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Normal people see Ferrari sports cars as pure status symbols, but there is so much more to it. Ferrari has been manufacturing Italian sports cars to the masses since 1947, and their history is rich with racing heritage, so as a result, they have created some of the most quintessential pieces of sports car art the world has ever seen from robust V8 artworks to V12-powered racecars, and even some odd-balls which had six-cylinders. Despite Ferrari's importance and their tantalizing range of sports cars, some individuals just outright refuse to buy a Ferrari, like Jay Leno for instance.Before we get into our list, we need to address the elephant in the room. Many motor enthusiasts argue that along the lines Ferrari lost their tenacity and vision, but we could not agree less... well, we'll have to see how their new Purosangue SUV performs before making up our minds.
11 Honorable Mention: Ferrari F12 Berlinetta
Unfortunately, the F12 Berlinetta just didn't make our cut, but we felt that we would be doing Ferrari purists a dishonor if we were to skip over this one. The F12 was one of Ferrari's most gracefully ferocious front-engined V12 cars ever produced and is also the predecessor to the obnoxious, but elegant, 812 Superfast. Underneath its sculpted hood was a naturally-aspirated 6.3-liter V12 which put out 720 hp, and with great power comes great top speed, 211 mph (340 kph) to be exact. So it was powerful and fast, but that wasn't its intended purpose.
The F12 was specifically catered towards a group of people who wanted a flamboyant and fast daily driver; therefore this Ferrari has a leather-drenched interior, space behind the front seats to strap in your luggage, and a 0-60 time of 3.2 seconds. So to summarize, we'd love to get the chance to get behind the wheel of an F12 Berlinetta, but what we have coming up is even more spectacular.
10 Ferrari 365 GTB/Daytona
The Ferrari 365 GTB/Daytona is by far the tamest and most luxurious Ferrari to drive on our list, but just because it's less agile and more comfortable than the rest doesn't mean it's boring or unworthy of its prancing horse logo. The 365 was designed with aerodynamics in mind, thus explaining why it almost looks like a massive bird's beak - but not something as ugly as a marabou stork, rather like a gorgeous toucan.
Not only was the Daytona a stunner, but it was a runner as well having the highest top speed of any production when it was released back in 1968. Its water-cooled front-mounted 4.4-liter V12 generated 353 hp and 319 lb-ft of torque which could propel the Daytona up to 174 mph which was 3 mph faster than their competition, the Lamborghini Miura P400.
9 Ferrari 599 GTO
The Ferrari 599 GTO was an enhanced 599, and also the third, and last, Ferrari to be fitted with the GTO badge after the 250 GTO and 288 GTO. Only 599 examples of the 599 GTO were ever made, and just like all other limited-production Ferrari sports cars, the 599 GTO's interior was stripped down to the bare minimum. The GTO had not one inch of leather inside, the whole interior was constructed using alcantara, mesh, and of course an unbelievable amount of carbon fiber.
The 599 GTO adopted the Enzo's naturally-aspirated 6.0-liter V12, but only now, it was retuned to produce 652 hp which was exactly one more horsepower superior to the Enzo. In today's day and age, with an insane amount of V12-powered Ferrari sports cars on sale, the GTO stands out from the crowd with the most robust and vicious tone ever fitted to one.
8 Ferrari 430 Scuderia
Ah, here we are, the first mid-engined V8 Ferrari on our list, the 430 Scuderia. Yes, that's right, the F430's hot and scarce version was just called the 430 Scuderia, Ferrari decided to completely ditch the F in its name for some reason. The 430 Scuderia's got its name from Ferrari's Grand Prix racing team, which started their journey back in 1929. The Scud's interior looked as if someone had ransacked everything they could take; there's no factory radio, no air conditioner, even the Scuderia's floor is even just a bare metal plate. Once again, comfortability was never their intended purpose - its end goal was to set fast lap times regardless of your spine's condition.
