1995 Ferrari F50 Test Drive

The highest scores on the Ferrari fabulousness index go to near race cars like the 250 Tesa Rossa, 250 GTO, 288 GTO, and F40. Then with the planet on final approach to the 21st century, Ferrari showed the F50: the closest thing to a two-place, open cockpit, road going Formula One car any factory had ever produced. Built upon a carbon fiber monocoque chassis, the F50 used its 4.7 liter V12 engine as a load carrying element (as does an F1 car). While the whole car was exotic, it’s the lightweight structure that defined its character. Remarkably, the chassis weighed less than 225 pounds (sans engine) and used light alloy inserts “copolymerized” into the structure at the suspension and engine attachment points. The tub centers the car’s mass along a central spine and featured a near ideal weight distribution.