Introduced for the 2002 model year, this front-engined V12 berlinetta was the evolved successor to the 550 Maranello and carried the “M” designation for modificata, signaling a meaningful update rather than an all-new concept. It retained the classic Ferrari grand touring formula of a long-hood, two-seat coupe with rear-wheel drive, but modernized the package with revised styling, updated electronics, and a larger 5.7-liter V12. Ferrari positioned it as a more refined and technically advanced expression of its traditional front-engine twelve-cylinder car, bridging the analog-era 550 and the newer 599 GTB Fiorano that arrived in 2006. The model was notable for bringing an F1-style automated manual gearbox to a road-going Ferrari V12 for the first time, while still offering a conventional manual transmission in some markets and specifications. During its run, the nameplate also underpinned limited-series derivatives, including the Superamerica, which used the same basic architecture in a more exclusive open-air grand touring format. Enthusiasts remember it as one of the last Ferrari V12 coupes to combine classic proportions, everyday grand touring usability, and early-2000s performance technology before the brand moved on to a new generation of front-engined twelve-cylinder cars. Its production run was continuous and limited to the first half of the decade, after which Ferrari replaced it with the 599 GTB Fiorano.
MODEL HISTORY