To contribute to the 430's liveliness, the rather controversial automated manual F1 gearbox was added, this would also be the last Ferrari to make use of that transmission, and its naturally-aspirated 4.3-liter V8 exclaimed all 503 hp at a magnificent tone to bless the whole tri-state area's ears. The 430 did have one distinct feature that set it apart from all other cars, and this became a huge trend amongst other auto manufacturers today: It had steering-mounted shift lights to indicate when it was time to shift up a gear.
7 Ferrari 250 GTO
The GTO badge in the 250's name is short for Gran Turismo Omologato, which is Italian for Homologated Grand Tourer, and in plain English, this means it's a road-going version of the 250 Testa Rossa race car. Only 36 250 GTO models were ever produced, but not only was it one of the scarcest Ferraris ever built, but the most valuable setting the highest auction price ever recorded, at $48.4 million.
The 250 GT might have been regarded as a grand touring car, but when you drove one you would feel every single wrinkle on the road and driving one is much more visceral than any other '60s racer. One unique quirk of the 250 GTO is it had a gated 5-speed dogleg gearbox. Doglegs were very common on racecars and actually improved lap times since its H-pattern was R, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Therefore, its reverse gear was where most cars' first gear would have been, and 2nd and 3rd were across from each other instead of diagonally to decrease shift time between them. Oh, and who could forget its raspy 3.0-liter V12 engine with six Weber carburetors which produced 296 hp and 216 lb-ft of torque.
6 Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale
The Ferrari 360 was a monumental car for Ferrari since it was the F355's successor, but looked nowhere identical to its ancestors; it ditched its pop-up headlights for see-through ones and had a more flush appearance than before. Now, the Challenge Stradale was almost an entirely different car from the standard 360 Modena... it's barely road-legal if we're honest, and that's why we love it so much.
If you thought the Scuderia's exposed metal floor was hardcore, inside the 360 Challenge Stradale, it had exposed welding where your feet are supposed to go, of course, it came without any luxuries like an air conditioner or radio, but by far the most bizarre... its steering wheel was naked - there were no buttons or knobs. But that's not where its racecar personality stopped, it sported a marvelous yell gifted by its 425 hp 3.6-liter V8, and its rigorous F1 gearbox and colossal carbon-ceramic brakes were identical to those found in the Ferrari Enzo.
5 Ferrari SF90 Stradale
We wouldn't be able to compile a list of the best Ferraris to drive without mentioning their most powerful, sports car yet, the SF90 Stradale. It derives its name from Ferrari's racing team who celebrated its 90th birthday in late 2019 and is Ferrari's second-ever hybrid, right after the LaFerrari of course. Every single bit of the SF90 is futuristic; its exterior is designed with a combination of short sharp edges and long curvaceous body lines in mind, and its interior... we have one word to describe its interior: 9 screens. Yes, that's right, there are almost 10 screens that form the SF90's interior, don't believe us, check this interior overview out! With this upgraded technology, a lot of driver connection is lost in the process, it almost feels easy to drive, but on the other hand, that's only if you lack a heavy foot in your $500,000 super-PHEV.
When added, the power output of its twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 and three electric motors will generate 986 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque - you don't have to know what these numbers mean to know they're a lot, almost surreal. According to Ferrari, the SF90 should complete a 0-60 run in 2.5 seconds, but as numerous other tests have revealed, the Stradale can go from 0 to 60 mph in 2 seconds dead, and also takes corners like a literal spaceship when fitted with the Assetto Fiorano package. Ferrari is getting gearheads all over the world excited about the future - they proved the future doesn't have to be boring.
4 LaFerrari
Not only was the LaFerrari (yes we know, that's technically the "The Ferrari") a dramatically styled piece of art, but also a huge leap for Ferrari into the automotive future as it was the first-ever Ferrari to ever make use of a hybrid setup, and fewer than 500 were made. This configuration consisted of a 6.3-liter V12 alongside an electric motor that produced a total net horsepower of 949 and 664 lb-ft of torque. Its electric counterpart made accelerations ever more brutal, and as a result, this Italian hybrid-supercar could go from 0 to 60 in as quick as 2.5 seconds, complete the standing quarter-mile in 9.8 seconds, and will reach up to 218 mph according to Ferrari themselves.
