Monday 18th March 2013

Ferrari F50: PH Heroes

Do you want your car digitally enhanced like LaFerrari or raw and uncorrupted like the F50? Thought so.

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How good is Ferrari's new hypercar? Ask yourself this. Just how sure of its brilliance must Ferrari be to have given it a name that instantly morphs into ridiculously curly handwriting? Does LaFerrari sound like the ultimate hypercar? No, it sounds like aftershave. But here's the thing. Is LaFerrari the ultimate hypercar? On recent form, I'd put money on it. Just as the 458 is too much for the McLaren 12C in just about every way bar outright pace, I reckon the LaFerrari will have the drop (just) on the McLaren P1 and comfortably duff up the Porsche 918. Could be wrong, but 963hp and 0-186mph in 15.5 seconds look promising.

LaFerrari is a world away but is it better?

I mentioned recent form. No doubt about it, Ferrari has been on a roll for some time now and the phenomenon seems to be gathering momentum. Looking for the point where it all started to go so right for Maranello's 'best game' cars is interesting. The 'goodness graph' starts high on the sheet of paper in 1984 with the 288 GTO, almost disappears off the top edge for the 1987 F40, then appears to take a precipitous nose dive down to the 1995 F50 before beginning a strong climb back to the LaFerrari (or new Enzo if your tongue balks at LaFezza) via the original, sensational 2002 Enzo.

Unsung hero
Poor old F50. Despite the great name (celebrating Ferrari's half century) it had an almost impossible act to follow in the F40 and appeared at about the same time as the game-changing McLaren F1. It looked a bit weird, too. Or, at least, it seemed to at the time. A few years later, Macca F1 designer Peter Stevens told me why. On a scrap of paper he drew a one line Ferrari F40 and then went on to illustrate, also with a single line, why the F50 wasn't as good: it went 'flat' in the middle, lost its impetus. Well, he would, wouldn't he?

Not the best looking Ferrari but, wow, the drive...

Yet, overshadowed by its predecessor and outshone by its nemesis from Woking as it was, I reckon the F50 is massively underrated. If you're talking faithful, raw F1 transfer of the era it inhabited rather than the buffed up, sanitised, digital-tech crossover that informs aspects of the LaFerrari's design then the F50 has to be the purest, most uncompromising supercar Ferrari has ever made. The contrasts drawn by the 18 years between the two cars could hardly be more dramatic.

Different worlds
Both are mid-engined, both have 12 cylinders, both are made partly from carbon fibre, both come in red - that's about it for the sharing. Most obviously, there's just so much more of the LaFerrari. Its 6.3-litre V12 is mated to a dual-clutch gearbox and an electric motor. A 120-cell, 60kg lithium ion battery pack in a Kevlar casing is squeezed under the seats. The V12 spins to 9,250rpm and develops 800hp; the electric motor adds another 163hp, giving a total of 963hp in a car that weighs around 1,300kg dry. And the combined petrol-electric twist gives 663lb ft of torque. The nod to F1? The active aero, with its moving flaps and spoilers, was a given. The more ambitious HY-KERS system - developed at Gestione Sportiva - is claimed to reduce emissions by 40 per cent, increase the V12's output by 10 per cent, recapture kinetic energy usually lost under braking and cornering to charge the batteries. A second electric motor powers the car's ancillary systems. Impressive. 0-124mph in 7.0sec? An F50 wouldn't see which way it went.

Overshadowed by McLaren F1, perhaps unfairly?

But tell me if this doesn't sound better. Ferrari's objective with the F50 was beautifully simple: to deliver the 'emotion' of Formula 1 on the road. Its naturally aspirated 4.7-litre V12 developed just 520hp (a figure German supersaloons laugh at today) but, thanks to its carbon fibre monocoque (Ferrari's first), it weighed a modest 1,230kg. Good for 0-62mph in 3.9sec and 203mph. But here's where it gets interesting if you believe it's the driver that should do the driving. The F50 had no traction control, no power steering and no anti-lock brakes. It doesn't get much more analogue than that. Suspension was inboard and pushrod operated, the engine bolted directly to the carbon tub. And what an engine; derived from the naturally-aspirated F1 3.5-litre V12 Ferrari designed to comply with the new regulations at the end of the turbo era in 1989.

