To mark the 70th anniversary of famed Italian design house Pininfarina at the turn of the new millennium, the 550 Maranello coupé was in line for a convertible makeover. Gaining a rakish cutdown windscreen and losing the fixed roof, the resulting 550 Barchetta Pininfarina was officially first shown to the public by respective company bosses Luca di Montezemolo and Sergio Pininfarina during the 2000 Paris Motor Show.

Due to the number four being considered unlucky in parts of East Asia, the story goes that Ferrari decided to fractionally increase its originally forecasted production allocation from 444 to 448 examples. The upshot was that another handful of customers were fortunate enough to experience the open-air thrills of a naturally aspirated 5.5-litre V-12 engine delivering its 479 brake horsepower via a six-speed, open-gate, manual transmission.

The car offered here is numbered “138” from the run of only 448 examples of the 550 Barchetta Pininfarina. Adding to its rarity, this is one of reportedly just 48 that were configured from the factory in right-hand-drive form. Attractively finished in Rosso Corsa over an interior sporting Nero Connolly leather and matching-colour carpets, it was further specified with red brake callipers sitting behind the five-spoke split-rim wheels.

Fitted with instruments reading in kilometres, the 550 Barchetta Pininfarina was delivered new to Hong Kong in June 2001 via the Italian Motors Ltd importer. Per the accompanying Warranty Card, the Ferrari was handed over to its first owner, Mr Poon Kin Lap, on 3 July.

According to Ferrari service records, the 550 Barchetta Pininfarina was submitted to Naza Italia in Malaysia for maintenance. From a July 2012 appointment, the car was noted to have only covered 54 kilometres. Five months later, in November, it was awarded prestigious Ferrari Classiche certification. The supporting “Red Book” recorded the presence of its matching-numbers body, engine, and gearbox.

Additional services were carried out by Naza Italia in January 2015 (the Ferrari logged with 65 kilometres), May 2019 (111 kilometres), March 2020 (111 kilometres), and November 2021 (545 kilometres). The following year, the 550 Barchetta Pininfarina was brought to the United Kingdom. To round out 2022, it was sent to Ferrari dealer H R Owen in South London in December for a major service. The corresponding invoice—available on file—details an engine and gearbox oil and filter change, renewal of the brake fluid, plus the important installation of a new cambelt, auxiliary belt, and tensioners. A fresh battery was fitted, the geometry checked, and the boot struts replaced as part of work totalling £8,692.

At the time of its visit to the H R Owen, the 550 Barchetta Pininfarina was recorded with 562 kilometres displayed. Having been stored thereafter, the Ferrari heads to RM Sotheby’s London auction with 571 kilometres on the odometer at the time of cataloguing. Further to its Warranty Card and “Red Book”, the car is supplied with its owner’s guides in their leather folio, Certificate of Origin, canvas roof, indoor car cover, tool and tyre inflator kits, plus the two Barchetta helmets with their accompanying dust cover bags and carry cases.

Courtesy of an incredibly limited production run, the opportunity to acquire any 550 Barchetta Pininfarina marks a special occasion for the Cavallino collector. However, this barely driven right-hand-drive example—offered in its factory-correct Rosso Corsa over Nero colour combination, further to touting Ferrari Classiche certification and its generous bevy of accessories—is surely difficult to surpass. Bidders should not overlook their chance to buy such a well-preserved example that presents just as it left the Maranello factory gates some 25 years ago.