Ferrari F50 History

Debuting at the 1995 Geneva Motor Show, the Ferrari F50 was conceived as a road-going Formula 1 car: its 4.7-litre naturally aspirated V12 was derived from the Ferrari 641/2 F1 engine of 1990, and the car used a carbon-fibre monocoque to which the engine was a stressed structural member — both firsts for a Ferrari road car.

Ferrari built 349 examples (one unsold), each pre-sold to approved customers. The F50 weighed 1,230 kg and produced 513 hp, giving it a top speed of around 325 km/h (202 mph). Both a coupé (with a removable hardtop) and an open barchetta configuration were offered in the same car.

The F50 occupies the second position in Ferrari's 'Big Five' special-series lineage (288 GTO → F40 → F50 → Enzo → LaFerrari) and is less celebrated in popular culture than its siblings — partly because it followed the near-mythic F40 — but highly regarded by engineers for its purity of concept.