Ferrari Reviews and Road Tests |
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Founded by Enzo Ferrari who, from an early age, became entranced with the idea of car racing. After World War 1 he managed to get a job with a small car maker converting war surplus, enough to fund his first foray onto the racetrack at the 1919 Targa Florio. Ferrari would land a job with Alfa Romeo the following year, once again competing in the Targa Florio driving a modified production car, and finishing a very creditable second. Severing all ties with Alfa in 1940, Ferrari established his new company Auto-Avio Costruzioni Ferrari. During World War 2 the Ferrari workshop moved from Modena to Maranello, but this did little to protect if from allied bombing and the new factory was almost entirely leveled in 1944.
The factory would not be re-built until 1946, and upon its completion work would begin on the construction of the first ever Ferrari sports-car. In 1948 a Ferrari would take out the 1948 Mille Miglia, but the best would come in 1951 with the release of the really big-engined Ferraris, the 4101cc Type 340 America. Fitted with a completely new V12 engine, the car had an awesome top speed of 137mph, which naturally enough soon saw them racing with great success. In 1969 Enzo would sell a 50% stake to Fiat to obtain some much needed funds, that figure eventually growing to 90% in 1988. Fortunately the buy-out did not hinder the manufacturers production, and they remain arguably the ultimate in desirable automotive sheet metal.
Also see: The History of Ferrari | Maranello Magic - The Ferrari Story (USA Edition) |
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1954 - 1955
Long on performance but short on tolerance, the Monza was as a potent as it was beautiful. It became known as a mean machine, with a killer-car reputation. At the 1955 Le Mans it proved that it was no ordinary car as it hurled the 750 Monza Ferrari around the Sarthe circuit. More>> |
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1956 - 1961
The phrase "Testa Rossa" means "red head." The most well known, the 250TR, was produced from 1957 to 1958; only 2 factory cars and 19 customer cars were built. After the 250 GTO, the 250 Testa Rossa is the second most valuable Ferrari model A 1957 250 TR sold in 2011 for $16,400,000, a new world record auction price for a car. More>> |
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1962 - 1964
GTO - three letters signifying a peak in a famous, possibly the most famous, autohistory. 12 cylinders, 3 litres, 280bhp, 175mph - bald figures, without gazing at the sleek aluminium coachwork. More>> |
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1964 - 1968
The Ferrari road car really made its presence felt with the release of the 275 GTB. For the first time Ferrari had produced a car with sophisticated suspension ensuring that a car as quick as this could be driven in comfort. More>> |
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1967 - 1974
Designated "206GT", in which 20 means 2.0 litres and 6 means six cylinders, the engine was actually built by Fiat and shared with Fiat Dino, not because it would be cheaper, but because Ferrari needed the additional volume to qualify for FIA's production requirement for racing engines. More>> |
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1968 - 1973
The Ferrari Daytona 365 GTB/4 was perceived proudly by the manufacturer as its last attempt at superfast front-engined Grand Tourers. More>> |
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1973 - 1980
When introduced in 1973 (officially unveiled at the Paris Motor Show) the Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 was much more than a big brother to the familiar, beautiful little 246GT. It was almost an entirely new car, save for the steering wheel and alloy road wheels. More>> |
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1975 - 1985
There was something special about the 308 GTB. It represented the then latest Ferrari's Dinos and it had its suspension tune polished by no less a test driver than world champion Niki Lauda. Sceptics suggested that Lauda's name was hung on all the Ferraris, but it wasn't so. At Fiorano, Ferrari's own test track outside Modena in north eastern Italy, Lauda spent a lot of time roaring around the track being monitored by TV cameras all the way. More>> |
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1976 - 1989
An automatic Ferrari - the idea seemed almost like sacrilege when the 400 was introduced in 1978. Somehow it seemed totally out of keeping with the Italian marque's traditions, as was the fact that the automatic transmission was from the American giant General Motors. More>> |
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1977 - 1985
Noise is both difficult and expensive to engineer out of a car – it is inherent in the engine and gearbox. But when a manufacturer creates the perfect balance of mechanical noise, it can only be enhanced when such a car is available sans roof. Even with the wind charging over the top of the windscreen of the Ferrari 308 GTS at high speed every sound was to be enjoyed, savoured. More>> |
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1994 - 1999
The Ferrari F355 was the first new model under the new vision Luca di Montezemolo . Individual butterfly valves for each cylinder improved throttle response, resulting in a record-breaking 108.7 hp/litre specific output. In total, there are 380 horses running under the F355's bonet at 8,250 rpm. More>> |
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2003 -
While Ferrari increased the size of the already awesome V12 engine to 5748cc, it is the Formula 1 derived transmission for which the 575M Maranello is most famous. More>> |
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2003 -
The F60 develops a blistering 650bhp, has seven gears and punches to 100 km/h from a standstill in 3.2sec, just 0.1 seconds slower than the Ferrari F2002 of Michael Schumacher! More>> |
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