F50 GT - Greatest Car to Never Race? | Page 2 | FerrariChat

F50 GT - Greatest Car to Never Race?

Discussion in '288GTO/F40/F50/Enzo/LaFerrari' started by Booker, Oct 1, 2019.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

  1. willcrook

    willcrook Formula 3

    Feb 3, 2009
    2,129
    UK
    it's a mysterious car
     
  2. rossocorsa13

    rossocorsa13 F1 Rookie

    Jun 10, 2006
    2,557
    Nashville, Tennessee
    Full Name:
    M
    I remember reading that when I was a kid.

    I think for me, this car's significance will always be simple: It's the most romantic version of my favorite car. The F50 started it all for me, but a few years later when I found out the GT existed...I mean, it was like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Too good to be true.
     
    tomc likes this.
  3. Rifledriver

    Rifledriver Three Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 29, 2004
    33,736
    Austin TX
    Full Name:
    Brian Crall
    Untested race cars are just a self propelled pile of parts until they are proven in competition. This car never was.
    The current Ferrari F1 cars have had millions spent on refining and development. Great cars if you like finishing 3rd. This car has not turned a wheel in competition.
     
    Apollo 11 and joe sackey like this.
  4. willcrook

    willcrook Formula 3

    Feb 3, 2009
    2,129
    UK
    not everyone cares whether a car has racing pedigree, it doesn't change the driving experience at all and in this case actually makes the car more intriguing as less as known
     
    Johnny_Bravo and Ryan S. like this.
  5. Rifledriver

    Rifledriver Three Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 29, 2004
    33,736
    Austin TX
    Full Name:
    Brian Crall
    Sorry, I was commenting on the topic of this thread, not some other one.


    Driving experience? You have driven one? Please tell us what it was like.
     
  6. willcrook

    willcrook Formula 3

    Feb 3, 2009
    2,129
    UK
    I am simply stating that the reaason for the intrest and the high appeal for the F50GT is that of rarity and an element of mystery that surrounds it, from the rumoured Fiorano lap which was faster than the 333SP Le Mans prototype to the various degrees of hp output to the absence of any actual journalist review(s).

    The car not having proven itself in any race series does not detract from the above.
     
  7. Rifledriver

    Rifledriver Three Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 29, 2004
    33,736
    Austin TX
    Full Name:
    Brian Crall
    I will not argue any of those points but mystery does not equate greatness which is the thread topic. Greatness implies achievement which is totally absent in this cars history. The history of how the F50 even came to be is very interesting, growing out of the F1 program and the part it played in the homologation of the 333 all to play a fast one on IMSA but that seems of no importance here.
     
  8. rossocorsa13

    rossocorsa13 F1 Rookie

    Jun 10, 2006
    2,557
    Nashville, Tennessee
    Full Name:
    M
    Just trying to join a conversation about a car I think is cool. I
    The OP isn't linking racing history to greatness, which suggests that in this discussion, greatness is a matter of opinion, not fact.

    No one's driven this car, relatively speaking -- that's allowed in the thread title.

    Why so uptight? Conversation isn't always about being right or factual.
     
    Johnny_Bravo and Challenge like this.
  9. Rifledriver

    Rifledriver Three Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 29, 2004
    33,736
    Austin TX
    Full Name:
    Brian Crall
    #34 Rifledriver, Dec 5, 2019
    Last edited: Dec 5, 2019
    I am not uptite. It would be just as valid for me to say that of you.
    Its a race car he is calling great. For what reason? Because it looks cool? Just think it sounds like a bunch of teenagers in Jr High calling anything totally unproven and untried "The Greatest". The are many examples of greatness around us, lets recognize them. Being red and having a Ferrari badge never made anything great and those are this cars only bona fides.
     
  10. Elisesko

    Elisesko Karting
    Rossa Subscribed

    Jan 27, 2016
    210
    Outside the Ferrari family I might put the Porsche 959 in this category. Unless you count the Paris Dakar rally. Didn't race in it's intended group at least.
     
  11. Rifledriver

    Rifledriver Three Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 29, 2004
    33,736
    Austin TX
    Full Name:
    Brian Crall
    Yes, there are parallels.
     
  12. 444sp

    444sp Formula Junior

    Dec 18, 2016
    506
    rajaramsivasankar and Elisesko like this.
  13. Elisesko

    Elisesko Karting
    Rossa Subscribed

    Jan 27, 2016
    210
    Learned something new. I was under the impression, their group got disbanded before it saw the track. Will need to refresh my understanding. Thanks!
     
