The 360 Modena and the 550 Maranello first raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2002. Production of the Maranello, named after the site of the Ferrari factory, began in 1996 and hailed the return of the front-engine design that so became the 250 GTO and the Daytona. Swiss-French gentleman driver Frédéric Dor was behind the Maranello’s first entry at Le Mans. Dor, who worked with Prodrive as a rally driver, asked the outfit to fund a race version of the 550 Maranello to be fielded by Care Racing Development. Having led the class field for much of the race, the car failed to cross the finish line at its maiden Le Mans in 2002 but won the class the following year.

Its pride wounded by the privateer’s success, the Ferrari factory riposted by entering two 575 GTCs. Both cars bowed out before the end of the race in 2004, while the three 550s came third, fourth and fifth in class. Only one 575 was ever seen at Le Mans again, in 2005, although it still did not last the full stretch. The 550, however, remained a regular in the GT class until 2007. Larbre Compétition and Cirtek Motorsport finished twelfth and seventeenth overall in 2005 and Cirtek came fourteenth in 2007. At the same time, in 2006, another Ferrari story was unfolding as the F430 made its entrance. But that is a tale for another day.

Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO – Translation from French by Emma Paulay

Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, LE MANS 24 HOURS, SATURDAY 14 & SUNDAY 15 JUNE 2003. Five years after the victory of the 333 SP prototype, Ferrari meets with success once again with Prodrive’s 550 Maranello driven by Peter Kox, Tomas Enge and Jamie Davies.