Within the automotive world, there are many rivalries constantly going on. From the massive battle between the American manufacturers of Ford, Chevrolet, and Chrysler, to the equally big battle going on in Germany between BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi. These are great, but one of the most exciting of these skirmishes includes the giants that are Ferrari and Lamborghini.
Ferrari was founded in 1947 by the legendary Enzo Ferrari and mostly produced race cars for the various racing championships of the world. Mr. Ferrari reluctantly started building road cars to finance his racing projects and one of the people who loved the Ferraris of the era was Ferruccio Lamborghini. He made his fortune building tractors and to celebrate his success, he purchased two Ferraris – one for himself and one for his wife. Upon taking it apart, he realized that Ferrari used the same clutch as his tractors did and when Mr. Lamborghini confronted Mr. Ferrari about it, he insulted Lamborghini and called him ‘just a simple farmer’. And so began a decades-long gripe which is still ongoing – nearly 60 years later.
The rivalry between Ferrari and Lamborghini is one of the most legendary in the automotive industry and remains entertaining. The question still stands, which of these Italian manufacturers has the most flair?
10 Ferrari 250 GTO
The 1962 to 1964 Ferrari 250 GTO is one of the most famous cars the Prancing Horse has ever made, not only due to its fantastic racing history at Le Mans but also because it was consistently the most expensive vehicle sold at auctions.
The 250 GTO features the fabulous 3.0-liter Colombo V12 which produced around 300 hp in GTO trim. The engine drove the rear wheels via a 5-speed manual. The 250 GTO is the essence of Ferrari, showcasing gorgeous styling with athletic prowess.
9 Lamborghini Miura
The Lamborghini Miura is a big insult in the face of Ferrari as it claimed not only the fastest car crown when it was introduced, but it also set the drivetrain layout trend for all supercars to come. It was a behemoth of performance and as an added bonus, it makes a sweet V12 noise.
The Miura featured the famous Lamborghini V12, this time displacing 3.9 liters and producing 345 hp going through a 5-speed manual to the rear wheels. The Miura revolutionized the fast car segment and even Ferrari themselves admitted to the genius engineering.
8 Ferrari F40
The Ferrari F40 is an important car not only because it was the fastest production car at one point, but because it was the last car approved by Enzo Ferrari himself. The F40 was built to celebrate the brand’s 40th anniversary and to showcase the effectiveness of turbocharging in road cars.
The F40 replaced the 288 GTO and so featured a modified version of the same engine. It was enlarged to 2.9 liters and received bigger turbos to produce around 470 hp. It had a top speed of 199 mph – only beaten by the McLaren F1 a few years later.
7 Lamborghini Diablo SV
The Lamborghini Diablo was the successor to the legendary Countach – which itself succeeded the even more important Miura. The Diablo SV was among the most powerful production versions and looked angry compared to the normal Diablo or VT.
The SV name was revived for the Diablo and the 5.7-liter Lamborghini V12 produced an impressive 530 hp. Granted, the Diablo SE30 made 600 hp, but that was a special model. The Diablo was the flagship model which introduced all-wheel-drive to the mix, creating an entirely new breed of supercar.
6 Ferrari Enzo
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The Ferrari Enzo was the company’s 60th-anniversary gift to itself, succeeding the F50. The Enzo featured extremely futuristic engineering, such as carbon-fiber body panels, carbon-ceramic brakes, and an F1-style automated-manual, flappy-paddle transmission.
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The Enzo also came with a 6.0-liter naturally aspirated V12 in the middle, producing 650 hp and 485 lb-ft of torque, going to the rear wheels only. It was a testament to Ferrari’s engineering and getting a hold of one can now easily cost a few million Dollars.
5 Lamborghini Murciélago SV
The Lamborghini Murciélago SV was the last car to feature the amazing Lamborghini V12, which had now been in production for 47 years. The SV gained all the facelifted Murciélago design cues, with a few of its own including larger front and side intakes and a larger spoiler on the back.
The engine was the largest size yet, coming in at 6.5 liters – around 3.0 liters more than when it started production in 1963. The SV produced 661 hp and sent all the power to all four wheels via a 6-speed automated-manual transmission. Of all the Lamborghinis, the Murciélago SV is the proper Raging Bull.
4 Ferrari 458
The Ferrari 458 is highly regarded as one of the best Ferrari road cars ever made. It was the final model to use the F136 V8, behind the F430, California, and various Maseratis. The 4.5-liter naturally aspirated V8 produced between 562 and 600 hp, depending on the model.
The 458 is another masterclass in supercar design as it still looks brilliant today. Not only is the styling great, but the desirability also remains constant as some used 458 models are easily more expensive than the succeeding 488 GTBs. The 458 should be on every motoring enthusiast’s collector’s list.
3 Lamborghini Gallardo
The Lamborghini Gallardo was one of the most important cars in the supercar world. It was the first model to be sold under the new owners – Audi – and it was the car that would make or break the Italian marque from Sant’Agata.
The Gallardo featured two versions of the new V10 and marked the first entry-level Lamborghini since the Jalpa in the 1980s. The best version of the Gallardo was by far the Valentino Balboni Edition, named after Lambo’s test driver, as it was a driver’s car with a gated manual.
2 Ferrari SF90 Stradale
The Ferrari SF90 Stradale is the brand’s current flagship model, sort of replacing and not replacing the LaFerrari in the lineup. Unlike the LaFerrari which needed ridiculous prerequisites to buy, anyone with a spare $520,000 can walk into a dealership and buy one.
The SF90 uses the 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8 from the 488 Pista, mated to three electric motors to produce a combined 1,000 hp. It is the most powerful production Ferrari ever made – which also gets around 50 MPGe. What a bargain!
1 Lamborghini Aventador SVJ
The Lamborghini Aventador SVJ is the most visceral of the Aventador models. It was designed to be the even more track-focused version of the SV, but with more power, more wings, and a French mustache on the front.
The SVJ – which stands for ‘Super Veloce Jota’ – produced 750 hp and 531 lb-ft of torque from its 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V12. It is the ultimate track Aventador in the line-up – as the Ultimae Edition was the final model. In the battle between the giants of Ferrari and Lamborghini, there is no clear victor – just big smiles on the faces of the people who drive their cars.