A 1996 Ferrari 550 Maranello once gifted to Michael Schumacher by the Italian marque is up for

A 1996 Ferrari 550 Maranello once gifted to Michael Schumacher by the Italian marque is up for auction and can sell for around $500,000

and can sell for around $500,000
by Sayan Chakravarty
Image – Art Curial. Via Instagram / @michaelschumacher

A Ferrari 550 Maranello that was once owned by none other than Formula One legend Michael Schumacher is up for auction and it might fetch more than half-a-million dollars. The 550 Maranello was launched in 1996 as a replacement for the 512 M. The Italian automaker brought 10 examples of the delightful GT model to the Nürburgring racetrack in Germany as part of its press launch. To showcase the performance of the Ferrari 550 Maranello in front of journalists from across the globe, Ferrari brought in Eddy Irvine and Michael Schumacher. The press event was organized shortly after Schumacher moved from Benetton to Ferrari in 1996. Afterwards, this particular example was gifted by Ferrari to the 7-time world champion, who drove the 550 Maranello for several years.

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The Ferrari 550 Maranello is a front-engine GT car equipped with a 485bhp 5.5L V12, which could propel the car from 0 to 62mph in 4.4 seconds. The car’s interior and exterior were both designed by the Italian design house Pininfarina. The example up for sale was used by Schumacher till 2003 before being sold in Japan via Ferrari’s famous Japanese importer, Cornes. The car comes with a letter of evidence personally signed by the former German F1 driver, while the glovebox also proudly features his signature. It is currently owned by a renowned Ferrari collector and only has 10,000km (~6200 miles) on the odometer.