Ferrari F50 - The promise was kept

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Ferrari F50 - The promise was kept

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Created on October 8, 2025

Text:

Martin Sigrist

Photos:

Wolfgang Wilhelm / Archiv Daniel Reinhard

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Archiv Aldo Brovarone (Repro Daniel Reinhard)

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RM Sotheby's

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Jaguar Land Rover / Werk

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Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.

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McLaren/Werk

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Archiv

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - A hardtop turns the F50 into a spider

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - The F50 is one of the most desirable small-series Ferrari models of the last 30 years

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - The aerodynamics were designed for driving stability at high speed

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - Already a classic at the age of 30

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - Rosso Corsa was the most popular color next to Modena yellow, Daytona black and Nürburgring silver

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - The V12 is visible under the plastic rear window

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - For togetherness with a little background noise

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - 4.7-liter V12 engine with three intake and two exhaust valves per cylinder

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - 18-inch wheels were still considered a large wheel format in 1995

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - The F50 is also correct in detail

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - Several were glued to it

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - The little horse is exposed to wind gusts of up to 325 km/h

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - The rev counter up to 8500 rpm is the center of interest

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - The engine is hidden under a mighty air collector

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - The wing was too high for the Swiss licensing authority

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - The adaptive shock absorbers are controlled by tappets

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - Like the F40, the rear panel is a single exhaust grille

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - The workmanship of the F50 was praised at the time

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - The front hood opens as a service hatch, not for luggage

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - Enamel plate instead of sticker

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - Slightly more comfort and easier access than the F40

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - Finely crafted delicacies in carbon and all stickers are still present

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - For heart and hand, the 6-speed gearshift with typical backdrop

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - Yellow plate with black Cavallino on red - no further explanation necessary

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - Today the kerb weight of a compact car, back then the permissible total weight of a super sports car

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - High performance tires from Pirelli

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - Inspiration from the F40 and the Ferrari Mythos concept car

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - Integrated rear spoiler

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - Yes, there were still crank windows back then

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - Carbon for the gear knob

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - No superfluous bells and whistles

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - No discrepancies in the numbers stamped on the car

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - Scantily clad in red

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - Cooling air intake for the mid-engine

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - leather, bare carbon structure and a bit of Alcantara folded on the dashboard

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - horizontal dampers, the gearbox in the silencer sandwich and grille view to the rear

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - More than 2 meters wide across the mirrors

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - With over 50,000 kilometers, this F50 is a long-distance runner

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - Number 135 of 349 examples

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - Giant nut for the central locks in leather and tool case for major disassembly

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - Red accent in the black interior

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - A lot has happened to Pininfarina since then

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - Visible fabric structure

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - Seats with plenty of lateral support

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - Sculpture on wheels

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - Even filling the windshield washer fluid becomes a spectacle

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - Sports car without extras

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - In love with technology

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - part of the onboard entertainment

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - Typical Italian side blinker

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - Warnings for the tires when driving at top speed and Glasurit color code

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Ferrari F50 (1996) - Let's see the machine

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McLaren F1 (1992) - Presentation in Monte Carlo - the top-mounted mirrors of the prototype (XP1) did not make it into series production

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Ferrari F40 (1985) - this is what the F40 was originally supposed to look like

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Ferrari F40 (1989) - you wouldn't normally stand in the engine compartment of an F40

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Ferrari F40 (1989) - looked like a racing car, but was intended for the road

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Ferrari F40 (1989) - fully painted and ready to receive the engine

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Ferrari F40 (1989) - ready for delivery in Maranello

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Alain Delon shows the Bugatti EB110 for the first time in Paris (1991)

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Service work on the Jaguar XJ220 in Jaguar's new Classic building

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Service work on the Jaguar XJ220 in Jaguar's new Classic building

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Summary

The predecessor Ferrari F40 was regarded as rough, somewhat uncouth and technically not necessarily state of the art; moreover, at over 1300 units, far more than the announced 400 cars were built. The F50, on the other hand, fulfilled Ferrari's promise in terms of both technology and the promise to build no more than 350 cars - and even more. This is also reflected in the fact that it is extremely sought-after today.

This article contains the following chapters

Catching up
Against the tide
From long-term ownership

Estimated reading time: 6min

Preview (beginning of the article)

If the Ferrari F40 can be seen as an evolutionary model of the 288 GTO for the Group B, which was sacrificed to the course of history in 1986 and appropriately declared as an anniversary model for Ferrari's 40th anniversary, the F 50 was created under completely different circumstances. An important realization had preceded the start of development: Ferrari customers saw Formula 1 as the crown jewel of motorsport. And other series would always be overshadowed by the "premier class". Ferrari was already at its peak as a brand in the early 1990s, and interest in the sports cars from Maranello had remained very high since the death of Enzo Ferrari and despite the crisis following the stock market crash in 1989.

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