1996 Ferrari F50

As they had done for their 40th anniversary with the F40, Ferrari marked their 50th in 1995 with another supercar, the F50. As with its F40 predecessor, the F50 would be inspired by Ferrari’s racing efforts, although the F50 had more direct Grand Prix connections. The new Ferrari F50 shared its layout with their contemporary F1 car by using a carbon-fibre chassis and having its F1-derived, 65-degree V-12 bolted directly to the chassis and acting as a load-bearing member for the rear suspension and transaxle.

The F50 was intended as an F1 car for the road, and the 60-valve, 4.7-litre, 513-hp V-12 was a direct development of the engine used in Scuderia Ferrari’s 3.5-litre Formula One cars 5 years earlier. The F1 connection continued with the four-wheel independent suspension that employed electronically controlled and horizontally mounted dampers and springs, and the omission of power steering, power brakes and ABS ensured a most direct road feel for the driver.

This was enveloped by a very distinctive body created by Pininfarina that included a removable hard top. Prior to launch, the car’s aura was enhanced by Ferrari’s refusal to give journalists access to the car and their decision to offer cars only to pre-screened customers via a two-year lease arrangement in order to keep speculators out of the mix. Furthermore, to maintain exclusivity, Ferrari produced only 349 cars from 1995 to 1997. By Ferrari’s estimation, this was one less than market demand.

While it does and probably always will live in the shadow of the F40 that preceded it, the F50 is still a pivotal car in Ferrari history that established the company’s tradition of super-exclusive halo cars that has continued with the Enzo and the LaFerrari. It is 1990s supercar royalty and indeed the last road car to have a Formula One-derived engine. Some testers have complained of the stiff, even jarring ride thanks to the engine being bolted directly to the carbon-fibre chassis, but the wail of that V-12 and the brilliance of the overall design, whether you like the styling or not, make it all worth it.