Wieth Racing Ferrari 550 GTS

The Wieth Racing F550 GTS is a racing version of the Ferrari 550 Maranello. GT Racing Development were nine months ahead of Wieth Racing with the introduction of the first track version of the 550, but apparently declined to share their knowledge, leaving the German privateer team to go their own way with this example. GT Racing Development's plans to have "a production run of 4 to 5 cars" on the circuits during 2000 came to nought as First Racing struggled to build reliability into the project. It is to be hoped that this self-developed Wieth example from Germany is more reliable when it takes to the tracks in the FIA GT Championship in 2001.

The engine specifications would suggest that this car is more powerful but generates less torque than the original, while the weight and weight distribution of the pair are identical on paper. The chassis is fitted with a roll cage fabricated from high tensile steel tube, various suspension pickup points are integrated in to the cage's construction. An extremely stable side impact protection has been fabricated on the driver side of the vehicle. With the exception of the roof, all the body panels have been replaced by very light and extremely resilient Carbon / Kevlar components. In order to achieve a high down force on the rear axle, a large wing with a range of adjustments has been mounted on the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle has an enclosed floorpan with front and rear diffusers.

The original dashboard and centre console have both been replaced with carbon fibre. The driver is seated in a carbon-kevlar seat with a six point harness which is repositioned towards the centre of the vehicle. A race sport steering wheel has been fitted. Competition battery cut-out switches have been installed in place of the standard items. The electrical fire extinguisher system and dry cell battery are positioned on the passenger side of the vehicle.