History, pedigree, victories, and top-of-mind brand awareness. Which car manufacturer seems to embody all of these aspects? If you didn't immediately think of Ferrari, then think again. Not only does Ferrari have a dominant presence in motorsports, but in automobiles throughout every generation too.
Since Ferrari's early days, they've endeavored to produce cars that could both drive you across town and win a grand prix in the same week. This philosophy is a large part of how they create their cars, and it really shows. Almost every Ferrari is a work of art in and of itself, so you know that these ten are truly the best of the best...
10 Ferrari Dino 246
Not every great car has a happy story preceding its creation. One such car is the Ferrari Dino. Enzo Ferrari, the creator of the legendary brand, tragically lost his son, Dino, to muscular dystrophy. To honor his son's memory, he named the Dino series after him.
The Dino 246 is a unique Ferrari as a result. It is one of the only Ferraris made to not sport the classic "Prancing Horse" badge on the front. As a result, the Dino was able to sell for a much more affordable cost. Nowadays, the Dino is revered by enthusiasts everywhere. Some even going so far as to add the Dino 246 to the top of their "best looking" category.
9 Ferrari 308 GTS
Like the classic Ferrari Testarossa, the 308 GTS also got a good portion of its fame from the silver screen. With the protagonist of the T.V. show Magnum P.I. driving a beautiful Rosso Corsa 308 GTS, it was no wonder why everyone in the '80s wanted on too.
The targa top on the GTS allowed owners to enjoy the best of both worlds: A racecar when it needed to be and a convertible anytime else. At first, the 308 GTS was only a naturally aspirated V8, but later became a turbocharged version that sold much better overseas.
8 Ferrari 512 BBi
Often, racing technology is later implemented into a company's standard road-going cars. Though Enzo Ferrari was, at first, unwilling to try something as daft as a mid-engine setup for a road car, he later gave in. Resulting in what's now known as the Ferrari 512 BBi.
The BBi is the latest version of the "Berlinetta Boxer" model; sporting a fancy new fuel0-injection system. With this change, the 512 BBi became reliable, drivable, and very competitive. So much so that an LM version was produced for the North American and Le Mans racing.
7 Ferrari F50
After the resounding success that was the F40, Ferrari had a difficult task in front of them: One-up themselves. With newer technology, better designs, and a fresh staff this seemed like it would be easy, but it was not.
The Ferrari F50 seems to fade away from the memories of some Ferrari fans. It was no means a bad car, just one that had been either beaten by its competition or beaten by its predecessor. The F50's powerful V12, amazing looks, and crisp engine note were not enough in the long run. It probably didn't help that it was incredibly uncomfortable to drive either.
Regardless of all of that, the F50 is a well-built, fast, and beautiful Ferrari that seems to have gotten the short end of the stick.
6 Ferrari F12 Berlinetta
Many words can be used to describe the F12 Berlinetta, however, one comes to mind more frequently: feral. Don't be mistaken, this is not a slight. Rather, it's a compliment, as the F12 Berlinetta possesses all qualities a Ferrari should have. It's fast, twitchy, stunning, and comfortable to boot.
During the twentieth series of B.B.C.'s Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson tested the F12 on breath-taking roads in Scotland. His summary was a glowing one, stating that the F12 is the only new Ferrari he would ever consider buying. The V12 screams at the top of its lungs every time you touch the pedal, but the sheer power makes you think twice before mashing that same throttle.
5 Ferrari Enzo
To be named after the creator of such a world-renowned brand as Ferrari, it needs to be good. This was the mindset of every Ferrari engineer, designer, and board member when coming up with their early-2000's flagship vehicle: The Ferrari Enzo.
Thankfully, they succeeded. The Enzo had every feature a car at the time could ask for. Even state of the art paddle-shifters from their Formula One team. As a result, the Enzo was very popular. It's unique exterior and butterfly doors blew everyone away when it came out; finally getting over the disaster that was the F50.
After all, when you have a vehicle's design aided by the famous Michael Schumacher, odds are it's going to do more than meet expectations.
4 Ferrari 488 Pista
Modern technology allows for technological marvels that would be completely unheard of mere years ago. The best place to witness this first hand is the automotive industry. Simply look at Ferrari's base V8 models from a decade ago to now. Then, there was the Ferrari F430, now there's the 488 Pista.
The 488 Pista is the quickest version of the already fast 488 GTB. It comes with the same 3.9-liter twin-turbocharged V8, just with a few upgrades and weight reduction. It's exterior is also altered for better aerodynamics, helping the Pista to reach 6o miles-per-hour in just 2.7 seconds and a total of over 205 M.P.H.
3 LaFerrari
Once again, modern technology helps us to reach unprecedented levels of speed and performance. The hybrid system is an example of such advancement, providing an eco-friendly alternative and a secondary boost system. With hybrid power, Ferrari has managed to make the LaFerrari, it's most powerful car yet.
A huge V12 engine may seem like enough to fight against anyone, but with a hybrid setup it can do much more. Currently, the only cars capable of keeping up to/maintaining a position with the LaFerrari are other hybrid hypercars. Such as the McLaren P1, Porsche 918, and the Koenigsegg Regera.
Now though, the soon to be released Ferrari SF90 Stradale looks to unseat the LaFerrari as the fastest hybrid. Without any real figures released yet, all there is to do is speculate.
2 2. Ferrari 250 GTO
What makes a car worth $48 million? Is it the car itself? The brand? Or maybe even its historical value? Whatever the answer may be, it's more than likely that the 250 GTO personifies all of them.
After being sold in auction for upwards of $48 million, the 250 GTO became one of the most expensive/valuable cars in the entire world. During its heyday, the 250 GTO won championships around the world and utterly dominated nearly every series it entered. Along with that, racers could simply drive the car home after a race weekend.
Each 250 GTO was built by hand; meaning that no one 250 was the same. This uniqueness and historical value-added more and more to its overall cost. Accompanying this, the 250 GTO is widely believed to be the best looking Ferrari in existence. Too bad not everyone has nearly $50 million lying around...
1 Ferrari F40
The Ferrari F40: The epitome of all things Ferrari. A true racecar on the road; completely astonishing as to how it even became street-legal in the first place. One cannot stress enough how alluring the F40 is in all things performance and appearance.
The F40 helped to define the supercar field, setting one of the fastest speeds of around 228 M.P.H. Virtually nothing could come close at the time, making the F40 an instant classic. With that, the F40 had some bold designs too. A wedged front, pop-up headlights, countless air vents, and an enormous rear wing.
Like the Lamborghini Countach and Ferrari Testarossa, the F40 was (and always will be) the perfect poster car. Not just for its looks, but for its status and power.