Ferrari F50 Review

So here we are, talking about what might just be the most misunderstood Ferrari of all time. And GREAT NEWS - it's also the one everyone got completely wrong for about 25 years.

The F50.

A car that was panned harder than a contestant's soufflé on Great British Bake Off, only to emerge decades later as perhaps the greatest analog supercar ever made.

Yes, I said it.

And I'll fight anyone who disagrees.

From Punching Bag to Prizefighter: The F50's Rocky Road

Picture the scene: It's 1995, and Ferrari has just unveiled what they claimed was essentially a Formula 1 car for the road. The motoring press collectively raised their eyebrows so high they nearly flew off their faces. "It's uglier than the F40!" they cried. "It's heavier!" they moaned. "It's slower in a straight line!" they whined, probably while adjusting their beige slacks and sipping lukewarm tea.

And then Ferrari did something so monumentally stupid that it made New Coke look like a stroke of marketing genius:

They refused to let anyone drive the thing for TWO WHOLE YEARS. Even better, in America, you couldn't even buy one outright. No, no, no.

Ferrari would only lease you an F50, presumably because they thought owners might do something silly like, oh, I don't know, DRIVE IT or let journalists test it.

The whole thing was a PR disaster of biblical proportions.

While McLaren was busy breaking world records with the F1 and getting everything but a Nobel Prize, Ferrari locked the F50 away like some sort of embarrassing relative who shows up to family gatherings wearing nothing but a sock.

But here's the thing - and this is important - Ferrari wasn't hiding a dud.

They were hiding possibly the most perfect expression of what a supercar should be, and they just forgot to tell anyone. It's like discovering that your weird uncle who lives in a shed has actually solved cold fusion but didn't mention it because he was too busy alphabetizing his sock drawer.

The F50 was so far ahead of its time that we've only just caught up. In an era when every supercar was trying to be faster, more powerful, and more technologically advanced than the next, Ferrari built something pure.

Something honest.

Something that would make more sense in 2024 than it ever did in 1995. And they did it by accident, which makes it even more brilliant.

The Beating Heart of a Champion: Engineering That Makes NASA Look Amateur

Let's talk about what makes the F50 special, and GOOD LORD, is there a lot to talk about. At its heart lies a 4.7-liter V12 that Ferrari claims was derived from their 1990 Formula 1 engine. Now, whether that's entirely true or just marketing waffle doesn't really matter, because what they ended up with was automotive perfection.

This isn't just any old engine - it's a naturally aspirated masterpiece that makes modern turbocharged engines feel like they're powered by hamsters running in wheels.

It produces 512 horsepower, which by today's standards is what you'd expect from a mildly warm hatchback. But numbers are for accountants. This engine doesn't just produce power - it creates an experience.

And they mounted it directly to the carbon fiber chassis.

Not kind of directly, or almost directly - PROPERLY directly, like in a real Formula 1 car. Even the mighty McLaren F1 didn't do that.

The gearbox bolts to the engine, and the suspension bolts to the gearbox, and the whole thing vibrates through the chassis like God's own tuning fork.

It's engineering of the highest order.

Speaking of that chassis - it was only the second production car ever to use a proper carbon fiber tub. The body is so thin you can see the carbon weave through the paint.

The suspension features horizontally mounted push-rod operated spring/damper units that would look more at home in a racing car.

There's no power steering, no ABS, no traction control, no stability control - nothing to get between you and physics except your own skill and judgment.

And possibly your life insurance policy.

Behind the Wheel: Where Dreams Come True and Brown Trousers Become Necessary

The thing about the F50 that nobody understood in 1995 is that it's actually friendly. Yes, FRIENDLY. A car with F1 breeding, no driver aids, and enough power to reverse the Earth's rotation is somehow as approachable as a Labrador puppy. Mind you, it's a Labrador puppy that can run at 200 mph and set fire to your house.

The steering, which requires more muscle than a CrossFit convention at parking speeds, becomes gorgeously communicative once you're moving.

The chassis tells you exactly what's happening at each corner with the kind of precision that makes a Swiss watch look sloppy.

The brakes, which have no power assistance whatsoever, turn out to be perfectly weighted once your leg muscles adjust to the fact that yes, this is actually happening.

And then there's that gearbox.

Oh, that glorious gated manual shifter. In a world where modern supercars change gears faster than you can blink, the F50's six-speed manual is a reminder that sometimes, the best things in life require a bit of effort.

It's like comparing instant coffee to a perfectly crafted espresso - yes, one's quicker, but which one actually sparks joy?

The Sound of Music (If Music Was Made By 12 Angry Italian Cylinders)

NOISE. That's what we need to talk about next. Because the F50 doesn't just make noise - it creates a symphony that makes Wagner sound like a kindergarten recorder recital.

That V12, sitting right behind your head, screaming to 8,500 rpm, produces the kind of sound that makes grown men weep and small animals run for cover.

Modern turbocharged engines are all well and good, but they sound like vacuum cleaners having asthma attacks compared to this. The F50's engine note builds like a crescendo in the world's most epic opera, starting with a sophisticated growl that transforms into a spine-tingling howl before reaching a full-on banshee scream at the redline.

And because the engine is bolted directly to the chassis, you don't just hear it - you feel it.

Every revolution, every combustion cycle, every single movement of those mechanical parts transmits directly into your body like some sort of high-performance acupuncture.

It's not just an engine; it's a mechanical massage chair set to "apocalyptic."

Market Madness: From Overlooked to Oversubscribed

Now, here's where it gets properly interesting.

The F50 was originally a $480,000 car that dealers couldn't give away.

Today?

You'll need to sell your house, your kidneys, and possibly your firstborn to get one, because they're now worth north of $4.5 million. That's what we in the business call "a bit of an increase."

Only 349 were ever made, which makes it rarer than hen's teeth at a vegetarian restaurant.

Compare that to the 1,315 F40s built, and you start to understand why collectors are now falling over themselves to get their hands on one.

It's the classic case of "you don't know what you've got till it's gone," except in this case, "gone" means "costs more than a small island."

The irony is that the very things that made the F50 "disappointing" in 1995 are exactly what make it so desirable today.

No turbos?

Brilliant!

Manual gearbox?

Fantastic!

No driver aids?

Perfect!

It's like Ferrari accidentally built exactly the car we'd all be craving three decades later.

The Last Word (Because Every Good Story Needs An Ending)

And that brings us to today, where the F50 stands as perhaps the last truly analog Ferrari hypercar.

Everything that came after - the Enzo, the LaFerrari, the SF90 - embraced technology like a teenager hugging their phone.

They're faster, more capable, and more impressive on paper.

But numbers are for mathematicians.

The F50 is for drivers.

It represents everything we're losing in the rush toward progress.

It's not just a car; it's a time capsule of what driving used to be about.

No filters, no electronic nannies, no turbos - just you, an F1-derived V12, and whatever talent you can muster to keep it all pointing in the right direction.

In the end, the F50 wasn't ahead of its time or behind it - it was exactly the right car at exactly the wrong moment.

And sometimes, that's what makes things truly special.

Like Clarkson would say: and on that bombshell...