Spiritual link
Without the racer's pneumatic valve actuation, it was red-lined at a merely spine-tingling 8,000 rather than stratospheric 14,000rpm but, just as in the F1 car, it was a structural, load-bearing component. And you knew all about it. There are various ways in which a supercar can feel alive, but few of modern times have felt quite as visceral as the F50. The four-cam, 60-valve V12 isn't just a dominating aural presence but vibratory one too. It gets to you. In fact, I can't remember ever feeling more physically connected to a car. You've no idea what 'tingle factor' is until you've driven one of these.

LaFerrari may be quicker for raw thrills...

There are other revelations. The driving position is extremely cab-forward and racer-like and you have to slide over a wide sill before dropping down into the deeply sculpted bucket seat. The cabin is very easy to see out of, simply styled and clad mostly in shiny carbonfibre. Despite the car's generous width it feels remarkably containable.

Even by Enzo standards, the F50 feels raw, thrilling and utterly focused. In some ways, it seems like a scaled-up, smooth-bodied Caterham - uncompromisingly hard, noisy and mechanical but shockingly honest and communicative, too. A proper, steel-balled, unvarnished supercar that puts the driver in control. I'm sure that anyone unfamiliar with Ferrari's heritage stepping directly from LaFerrari would be horrified by the vibration and harshness. The game has moved on. But hopefully the F50 would leave a lasting impression that engaged all the senses and took them right to the edge.

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FERRARI F50
Engine: 4,698cc V12
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 520@8,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 347@6,500rpm
0-62mph: 3.9sec
Top speed: 203mph
Weight: 1,230kg (dry)
On sale: 1995
Price new: £329,000
Price now: c. £750,000

Photo Credit: RM Auctions/Tom Maule Studios - Princeville (for more info and pictures of this car - the very F50 used to launch the car in Geneva in 1995 - see the RM catalogue listing here.)

[WMP]

I always thought the F50 was more in the shadow of the F40 than the Mclaren F1.

The F50 didn't really receive glowing press at the time of it's launch but I do remember an old Top Gear in which a Middle Eastern rally driver rated the F50's (non-turbo) throttle response as being more linear than that of the F40's.

[Rawwr]

I think the F50 is the most 'ferrari' of all the F cars. Brutal and mechanical.

[Gene Vincent]

Best 'F' car to date in my opinion and have never understood the lack of deep enthusiasm, drove one a few years ago and it has character, real character the most talkative 'F' car of them all and its all enthusiastic talking, the most encouraging drive anyone can take, driven quickly she feels like a competitive LeMans car and that is a priceless trait.

[s m]

WMP said:

I do remember an old Top Gear in which a Middle Eastern rally driver rated the F50's (non-turbo) throttle response as being more linear than that of the F40's.

Mohammed bin Sulayem

[SWoll]

s m said:

WMP said:

I do remember an old Top Gear in which a Middle Eastern rally driver rated the F50's (non-turbo) throttle response as being more linear than that of the F40's.

Mohammed bin Sulayem

Hardly a surprise with one being N/A and the other very obviously FI (back in the days of monumental lag).

She really isn't a looker though is she?

[mat777]

Fantastic car, if not quite as good-looking or useable as an F40. I remember watching it clean up at the Macau GP in the mid 90s, and getting the chance to sit in the only racing F50 in Europe at the Gold Cup (back when it was a GT event not a historic meet)

[Outrun]

This is a car I will do almost anything to own. In my mind neither the F40 or Enzo come close, the F50 is Ferrari at their absolute best. Owning one has become a personal obsession of mine, one day...

[daytonarhymes]

I think it looks absolutely great from behind with the see through grill and not too bad from the side profile, think it's just the now inevitable tacky f1 inspired nose that hurts things.

I always used to wonder why these were overlooked, and then Evo ran a test 288gto vs F40 vs F50 vs Enzo, and the F50 came top.

