In an ideal world Classic Yorkshire would be invited to many of the worlds most prestigious events, supplied with a car and a bottomless expenses account. Sadly, I live in the real world and we usually attend events as paying members of the public. But some events are outside our reach and the F50 legacy tour is one such event. However, that doesn’t stop us reporting on it and bringing you pictures for you to dream about your perfect tour.
The F50, the third supercar from the Prancing Horse, was presented at the 1995 Geneva Motor Show to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary.
Fot the F50 legacy tour over 20 teams from 10 different nations covered 675 kilometers over three days of driving through Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, visiting some of Italy’s most beautiful towns. In total, the F50s covered nearly 15,000 km, demonstrating the passion of these legendary supercar owners and the enduring reliability of the F50s, even 30 years after they left the production line.
The Legacy Tour started from the Saturnia thermal baths and passed through enchanting cities and locations such as Grosseto, Porto Santo Stefano, and Siena, before arriving in Maranello on Friday, 9 July. Among the many organized activities, participants had the opportunity to meet Paolo Martinelli, the engineer responsible for developing the iconic V12 engine, which remains the most direct technological transfer from a Formula 1 engine to a Ferrari road car in recent history.
The event concluded with a parade of the cars and an honorary lap on the legendary Fiorano Circuit, where all Ferraris, including the F50, were developed since the track’s opening in 1972.
F50
Presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 1995 to celebrate Ferrari’s fiftieth anniversary two years in advance, the F50 embodies the ultimate extreme Ferrari spirit of the 1990s. It was the first supercar with the Prancing Horse badge powered by a naturally aspirated V12. This was a powerplant derived directly from Formula 1, installed in a longitudinal mid-rear position in a monocoque chassis built entirely from carbon fibre. This car represented the pinnacle of technological transfer from the premier motorsports class for its era. The engine boasted five valves per cylinder and was an actual stressed element of the chassis; the car itself made extensive use of advanced aerodynamics, and featured a suspension system with horizontally mounted push-rod dampers. The F50 was also equipped with a removable Targa top roof to deliver a driving experience closer to that of a race car, a characteristic also accentuated by the lack of ABS and power assisted steering. 349 examples were built, a number chosen as it was “one less than the demand from its intended market”.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
| POWERTRAIN | |
| Type | 65° V12 – Longitudinal rear-mid layout |
| Total displacement | 4698.50 cm3 |
| Bore and stroke | 85 mm x 69 mm |
| Maximum power | 382 kW (520 hp) at 8500 rpm |
| Maximum torque | 471 Nm at 6500 rpm |
| Compression ratio | 11.3:1 |
| Specific power output | 111 hp/l |
| WEIGHTS AND DIMENSIONS | |
| Length | 4480 mm |
| Width | 1986 mm |
| Height | 1120 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2580 mm |
| Front track | 1620 mm |
| Rear track | 1602 mm |
| Dry weight | 1230 kg |
| Fuel tank capacity | 105 litres |
| TYRES AND WHEELS | |
| Front | 245/35 ZR 18 |
| Rear | 335/30 ZR 18 |
| TRANSMISSION AND GEARBOX | |
| 6-speed manual gearbox with dual plate clutch | |
| PERFORMANCE | |
| Top speed | 325 km/h |
| 0-100 km/h | 3.87 s |
| 0-1000 m | 21.7 s |