Five Best Ferraris of All Time

Ferrari F40

Credit: Miguel Mendez

In many ways, the Ferrari F40 was the last true stripped out, balls-to-the-wall Ferrari with no other purpose than pulling as many g as possible and soiling your pants. With the weight of a hatchback (around 1100kg) and that beautiful 484 hp 2.9-litre twin turbo V8 engine, the F40 was ferociously fast. It was as simple as it gets compared to its competition at the time and has that pin up, poster car look that many supercars fail to achieve today.

Pininfarina developed the carbon fibre, aluminium and Kevlar body. Anything deemed unnecessary was thrown out, this included the carpet, audio system and even the door handles. The ferocious weight saving and high power output of the engine meant the F40 could get to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds and have 100 mph done in 7.6.

It was built to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the company and was the last car Enzo Ferrari personally approved. Originally planned with a production run of 400, the Italian car company manufactured over 1,300 in total.

Ferrari LaFerrari

Credit: Axion23

The Ferrari LaFerrari, or just LaFerrari is meant to be the ultimate expression of what the car company is about, and we think they have delivered in spades. Compared to the old F40, LaFerrari is a technological masterpiece and is what modern day hypercars are all about.

A 6.2-litre naturally aspirated V12 engine generating 801 hp was combined with a lithium ion battery pack for a total of 963 hp. This means you’ll get from 0-62 mph in under three seconds, which means you’ll have enough time to stop off and get some new underwear along the way.

Only a tiny amount of cars can compete with the excellence of the LaFerrari, including the McLaren P1, the Porsche 918 and the new Bugatti Chiron. That is one hell of a claim to fame and we know the car will go down as one of the masterpieces of the motoring world.

Ferrari 250 GTO 

Credit: Neil

Considered to be the ultimate classic, Ferrari’s 250 GTO is quite possibly the best looking car ever made to us at Garage Dreams. Many seem to agree with us as the car fetched upwards of €50 million a couple of years ago, making it the most expensive car ever sold. Only 39 were produced and the car made it to the top of Motor Trend Classic’s “Greatest Ferraris of All Time” list.

Produced from 1962 to 1964, the 250 GTO was powered by Ferrari’s Tipo 168/62 V12 engine the sculpted aluminium body benefited from extensive wind tunnel testing. Weighing only 950kg, and having that beautiful 300 hp 3.0-litre V12 engine meant that the GTO could have 60 mph done-and-dusted in just over 6 seconds.

Ferrari Enzo 

Credit: Axion23

While the Enzo is probably one of the ugliest Ferrari’s of all time, it is mechanically sensational. Powered by a 6.0-litre V12 engine, the Enzo screamed its way to 60 mph in a little over 3 seconds and could get to 100 mph in 6.6 seconds. The monstrous engine was the first of a new generation for the Italian supercar manufacturer and was based on the design of the V8 found in Maserati’s Quattroporte.

It wasn’t just the engine that was a marvel. The carbon-fibre body helped keep the weight down to around 1,250kg and Ferrari borrowed much of its Forumla One tech and crammed it into the Enzo. F1 style electrohydraulic shifting and carbon composite brakes made the Enzo feel like a true F1 car for the road. The Enzo also had the benefit of active aerodynamics, which was not allowed in Formula One at the time.

It may not be a looker, but the overall package makes it one of the greatest Ferrari’s and cars ever built. Lapping the Nürburgring in 7:25 is also a winner in my book as well.

Ferrari 288 GTO

Credit: GTHO

Definitely less well known than the other four on this list, the Ferrari 288 GTO is no lesser car. Intended as a Group B racecar, the 288 GTO was left without a home when the racing series was cancelled. It found its way onto the road where it became the fastest car on the road from 1984-1986, only being bested by the mighty Porsche 959.

It was a exotic homologation of the Ferrari 308 GTB and featured a 3-litre V8 400 hp engine. At the time it was blisteringly quick with a 0-60 mph time of around 5 seconds and a top speed of 189 mph. Apart from being the fastest car at the time, it was also the first street-legal production car to reach 186 mph (300km/hr)

Only 272 cars were made making it one of the rarer Ferrari’s ever produced. The classic looks and the sublime performance make the 288 GTO one of the all time greats, even if nobody remembers it.

Author

  • From his early days playing the original Gran Turismo and with his Hot Wheels car set, Ben has had a long interest in all things automotive. His first foray into the world of automotive journalism was way back in 2009 and since then he has only grown more interested in the industry. Ben also runs and heads up the video production side of Garage Dreams, focusing on small informative documentaries about some of the world's most legendary cars.

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4 thoughts on “Five Best Ferraris of All Time”

  1. MY DINO IS THE BEST OF THEM ALL….YES IT IS A KIT CAR THAT I FOUND….RUN DOWN TOO….BUT I HAVE BROTH HER BACK TO LIFE…..I WASH HER EVERY WEEK…YES SHY IS MY TRAILER QUEEN…..DOEST NOT RUN….BUT LOVE TO GO FOR A RIDE….FREE WAY, IN THE PARK, SIDE ROADS OUT HERE IN THE PACIFIC N W OF WA. USA….JUST A BRIGHT RED DINO OUT FOR A DRIVE (RIDE) ON HER TRAILER JUST SHOWING HER SELF OFF TO ALL….

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