On the latest episode of Hagerty’s The Driver’s Seat, Henry Catchpole drives the Ferrari 550 Prodrive. The featured car is chassis CRD03 and raced at Le Mans five times, finishing on the podium in 2004 with Colin McRae, Darren Turner, and Rickard Rydell.
The 550 Prodrive was not a factory Ferrari effort but the result of French privateer Frédéric Dor and British engineering firm Prodrive. Instead of paying millions for a vintage Ferrari, Dor commissioned Prodrive to turn the road-going 550 Maranello into a competitive GT racer.
Built in just 15 weeks, the car retained the 550’s chassis but was comprehensively re-engineered. It featured double wishbone suspension, Koni dampers, a stripped but recognizable interior, and produced 600 hp with immense torque through a sequential gearbox.
On track, the car feels light and precise, with communicative steering and an agile but demanding chassis. The throttle response is immediate, rewarding accuracy while punishing errors. The cockpit is pared back for weight but still carries Ferrari’s familiar layout and visibility.
Weighing only 1,100 kg, it was brutally quick—particularly down the Mulsanne Straight, where it could outpace Corvette’s C5.R by 30 km/h. Its high-pitched metallic exhaust note contrasted sharply with the Corvette’s deep V8 roar. The 550 Prodrive delivered Ferrari’s first GT-class win at Le Mans in 22 years and went on to achieve 69 race victories, eight championships, and 60 poles across just 12 chassis.
