Limited-edition Ferrari salutes famous Italian design house

Ferrari importers Continental Car Services is hoping to bring at least one model of the limited-edition 550 Barchetta Pininfarina to New Zealand.

The company's sales director John Periam said he was waiting for the factory in Italy to confirm delivery for next year. The roadster - a soft-top cover is stored for 'emergencies' - will go into production in January.

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo wanted the 550 Barchetta to capture the spirit of such cars as the 166MM (the first Ferrari to win Le Mans), the 250 California and the 365 GTS4 Daytona.

One of the first two cars will be given to Ferrari driver and this year's Formula One champion Michael Schumacher.

The Barchetta was built to mark Italian design house Pininfarina's 70th anniversary and its 50 years of collaboration with Ferrari.

Production will be limited to 448 cars, mostly right-hand-drive models.

The car is powered by a 360kW 5.5-litre V12 engine coupled to a six-speed gearbox. Its top speed will be about 300 km/h.