  14. Elisesko

    Elisesko Karting
    Rossa Subscribed

    Jan 27, 2016
    210
    In my defense, I was 15 and there was no internet! Haha. Wikipedia cleared it up for me. F50 makes it look like it had a long and illustrious racing career in comparison. I'll go back to eating peanuts in this galley over there.
     
    tomc likes this.
  15. 444sp

    444sp Formula Junior

    Dec 18, 2016
    506
    I was 13 years old at that time but I love sportscar and GT racing and I read a lot about racing and cars of all time.
    I recommend you visit racingsportscar, it has very good information about cars, races and championships of all time.
    https://www.racingsportscars.com/type/photo/Porsche/961.html
     
    Elisesko likes this.
  16. Elisesko

    Elisesko Karting
    Rossa Subscribed

    Jan 27, 2016
    210
    Will do. Thanks! Growing up in Belgium in the 80s just about all manner of Motorsports was must see tv for me on one of the only channels we got (BBC). Once I got back to the U.S. in 1990, that became more challenging, if not just about falling off a cliff. I remember someone telling me the Paris Dakar rally didn't run Paris to Dakar anymore. It felt like someone took my bucket list and just started crossing things off for me! Now the 959 raced in LeMans and I didn't know it. What has happened to my fandom?! Must be stuck reading depreciation on Ferraris threads. No more!!
     
    Ryan S. likes this.
  17. 444sp

    444sp Formula Junior

    Dec 18, 2016
    506
    Here I found a great image of the Porsche 961 in Le Mans, mixed between all the Group C that were the vast majority in 1986.
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
    And something that never happened but would have been great (961 Vs F40LM)
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
    NürScud and Elisesko like this.
  18. Elisesko

    Elisesko Karting
    Rossa Subscribed

    Jan 27, 2016
    210
  19. bmagni

    bmagni Karting

    Mar 10, 2006
    228
    Full Name:
    Bruno
    wow, thanks for that, I believe this is the only existing onboard footage of a GT1?

    The instrument cluster looks quite modern, and it's different from the ones in videogames. I wonder if it was updated or if it's almost 30 years old and exclusive to this S/N.
     
  20. TOOLFAN

    TOOLFAN F1 Rookie
    Rossa Subscribed

    Mar 23, 2005
    2,807
    California
    Yes, the display is from a GT3 car. This GT has been extensively modified, including an entirely different steering wheel to include a paddle shift system for the sequential gearbox. which is of course is not what the car was built with originally. In a addition to bespoke wheels, updates to the dash controls, a traction control system and a host of little changes under the skin. Its been heavily updated. This car, along with the other example run different engines than 001.
     
  21. Booker

    Booker Formula 3
    Lifetime Rossa Miami 2018

    Aug 1, 2016
    1,768
    Dallas, Tx
    Full Name:
    Jack Booker
    Wow! Sounds insane
     
  22. Rifledriver

    Rifledriver Three Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 29, 2004
    33,736
    Austin TX
    Full Name:
    Brian Crall
    Michael, what is different about the engine? Is it just a state of tune or has it been changed with something else?

    For those that do not know the F50 partially came to be so that Ferrari could race the 333SP with an IMSA required "Production based" engine that in reality originated in the 1990 3.5L F1 car.
     
    G. Pepper likes this.
  23. TOOLFAN

    TOOLFAN F1 Rookie
    Rossa Subscribed

    Mar 23, 2005
    2,807
    California
    The engine that 001 was tested with is a bored and stroked 641 engine design using bespoke pistons etc to that particular engine, the original engine has different stampings etc to the spares. The F1 department made the engine specifically for those tests and demos. My understanding is that the originally intent was to go with that design, but it was deemed too costly and finicky for an endurance cars but all development stopped very quickly, so the point became moot. As you know the project never went any where so the engine the car was tested with is something of a one off. 002, 003 and the spare engines are 333sp engines essentially. From the dyno results in 2017 the original engine makes quiet a bit more power than a "standard " 333sp engine.
     
  24. bmagni

    bmagni Karting

    Mar 10, 2006
    228
    Full Name:
    Bruno
    So just to be sure I follow. 001 has a bespoke engine that in 2017 made 975 hp @ 12,500 rpm but can rev up to 13,000. The owner has 8 blocks in total, which are 333 SP engines essentially. 002 and 003 have the same engine as the 8 spares that the owner of 001 has.

    And BTW, thanks for the info!
     

Share This Page