Lucky 7: Ferrari Forum Members and their Prancing Horses
In case it wasn’t obvious, members of Team Speed‘s Ferrari Forums have some amazing prancing horses. Here’s seven of our favorites…
To be a member of Team Speed‘s Ferrari Forums, you don’t necessarily have to own a Ferrari. Though, between the photo and video threads by members wishing to own a Ferrari, there are many compelling posts by members who do own a Prancing Horse. What better way to showcase the elegant rides of these members than to have some featured in a gallery post?
For instance, the photo serving as the hero image above is a 288 GTO owned by AndrewDinCH. These cars were only produced from 1984 to 1987, and there were only 272 units ever produced throughout those years. Additionally, for its time, it was as fast as it was lightweight. The nimble machine weighed 2,555 lbs while the twin turbo V8 rear mid-engine corralled 395 eager ponies — all while churning 366 ft lbs of torque. To drive this special Ferrari meant focus — and plenty of money to cover a pending collection of speeding tickets. Oh, and a buyer has to know how to drive stick. No autos for the 288 GTO.
Next up is Hubbster with his 1992 512TR used for racing. In contrast to the aforementioned 288 GTO, this pony was one of the more popular Ferraris ever produced. The 512TR was what Ferrari called a “revision model” following the Testarossa. Despite it being more common, by no means does that distract from the ingenuity of the vehicle. A 4.9 liter rear mounted flat-12 engine had 428 horses at its disposal, with a sturdy 365 ft lbs of torque. For a car that weighed just over 3,000 lbs, it had a 0-60 time of 4.8 seconds. Fun fact: each cylinder of the engine had four valves, equaling 48 valves in total. Which, for the 90’s, wasn’t the norm.
However, this particular 512TRÂ is better suited for racing rather than turning heads. While the engine is mostly stock aside from Motech and straight pipes, a Bob Wallace transmission was added to give Hubbster more of an edge. Naturally, F50 brakes were added for additional safety as well as a full roll cage and Penske shocks.
Following behind Hubbster is Clyde’s chic Ferrari 575M Maranello. This car was a member of Ferrari’s “grand tourer” family, with only ever having two seats and two doors. Designed for taking in the beauty of the European countryside, a 5.7 liter V12 engine purred under the front hood. This touring car made 508 hp and 434 ft lbs of torque, so the driver could both cruise elegantly and take advantage of its lineage. First manufactured in 2002, this was the first V12 Ferrari ever to offer a six-speed semi-automatic transmission as an option.
The semi-automatic transmission was a huge hit for this particular model. Due to the popularity, out of all 2,056 cars produced, only 246 of them had traditional six-speed manual transmissions. Which was sad for the manual transmission as it told Ferrari they weren’t as desirable — though, thankfully, that was only the case for the touring cars.
Now the spotlight is on Swordsman‘s Ferrari F12. This model was an award winner for Ferrari, with the 6.3 liter V12 front-mid engine winning the 2013 Best Motor Award in both the “Best Performance” and “Best Engine” categories for engines over 4.0 liters. Top Gear named it “The Supercar of the Year” for 2012. It also received an award for the design. A fancy Italian award called the “XXIII Premio Compasso d’oro ADI.”
Like the 575M Maranello, it fit under the grand tourers group Ferrari manufactured. Therefore it’s on the heavier side (3,948 lbs), though speed is still in the forefront of the design. The giant, award-winning engine in this Ferrari has an astonishing 730 hp, with 509 ft lbs of torque. And that’s without a turbo.
On the rarer side of the Ferrari realm, we have The Credit Man‘s 2008 599 GTB Fiorano with a six-speed manual transmission. Interestingly, “Fiorano” is the name of Ferrari’s test track in Italy — so this car comes with the reassurance that it’s met and/or exceeded Ferrari’s expectations for speed and agility. Like the last two cars listed, this fits in the grand tourers line off prancing horses, so the Fiorano also has a large front mid-6.0 liter V12.
However, this was the first of the grand touring cars to receive Ferrari’s traction control system, the F1-Trac. Additionally, it was the first Ferrari GT car to have an aluminum chassis. Previously, the GT cars had only ever used tubular steel for the chassis. Aiming to perfect the touring game, Ferrari also changed the weight distribution around. The wheel base became longer, and the large gas tank was moved closer to the rear.
To add some spice to the collection of grand touring cars, we have Saudi_Ferrari and his 2010 California. The California was first debuted in 1950’s with the 250 GT Spyder California. A decade later was the 365 California. While the California was and still is designed to be a touring car, it’s different in the fact that it’s classified as a grand touring sports car. The distinction between this car and the other GT cars listed is the size of the engine. The California comes with a 4.3 liter V8 as opposed to the V12’s of its cousins.
The revived California came with a lot of firsts for this manufacturer. This was the first ever model with a front-mid V8 engine. It was the first car to feature a seven-speed dual clutch transmission, the first hardtop convertible with a folding metal roof, and also the first to have direct fuel injection.
Concluding this list of amazing Ferraris is JohnsGTÂ special edition 612 Scaglietti. Despite it also being a grand touring car, this one stands out from the rest of the collection. Yes, it does also have a front mid-V12 engine, but this one is a 5.7 liter and not a 6.0. Surprisingly, despite the displacement being smaller than traditional Ferrari grand tourers, it has one of the fastest 0-60 times of the line up – 4 whole seconds. Blink and you’ll miss it.
JohnsGT edition of the car comes with a fancy Italy themed decal along the bottom to accentuate the cars exceptional curves. It also comes with bronze wheels, and yellow calipers. This is vehicle that Italy is definitely proud of, and JohnsGT is extremely fortunate to have it! Especially since this grand tourer was a little harder to find compared to the others. There were only ever a little over 3,000 ever produced, and only 199 of them came with a manual transmission.
Photos: Original images from Team Speed’s Ferrari ForumsÂ
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