Written by Andrew O. (andrewo)

Not all Ferraris are created equal.  Yes, they have made some of the world's best looking and driving cars, but some fail to live up to their badge.  Below are what I consider to be the top 5 best and worst Ferraris ever made.  Please feel free to tell me what you think in the comments.  

 

Top 5 Best Ferraris

 

1.  Ferrari 250 SWB California Spyder

 

This is definitely one of the prettiest cars ever made my Ferrari.  The 250 Cabriolet was a nice car, but the weekend racer wanted more.  The SWB California was based on the race car chassis of the 250 SWB GT.  This combination of style and race car performance ended up creating the most celebrated open Ferrari ever.  The 250 SWB California is everything a Ferrari should be.  It is pretty, muscular, fast, and elegant all at the same time.

 

2.  Ferrari F40

 

When Ferrari came out with the F40, people expected a lot.  It was supposed to be the best supercar, it was the last car Enzo was directly involved with, and it was made to celebrate Ferrari's 40th Anniversary.   Even though a Bentley Continental SS has a higher top speed than the F40, for the time period, the specifications of the F40 were unbelievable.  The Lamborghini Countach could barely get to 180 mph while the F40 could go 201.  The looks and performance of the F40 have made it a legend that is starting to shoot up in value.  I can only hope the F70 can be as good as the F40.

 

3.  Ferrari 575 Superamerica

 

The 575 was a fantastic car and the Superamerica version was even better.  The glass targa top was genius - and practical idea.  It looked good with the top up and it did not compromise the trunk space when it was down because it folded over the trunk.  The 575 was one of the best GT cars in the world.  A 575 Superamerica with a stick shift is one of my dream cars.

 

4.  Ferrari 275

 

The 275 is basically a Daytona that looks even better.  The lines of the 275 are stunning.  It is not just one of the prettiest Ferraris; it is one of the prettiest cars ever.  The later 275 GTB/4s with the long nose (for more stability at top speed) are the most desirable models.  It might not be as fast as the Daytona that replaced it, but the looks of the 275 make up for it's lack of performance.

 

5.  Ferrari 355

 

Another one of the best looking Ferraris is the 355.  The 5 valve V8 makes the thing absolutely scream at speed.  It has classic Ferrari lines with a flipped up tail spoiler reminiscent of the 288 GTO.  Dropping the engine to change the belts might get annoying (and very expensive) but it's a small price to pay for what you get.  At $50,000 to $60,000, it is one of the best deals on the market.

 

 

 

5 Cars Ferrari Never Should Have Built

 

1.  Ferrari FF

 

It might be fast, but it looks god awful.  The grinning face (with teeth) makes it look like a jack O'lantern that I would have made in second grade.  The shooting brake design can look nice but it was not well executed with the FF.  Ferrari has the best team of designers in the world and I was very disappointed when they came out with the FF.

 

2.  Ferrari 208

 

It looks nice but come on!  A Ferrari should at least be somewhat quick.  The 308 was slow enough and the 208 was just down right embarrassing.  The car was only made so owners could get around the over 2.0 Litre tax on cars in Europe.  Interestingly, the 2 litre V8 is the smallest V8 ever put into production.

 

3.  Ferrari 400i/412

 

These are just horrible.  The untrained eye could easily mistake one of these for an 80's Mustang!  It is really boring and most of them were ordered with full automatics.

 

4.  Ferrari 308 GT4

 

These are so ugly.  The US versions were even uglier with their brick like bumpers.  The front view is okay but the rear 3/4 view is very strange.

 

5.  Ferrari 365 California

 

I'm kind of torn on this one.  It looks interesting from the front but it wasn't a very good car.  The back looks okay but Ferrari did almost nothing to strengthen the chassis after they cut the roof off a 365.  I remember reading an article saying that the doors would not close properly after driving down a rough road.  It was very poorly engineered.

 

So, what do you all think?  Leave your comments below.