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All the Feels: Richard Hammond Briefly Reunites With His Beloved Ferrari 550

Like watching a drama around the tearful reunion with the one that got away, this Richard Hammon video will bring all the feels.
Richard Hammond, Harry Metcalfe reunited with the 1998 Ferrari 550 both still regret selling 10 photos
Photo: YouTube / DriveTribe
Richard Hammond, Harry Metcalfe reunited with the 1998 Ferrari 550 both still regret sellingRichard Hammond, Harry Metcalfe reunited with the 1998 Ferrari 550 both still regret sellingRichard Hammond, Harry Metcalfe reunited with the 1998 Ferrari 550 both still regret sellingRichard Hammond, Harry Metcalfe reunited with the 1998 Ferrari 550 both still regret sellingRichard Hammond, Harry Metcalfe reunited with the 1998 Ferrari 550 both still regret sellingRichard Hammond, Harry Metcalfe reunited with the 1998 Ferrari 550 both still regret sellingRichard Hammond, Harry Metcalfe reunited with the 1998 Ferrari 550 both still regret sellingRichard Hammond, Harry Metcalfe reunited with the 1998 Ferrari 550 both still regret sellingRichard Hammond, Harry Metcalfe reunited with the 1998 Ferrari 550 both still regret selling
The former Top Gear presenter and ever-relatable car enthusiast once said that the one car he always regretted selling was the 1998 Ferrari 550 Maranello he got from his pal, and automotive legend in his own right, Harry Metcalfe. That 550 went up at auction last month and, before landing with its new owner, was briefly reunited with both Hammond and Metcalfe.

It was the most touching and impressive episode of Motoring Regrets you’re likely to see this week. In fact, it was so amazing that Hammond and Metcalfe should seriously consider making one such series, fans are telling them in the comments. The reunion was possible with help from DriveTribe, with Mike Fernie driving the Ferrari to the meeting place.

When he bought the Ferrari in late 2003, Metcalfe was writing for EVO magazine, so for the 18 months he owned it, he didn’t just drive it on his extended daily commute but also featured it heavily in the mag. This is why it’s said this 550 is perhaps the most famous Ferrari in the UK.

Metcalfe decided to sell it to get himself a “little” Pagani Zonda, but he didn’t ask Hammond if he wanted to buy it. Hammond, for his part, badly wanted the car but imagined his wife Mindy would kill him if he sank that kind of money into yet another (his sixth, at the time) car, when he had a family to provide for and bills to pay.

Unbeknownst to him, Mindy called up Metcalfe and they arranged the transaction, so the 550 was waiting for Richard when he got back from a shoot at the North Pole. He was beyond thrilled, he recalls: while he always felt “silly” with other Ferraris, this one fit him like a glove and he loved everything about it, from the excellent handling and its simplicity, to the beauty of the design and the sheer force of the V12.

Hammond wouldn’t keep the car for long. Because the commute to London was taking too much of his time, he decided to move the family to another neighborhood, closer to the capital. However, the next day after they moved in, they realized they didn’t fit in and decided to move back. Hammond was stuck with a 6-month rent bill on the house he no longer wanted, so he had to sell the Ferrari to cover that expense.

To this day, Hammond regrets having had to make that decision. You can tell how much it still pains him by the look on his face as he watches the 550 drive away at the end of the interview, and he’s again in a position in which he can’t afford a new car because his family (and a conservatory extension to the house) comes first. If there ever was true love that couldn’t be, it’s in Hammond’s dejected, heartbroken expression at the end of the video.

The Ferrari 550 sold at the end of last month for just £60,000 (approximately $78,293 at today’s exchange rate).

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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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