver Lorenzo Casè securing three overall victories in the car at Imola, Magione and Vallelunga en route to third place in the end of year standings. Appropriately, the Vallelunga win would be the car’s final contemporary race, with Casè sharing the car on this occasion with future Mercedes-Benz Formula One supremo Toto Wolff. Following the conclusion of its contemporary race career, the car was sold to Frenchman Bruno Tortara and then to an anonymous German collector, the latter commissioning former JMB engineer Jean-Christophe Noel to undertake a comprehensive restoration. It was acquired by the vendor in 2018, who reinstated the spectacular 2002 Red Bull livery and undertook a complete engine and gearbox rebuild».
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Chassis-Nummer: 2102
Auktion: RM Sotheby’s, Paris 2022, Schätzpreis 2’000’000 bis 2’500’000 Euro, nicht verkauft, angeboten mit folgendem Text: «The first factory-built example—developed in a technical partnership between Ferrari and N-Technology—was coined the 550 GTC. Construction began in 2003, coincidentally after Ferrari had phased out production of the road-going 550 and replaced it with the 575. Only two examples were manufactured: chassis numbers 2102—offered for sale here—and 2104, both delivered new to be raced by the works-favoured French team, JMB Racing, though still in the ownership of Ferrari. The chassis number “2102” marked the first time since the 512 M that a model had used an even chassis number for a V-12 race car—a tradition reserved for use on factory race cars only. Sporting a Rosso Corsa exterior over Tessuto Racing Nero interior, this 550 GTC debuted in the LG Super Racing Weekend at Donington Park on 29 June 2003, and raced twice more in the 2003 FIA GT Championship. It next raced at the 24 Hours of Spa, on 27 July 2003, piloted by Fabio Babini, Philip Peter and Boris Derichebourg. They qualified in 10th place and Spa put this 550 GTC to the ultimate test as it competed against three Prodrive Ferrari 550s, Chrysler-backed Dodge Vipers and Saleen SR7s. During the first six hours, chassis number 2102 held 1st position, a fine attestation to its race pace. After 326 laps, the car sadly retired due to engine trouble, but had more than proved its point. The official 550 GTC program had thus served its purpose as an operational prototype (for the subsequent 575 GTC) and reignited Ferrari’s enthusiasm for GT racing, which they have remained committed to and been dominant since. In 2004, chassis number 2102 was placed in storage with AF Corse, and in 2005, was sold to its second owner, Piero Nappi, a favoured friend of the marque and a significant Italian privateer racer. Nappi fielded chassis number 2102 in a dozen races during the 2005 Campionato Italiano Velocità Montagna (CIVM)—or Italian Speed Hill Climb Championship—becoming the overall “GTM” class champion. Nappi’s success was repeated in 2006 and 2014. A letter dated 26 September 2005 from Jean Todt, then Director General of Ferrari, congratulates Nappi on his victory and notes that it had been several years since any Ferrari had been successful in this category. Nappi continued to enter the car in CIVM events until 2016, achieving around 30 class and group wins».
Mehr spannende Fahrzeuge haben wir in unserem Archiv.
Ich erlaube mir dazu diesen sehenswerten Link zu teilen:
https://youtu.be/hYAAft_jQXs?si=eB_bgnTQpsSZOwq3