Ferrari was the ultimate builder of grand-touring cars-right up through the legendary 365 GTB/4 "Daytona." Yet it took the Prancing Horse nearly two dozen years to try the two-seat, front-engined, rear-drive, V-12-powered recipe again with the 550 Maranello.

The shapely, Pininfarina-penned 550 Maranello was worth the wait. It used a version of the 5.5-liter V-12 featured in the four-seat 456, but Ferrari offered the 550 only with a six-speed manual. With 478 hp tasked with motivating about 3,900 lbs., the 550 Maranello was fleet of foot. Its 0-60 sprints of 4.2 seconds and its 12.5-second quarter-mile times are solid evidence. Assembly of the 550 commenced in 1996, and about 3,100 were built when production ceased in 2001.

The 550 Maranello offered here is a well-documented, low-mileage example and shows less than 13,100 miles, only a handful of which have been accumulated since extensive maintenance was performed by the noted Griffin Motorwerke in Berkeley, California. Other than an Alpine head unit with HD and satellite radio compatibility, the 550 Maranello shows no modifications from the factory. Its interior presents as new, including the oft-maligned center console trim and switches. With its recent servicing, this 550 Maranello is ready to be driven and enjoyed.