One to Buy: ex-Markus Lehner Nero Daytona 2001 Ferrari 550 Barchetta
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Nearly 20 years after the company had last offered a front V12-engined open two-seater, Ferrari released a spectacular limited edition special based on the critically acclaimed 550 Maranello.
Unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in October 2000, as its name would suggest, the 550 Barchetta Pininfarina was more akin to a 550 Speedster than a simple Drop Head conversion of the existing 550 Coupe. Created to celebrate Pininfarina’s 70th anniversary, 448 were to be built, all of which were pre-sold to existing customers before production got underway in 2001.
We think one of the nicest 550 Barchettas to have come onto the open market in recent months is the car depicted here, chassis 124241, which will be going under the hammer during RM Sotheby’s ‘September Sealed’ event that runs from the 23rd to the 30th of this month.
Configured in the lovely combination of Nero Daytona with Beige leather upholstery and Nero carpet, chassis 124241 was ordered new through Ferrari West Europe Levallois Perret and supplied by Gabriel Cavallari’s Monaco Motors to Monte Carlo-based Austrian financier, Markus Lehner. Delivered on October 1st 2001, it was the 263rd car in the 448-strong production run.
In 2002, Markus Lehner entered the Ferrari Challenge with a Monaco Motors-entered 360 and was named Rookie of the Year, finishing twelfth out of 36 drivers. The following year, having switched to the Kessel Racing outfit, Lehner became class champion in the Ferrari Challenge Europe.
Now showing a little over 5500km, according to RM Sotheby’s: “Purchased by the most recent previous owner in Switzerland in July of 2019, the car was immediately entrusted to Sportgarage Leirer AG, an official Ferrari service centre in Stein, Switzerland. There, the car was treated to a major service including changing of the timing belts as well as some cosmetic work which included rectifying some minor imperfections on the left hand side of the car and repainting as necessary. Invoices for this work total to over 19,000 CHF.”
“In December 2019, chassis 124241 was granted Ferrari Classiche certification, confirming that the car remains factory correct throughout and retains its original chassis, engine, gearbox, and bodywork.
Further service work at Sportgarage Leirer AG included an annual service in February of 2021 at 5265 km. The following year, the 550 Barchetta returned to Sportgarage Leirer AG and under the Ferrari Premium program, the coolant lines and fuel links were replaced alongside a number of associated hose clamps, and rubber boots for the steering rack.”
“Imported to the United States earlier this year by the current owner, the 550 Barchetta is accompanied by a number of previous service invoices from its time in Switzerland, along with a set of owners manuals including service book in the correct 550 Barchetta Pininfarina pouch with Ferrari-branded Maglite, its Ferrari Classiche certification binder, a Ferrari car cover, tool kit, and the soft-top in its leather bag.”
