No automaker evokes emotions or stirs the mind like that Ferrari. The iconic Italian automaker has existed as an automaker since 1939 and has been producing some of the most extraordinary road cars of all time since that year. From classics like the 250 GTO and the F40 to modern monsters like the SF90 Stradale, the LaFerrari and the Ferrari F430. Nobody does it like Ferrari.
But also no company flops like Ferrari. It may come as a shock to you, but there have been many Ferrari cars over the years that failed to live up to the prancing horse ethos. You may have been too slow and too weak. Or quite simply, as in some cases, just looking pretty weird. This list features five of Ferrari’s top cars with five of their biggest flops.
10
Epic – Ferrari F50
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The Ferrari F50 is often overshadowed by its predecessor, the Ferrari F40, but it’s still a fantastic car. The F50 is powered by a Tipo F130B 60-valve V12 engine that was developed from the 1990 Ferrari F1 car and produces 512 horsepower.
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The F50 offered a pure driving experience with fantastic styling and brimming with F1 technology like its electronic damper control system.
9
Epic – Ferrari F40
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A list of great Ferraris just wouldn’t be complete without the F40. What made the F40 so insane with a twin-turbo V8 with 471 hp was its lightness and the fact that it was superbly balanced on the track and offered its drivers massive grip.
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With a top speed of 229 mph, the F40 was undoubtedly the pinnacle of supercars at the time.
8th
Epic – Ferrari Enzo
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The Ferrari Enzo is one of the most famous cars in the company’s history. Its V12 engine delivers an epic 660 hp and got its name from company founder Enzo Ferrari.
via Robb Report
F1 technology was used in the development, with active aerodynamics and traction control playing a major role in the car. Only 400 were ever produced, and they are one of the most sought-after Ferraris in the world today.
7th
Epic – Ferrari 250 GTO
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When it comes to classic Ferraris, none of them really compare to the Ferrari 250 GTO. The 250 GTO was nothing more than just another GT racer of the 1960s, but has since become one of the classic Ferraris of all time.
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It’s also the most expensive, with the record selling at $ 70 million from 2021. The 250 GTO is one of the most beautiful and well-known sports cars of all time.
6th
Epic – Ferrari 308 GTS
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The Ferrari 308 was a breathtaking machine, one of which is famously driven by Tom Selleck in Magnum PI.
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The 308 GTS also had the 308 GTB in the family, both of which were Pininfarina-style machines and were powered by a 2.9-liter Tipo AB or Tipo BB type AV8 engine. It was one of the best Ferraris of the 1970s and 1980s and is quite a popular classic today.
5
Flop – 2006 Ferrari California
via Auto Trader
There have been several Ferrari California’s over the years, there were the 250 GT California Spyder and the 365 California from the 1960s. Then there was the California of 2006.
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By the time production ended in 2017, the California had become a tidy little car. But in 2006 it was only viewed as a celebrity machine powered by English soccer players, and it seemed to offend most of Ferrari’s customers. Because of this, the California didn’t have much love.
4th
Flop – Ferrari F14T
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This is a Ferrari F1 car, but it still deserves a mention on this list. The first Ferrari of the current F1 turbo hybrid era was an absolute mess.
via GoodFon
Thanks to Fernando Alonso, it only took two podiums throughout the year and Ferrari could only take a disappointing 4th place in the constructors’ championship as Mercedes, Red Bull and Williams all finished in front of them. Kimi Raikkonen’s best result in the car was fourth place in the Belgian Grand Prix.
3
Flop – Ferrari Testarossa
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The Ferrari Testarossa was designed as the successor to the Berlinetta Boxer, but never quite hit it like its predecessor. It was a bit too boxy and wedge-shaped for many, and the width made it a pretty impractical car.
via Autoweek
It still turned out to be pretty popular, but the 512 TR revision fixed most of the Testarossa’s problems and is now a much more desirable car.
2
Flop – Ferrari 412
via Historics Auctioneers
The Ferrari 412 doesn’t really follow the styling of other Ferraris, and that really let the ‘412 down. Looks more like your average family car rather than a Ferrari, in reality Ferrari was hoping it could be used, as well as for general long driving.
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We can’t call the 412 a terrible car, but it definitely looked pretty bland and not your typical Ferrari.
1
Flop – Ferrari 612 Scaglietti
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The Ferrari 612 Scaglietti is a car that suffers from the same problems as the ‘412. It’s styling. On the Scaglietti, the styling just looks absurdly clumsy and vulgar, with the car’s 5.7-liter 533-horsepower V12 engine under the hood being the rescue.
via piston heads
It was supposed to recreate the 375 MM that entered service in 1954, but in reality it got nowhere.
Sources: Car Scoops, Ferrari, Auto Trader, Car and Driver, Foskers
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About the author
Henry Kelsall
(1475 published articles)
From JDM cars to WWII machines. Has worked at HotCars since autumn 2018.
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