Ferrari F50 (1996)

Following in the footsteps of the fabled F40, Ferrari’s F50 was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 1995. Hugely influenced by Formula 1 design and technology at the time, at the F50 heart was a naturally aspirated V-12 engine derived from Ferrari’s 641 F1 car, campaigned during the 1991 Formula 1 World Championship. With 512 bhp on tap, its Formula 1 origins and 8,000 rpm redline made the engine truly sonorous when driven as its manufacturers intended. Top speed was claimed as being 202 mph and from a standstill, the F50 would sprint to 60 mph from a standstill in 3.8 seconds.

As if its performance wasn’t enough, what truly set the F50 apart from its competitors at the time was its open-top body style, allowing buyers to choose from the closed comfort of a Berlinetta or the thrill of an open-top sports car, and no open-top sports car on sale at the time could match the sheer performance of the F50. Top-down, the driving experience that the F50 provided its lucky driver and passenger was a close as one could get to driving a road-legal Formula 1 car. Only 349 examples would be built, far fewer than the F40 that preceded it.