I knew engine was solid mounted, but didn't appreciate before how much more connected it feels with the road.

[ocrx8]

These looks immense in the metal. I passed one on the road last year and my jaw just dropped.

[F1GTRUeno]

I think it might just be because I'm a 90's child but I love the way the F50 looks.

The F40 is too angular, the Enzo is a bit of a mess and the less said about the LaFerrari (and it's name) the better. The 288 GTO is obviously the best looking of the Ferrari supercars but this run it's close IMO. Plus the fact it's a pure n/a V12 with an amazing soundtrack and most reviews I've read/seen rate it hugely as a drivers car (more so than even the F40) means this one is my favourite one.

Still remember the joys of going to Puerto Banus whilst on holiday when I was a kid. Three years on the bounce we went to that part of Spain, three years on the bounce I saw the same F50 razzing round the streets and parked at the Marina. Probably the first proper supercar I ever saw and I'll always be smitten with it.

Think that particular F50 was owned by a particularly dodgy ex-pat and unless the local police sold it on in an auction then it's still in an impound in Marbella somewhere. Shame.

[Don1]

It's the only Ferrari I'd have following a lottery win. Stunning, stunning car.

There is a fella on here who has one, and uses it (along with charity work). This is once such time, and it made me a very happy boy to be on the same track as him.

[Amirhussain]

Never talked or hyped as much as the F40, shame really.

[Schnellmann]

I think that people that own both an F50 and F40 (or have owned both) tend to rate the F50 more highly as a driving experience.

However, as many have pointed out, most people much prefer the look of the F40, which must be why the prices of the F40 are not that far below the F50 even though there were around 4 times as many F40s made.

Personally I think there is much more capital growth potential in the F50. Having said that...if I were buying I'd still likely get an F40 because it looks pull the emotional strings much harder.

[Gad-Westy]

I suspect the lukewarm press reaction was probably mainly down to the fact that hardly anybody actually got to drive them. I think I remember Car's review (which was overwhelmingly positive iirc) was only based on a handful of laps at Fiorano. I don't remember ever seeing a contemporary road test.

I can't think of a Ferrari roadcar that is so pure in terms of everything being about the driving, high revving V12 hard mounted, manual box, pushrod suspension, carbon everything, dribble. They've done some great stuff since but I lose interest when I see F1 gearboxes, stability control, etc...

It's definitely not Ferrari's best shape though. A little bit too contrived, a bit of F40 in there but none of the purity or simplicity. I happen to think it looks pretty good from most angles, especially with the hard top installed though that shot of the yellow one front 3/4 is not flattering at all.

Edited by Gad-Westy on Monday 18th March 12:08

[MattOz]

Schnellmann said:

I think that people that own both an F50 and F40 (or have owned both) tend to rate the F50 more highly as a driving experience.

I know of one such person and yes, according to him, the F50 is the "better" car. I'd take an F50 over an F40 every time. Just something more appealing to me about the later car.

[Davey S2]

WMP said:

IThe F50 didn't really receive glowing press at the time of it's launch

Largely because Ferrari only let the press have very limited access to the car so very few people knew what it was like.

This article is about 4 years out of date. People cottoned on to the fact its a brilliant car quite a while ago which is why prices have risen sosharply (and contunue to do so).

Evo revised their previous 4* rating to a 5* after the 288, F40, F50 & Enzo test several years ago.

I'd take one over any other 'hyper' Ferrari any day.

[Gad-Westy]

This video would probably win a few more fans for the F50.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsXTS0hDxjE

[MrTappets]

I think it looks great from head-on, great from directly behind, but somehow a bit lacking in tension from any other angle

[suffolk009]

"Does LaFerrari sound like the ultimate hypercar? No, it sounds like aftershave."

Oh-no it doesn't.

Old Spice Original is aftershave.

LaFerrari sounds like eau de toilette.

[C.A.R.]

I always thought the F50 looked a bit 'slab sided' where the fixed rear wing is incorporated into the bodywork. Also, it looks a bit 'soft' for a Supercar. The F50 GT looked substantially better, loosing the rear wing supports and gaining a more aggressive front-end.