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Volvo: Safety Beyond the Star RatingsThe Best Ferraris Ever Created
Over more than 7 decades Ferrari has crafted some of the most beautiful, beastly, and boast-worthy sports cars in history.
Compiling the Best Ferraris Isn’t a Simple Task
How does one determine the top ten cars made by one of the most influential brands in automotive history over the span of more than 80 years? We’ve decided to focus on the ones that stand out for the way they reshaped the automotive landscape. Since 1940, Ferrari has been synonymous with speed and that’s because, while most other manufacturers tend to follow trends and lag behind, they’ve pressed ahead to the bleeding edge of automotive technology. Here is our list of the best Ferraris (in no particular order) ever crafted in Maranello and Modena.
Ferrari 125 S
As the first car to ever be badged and sold to a private individual with the Ferrari name on it, the 125 S is special regardless of any other feature it might possess. Still, it’s remarkable for more than that, not least of which is the 1.5-liter V12 found under its hood. Made in-house by Ferrari themselves, the vehicle really was a race car for the road. It’s often forgotten that Enzo Ferrari had no desire to sell his cars to the public or make them road-worthy. The 125 S was the first major domino to fall in what has clearly become an incredible legacy.
Ferrari 250 GT 2+2
While there are a great many 250 GTs to pick from, perhaps one of the most influential ones is the 2+2 version bought and driven by Ferruccio Lamborghini. While Lamborghini was unhappy with the clutch in his Ferrari, the debate between him and Enzo about its quality sparked the war that continues to this very day between the two companies. That rivalry has driven Ferrari to new heights it may not have reached without Lamborghini nipping at its heels.
Ferrari Dino 206 GT
As the first mid-engine road car ever sold by Ferrari, the Dino set a new precedent for the company in terms of performance targets. The more powerful Dino 246 arrived 2 years after the 206 and officially cemented the layout into the Ferrari lineup. Originally intended to compete with the Porsche 911, this sports car went far beyond that and remains one of the most loved of the brand.
Ferrari 288 GTO
Before the 288, very few sports cars from the house of the Prancing Horse were as track-focused and visceral. It set a totally new and higher-strung tone for the brand. Built as a homologation special of the 308 GTB, the 288 GTO used a 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V8 mounted behind the driver to rocket to 60 mph in just 5 seconds. An even more extreme version dubbed the Evoluzione made 650 horsepower and could reportedly reach a top speed of 225 mph.
Ferrari Enzo
As the supercar that bears the founder’s name, the Enzo had to be special – and it was. At its heart was a 6.0-liter V12 that makes 660 horsepower. In a move that would make Enzo himself proud, it was developed in partnership with Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher. Hilariously, three development mules were created with Ferrari 348 bodies on top of the advanced underpinnings. It also spawned a track-only supercar future for Ferrari with the release of the FXX and later the FXXK which Ferrari keeps for customers and moves from one racetrack to another for the owner’s benefit.
Ferrari LaFerrari
As the first hybrid Ferrari, the LaFerrari seems to signal the future for its namesake brand. It’s unimaginably fast thanks to its 950 horsepower hybrid powertrain that can push it to 60 in under 3 seconds and onto a top speed of more than 215 mph. In the same way that the companies F1 cars are constructed with hand-laid carbon fiber, the LaFerrari uses a carbon tub that was crafted in the same artisan fashion. While there’s still some murmurs that another mid-engine V12 Ferrari is in the works, the LaFerrari is the last one ever made as of this writing.
Ferrari F40
The F40 took everything great about the 308 GTO and democratized it for a wider audience. It also pushed the limits of what a supercar could accomplish. World-renowned tire company Pirelli actually worked hand in hand with Ferrari to create a batch of rubber that would ensure that the F40 could reliably put down its 470ish horsepower. Reports in 1988 confirmed that it could achieve 60 mph in just 4.7 seconds and a top speed of 199. The shape was a sharp departure from past cars and even today is responsible for setting the tone for all future flagship Ferrari supercars.
Ferrari 458 Italia
While the F40 made speed more mainstream, the 458 pushed that idea into the stratosphere. Before it, Ferrari drivers fell into two categories, the ones who could confidently push them in the corners and the ones who couldn’t. The 458 was so technologically advanced that anybody could drive like the racecar driver hero of their dreams. According to Ferrari, it’s capable of accelerating longitudinally and cornering some 32% faster than its predecessors. That type of jump is only possible thanks to a special E-Differential and F-1 inspired traction control systems.
Ferrari F50
One thing that the F40 never accomplished was giving its occupants a comfortable ride. The F50 provided exactly that while giving up very little in the way of speed. Where the F40 was a perfect weekend track toy, the F50 was the first flagship Ferrari that owners would want to drive to and from the track as well. Its styling started to shove the company back towards a more sensual and rounded shape as well, a trait the brand hasn’t abandoned since.
Ferrari F2004 F1 Car
Maybe it’s cheating a bit to pick a racecar, but frankly, after so many decades since the brand’s inception, it was incredible to watch a Ferrari dominate the world’s most intense racing like this one did. The aforementioned Schumacher won 13 of 18 races that season in the F2004, and his partner Rubens Barrichello won two more races for a total of 15 victories. No other team that season won more than a single race. In fact, the second-place constructor, BAR Honda, scored well below half of the points that the F2004 Ferrari racked up throughout the season.
