Tuesday 6th May

Ferrari embarks on F50 30th anniversary tour

Driving holidays don't often make PH news, but check out those F50 period press pics... 

---

It’s not every year a 30th birthday is marked, and among a few significant automotive anniversaries in 2025 is the big 3-0 for the Ferrari F50. Shown at the Geneva show in 1995, it had the unenviable task of following up Enzo’s final supercar, the F40. And there was a time where the ‘50 was seen as something of a lesser sibling, not as fast or as wild as its twin-turbocharged predecessor. 

Those days seem like ancient history, however, the F50 now celebrated for its sublime V12, raw thrills and incredible rarity: just 349 were made, against more than 1,000 F40s. Following similar events for the 288 and F40 in the past couple of years, now it’s the F50’s turn for a Ferrari Legacy Tour. Beginning today and finishing on Saturday, owners will take in the hills around Siena, the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines and even get to drive around Fiorano to cap it all off. Probably a memorable few days, that, driving around Ferrari country in a bunch of F50s. There’ll even be special tyres for the event, a new series of Pirelli P Zero Corsa System Collezione with ‘Ferrari F50 Legacy Tour 2025’ on the sidewall. The sizes look like another language against modern rubber: 245/35 R18 front, 335/30 R18 rear. 

Indeed the whole car looks like a glorious throwback to a simpler time, and it’s hard not to throw yourself headfirst into the F50’s design and stats all over again. So here we go: the 65-degree 4.7-litre V12 made 520hp at 8,500rpm, its high revving nature helped by a tiny 69mm stroke. The specific output was 111hp per litre, the dry weight was 1,230kg, and Ferrari claimed 0-62mph in 3.87 seconds. The F50 was less than 4.5m long, and there’s one for sale right here. Yep, honest. Just a shame it’s a bit too late for the driving tour, really. 

---

• Ferrari reveals astonishing 880hp 296 Speciale
• Ferrari 488 Pista | PH Heroes

[BigChiefmuffinAgain]

Never really warmed to the styling of this car, though think it strangely looks better with the roof on than off ( imho )....

[Titan2]

What an utterly glorious thing the F50 is.

I can still remember trying to record on VHS, that infamous Top Gear episode where Clarkson and
a certain Tiff Needell headed over to Maranello and drove both the F50 and the F1 car its engine
was related to on track.

I've always loved the look of it, it's taken. while for it too be fully appreciated I think, but seeing the
prices they go for now, there's no chance now of it being thought of as one of the "lesser" Ferrari's.

Lucky owners who get to go on a trip like that...

[epom]

Thankfully I'll never have to choose between the F50 and Carrera GT. What an amazing few days this would be.

Special commemoration tyres, classy from Ferrari

[poosemon]

Seems like an appropriate time to repost;



Not many videos of the F50 been driven in such a way - for the uninitiated - enjoy seeing it for the first time

[Turbobanana]

Article said:

It’s not every year a 30th birthday is marked

Yes it is.

[GreatScott2016]

The F50 has never appealed to me in the looks department (in the same way I struggled with the F40), but no denying it’s a wonderful thing

[Maxus]

Not that I have or am ever likely to drive any of the F cars, so driving dynamics to one side, the F50 has always been the one I thought was coolest. No doubt influenced by being a Spider and the many hours spent feeding coins into OutRun 2 machines with the F50 being my car of choice. What a convoy that is going to be.

[The Pistonsdead]

Wonder what the F50 is going for on the link. P.O.A
so guessing millions fabulous piece of automotive engineering and still quick today.
335 rear tyres are pretty wide even by modern standards!!

[LotusOmega375D]

Carbon fibre tub too, 30 years ago. I visited the subcontractor in Italy who made them. They had a bare F50 tub in Reception.

[fullleather]

Never looked better than finished in Argento silver.

[AKjr]

poosemon said:

Seems like an appropriate time to repost;



Not many videos of the F50 been driven in such a way - for the uninitiated - enjoy seeing it for the first time

Great watch; thanks for sharing!

[E-numbers]

Goodwood, Tom Chilton, his dad’s F50 on slicks, those were some laps I remember vividly! I think it hit 156mph.
Little things like the incredible seats and the digital/annalogue instruments stick out, but more than anything it was the cornering G. Mad!

[CLK-GTR]

It would be my pick of the F cars. The most glorious V12 ever created.

[V12GT]

I often wonder what these go for now. I remember a former boss buying one in about 1998/9 for £150k(?). He was a serial Ferrari owner so wanted this to add to the collection. Never particularly liked the looks of these, myself, but I suspect he made a decent return on it!

[Its Just Adz]

fullleather said:

Never looked better than finished in Argento silver.

That's the only colour I've seen one in.
A sliver car was for sale locally so I went to have a nosey, just stunning. Surprisingly small too.

[Snubs]

CLK-GTR said:

It would be my pick of the F cars. The most glorious V12 ever created.

I think for me it would be:

1. F40
2. 288 GTO
3. F50
4. La Ferrari
5. Enzo
6. F80

Albeit I'm very tempted to switch the top 2.

[ChevronB19]

F40: beautiful and purposeful looking

F50: obviously very quick, but ugly as sin

[gotoPzero]

1998 I was trundling past J12 of the M25 towards Heathrow late one summers evening, when I heard what I thought was some sort of F1 car on the road. The howl was coming straight from behind, and within about 3 seconds an F50 joined from the M3 and off he went at what seemed like 150mph... flames flashed out of the exhaust as he changed up the gears.

I had never in my life heard a road car sound like that until that point. I expect it had a tubi or similar. Incredible machine. Only time I have ever seen one in real life actually driving with gusto. Looked and sounded like a UFO.

/cool story bro.

[MDL111]

V12GT said:

I often wonder what these go for now. I remember a former boss buying one in about 1998/9 for £150k(?). He was a serial Ferrari owner so wanted this to add to the collection. Never particularly liked the looks of these, myself, but I suspect he made a decent return on it!

In 2014 you could still buy one for about 400-500k Euros (CGT was 300-350k at the time). Now you will unfortunately need c. 10x that amount. Wish I had not chickened out and taken a cheap loan to buy either of those cars, now they will remain in my fantasy garage forever.
I had the Ferrari announcement for the F50 trip in my inbox at some point .... there was just the small matter of not having the car to take part...

[GingerMunky]

The F50 is stunning and one of my favourites from Ferrari, especially with the top off. Unfortunately, it is a lottery win away for me