Many people consider older, less tech-focused Ferraris to be superior to the LaFerrari, and to play devil's advocate for a moment, it definitely diminishes somewhat of the raw driver feel, but not as much as the SF90. Despite that, it still has a harmonious howl, and still has the potential to be thrown around corners like a plaything.
3 Enzo Ferrari
Contrary to popular belief, Ferrari's third supercar from the 2000s isn't called the Ferrari Enzo, but rather the Enzo Ferrari since it's named directly after Ferrari's founder, Enzo Ferrari, but everyone is used to calling it the Ferrari Enzo regardless. There were only 499 example ever built by Ferrari, and every single one was left-hand-drive, but there have been rumors floating around that they exceeded that number, but refuse to comment on it as they want to provide Enzo owners with a sense of exclusivity - after all, this was the very first Ferrari you could not just go and buy but had to be invited to purchase by Ferrari themselves.
The Enzo's personality is entirely F1-inspired: From its F1 automated manual transmission to its screaming 651 hp naturally-aspirated 6.0-liter V12 engine behind the driver's seat, the Enzo is a beautiful and unforgiving Italian supercar. In today's market, some low-milage Enzo Ferraris sell for almost $4 million, and it truly breaks our heart to see their population decreasing daily, look at this most recent incident where an Enzo had its lifespan cut short in the Netherlands.
2 Ferrari 458 Speciale
And finally, we have reached our runner-up, the Ferrari 458 Speciale. The Speciale is Ferrari's last naturally-aspirated V8 sports car and is truly the best modern Maranello sports car to date. Its exterior is just perfection, and so is everything else on this car, from its carbon fiber blood to its glorious naturally-aspirated 605 hp V8-sized Italian heart. On paper, the Speciale sounds incredible, but in real life, it's even better.
All limited Ferrari models tend to be stripped down to their skeleton and lose all their technological components such as power-adjustable seats. However, while the Speciale does all that, it also adds some features where you don't see them but undoubtedly feel them. Its most prominent piece of tech is called side-slip control, and this essentially lets you communicate with your Ferrari and let it adapt to your driving style by combining its traction control and rear differential to suit your exact needs, even if that might be a tad irresponsible. Heartbreakingly, we're seeing fewer and fewer cars to be fitted with naturally aspirated engines, but fear not, the 458 Speciale will go down in history as one of the all-time greatest cars ever built.
1 Ferrari F40
The Ferrari F40 isn't just one of Maranello's finest creations but is considered to be one of the best driver-focused supercars to ever roam the planet, and that's exactly why it wins first place on our list. The F40 was built as a celebration of Ferrari's racing team's 40th anniversary, and every single one manufactured was finished in an extremely thin coat of Rossa Corsa red paint; why such a thin layer of paint on a $2 million-dollar supercar you might ask? To save weight, of course. This theory is implemented throughout the entire F40: it had hand-crank windows, a literal wire to act as an interior door handle, no radio, no air conditioner, not even an interior dome light.
Now, there were different F40 specifications, the European spec, and the US one. The Americans received an F40 that weighed just 2,977 lbs (1,350 kg), while Europe acquired one with a lighter 2,756 lb (1,250 kg) curb weight. However, this didn't render the US car useless. All F40s inhabited a mid-mounted twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V8, but for US specced F40s to compensate for the extra weight, its V8 produced a total of 508 hp, while Euro specs only produced 471 hp. When it came down to the driving experience, it's not exactly what you'd expect; like all older cars, the turbo lag is very noticeable, but actually contributes to the fun factor, the F40's steering is extremely responsive to the touch, and since this Ferrari is low to ground, it sticks to the road like glue. There is not a single "bad" Ferrari on this list, but the F40 wins first prize, unequivocally.