The ancestors of the Ferrari F80: From GTO to LaFerrari

A line of exclusive supercars starting with the 288 GTO and ending with the F80. Power, speed and price of the world's most loved Ferraris

Photo by: Motor1.com

By: Fabio Gemelli

Oct 18, 2024 at 4:31am ET

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The Ferrari F80, which has just been unveiled, is shaking up the world of supercars with its 1,200 PS F1 hybrid, and is celebrating Maranello's 80th anniversary in style with 799 examples to be delivered from 2025 at a price of €3.6 million (approx. £3 million) each.

These are impressive figures, even in the age of ultra-fast, multi-million-dollar hypercars, but for Ferrari they are nothing new. For 40 years, the prancing horse has been offering its most loyal customers exclusive, overpowering, limited-run supercars, a tradition that began in 1984 with the 288 GTO.

But let's take a look back at the Rosse that led to the birth of the F80 and the evolution of Ferrari's Formula 1-inspired supercar concept.

Ferrari 288 GTO
Ferrari F40
Ferrari F50
Ferrari Enzo
Ferrari LaFerrari
Ferrari F80

Ferrari 288 GTO

The ancestor of this dynasty of much-loved and precious supercars is the 1984 Ferrari 288 GTO, the first Ferrari to be fitted with a twin-turbo V8 engine, specifically a 2,855 cm3 V90 with two IHI turbochargers capable of producing 400 PS, 496 Nm, a top speed of 190 mph and acceleration from 0 to 62 mph in 4.9 seconds.

Ferrari 288 GTO

Ferrari

Despite its similarities to the contemporary Ferrari 208/308, which were also designed by Pininfarina, the 288 GTO had features that were unique to Ferraris of the time, such as an elongated chassis, composite fibre and Kevlar bodywork, a longitudinally positioned engine and a weight of just 1,160 kg (power-to-weight ratio of 2.9 kg/PS).

	Ferrari 288 GTO (1984)
Engine	2.9 V8 twin-turbo, 400 PS, 496 Nm
Rear-wheel drive	Rear
Gearbox	5-speed manual
Power-to-weight ratio	2.9 kg/PS
Top speed	190 mph
Acceleration 0-62 mph	4.9 seconds
Production	279 units
Current cost	€4 million

Produced in 279 examples, including 1 pre-production prototype and 5 Evolutions, the Ferrari 288 GTO cost around 194 million lire when new, a figure which, with the ISTAT currency revaluation, is equivalent to €309,000 (approx. £258,000). At more recent auctions, however, it was sold for more than €4 million (£3.33 million).

Ferrari F40

It may not look like it from the outside, but the 1987 Ferrari F40 is the most extreme evolution of the concept already offered with the 288 GTO. A twin-turbo V8 mid-engine and composite materials, but this time with even greater use of Kevlar, fibreglass and Plexiglas instead of glass. The interior is as uncluttered as a racing car, with rubber belts instead of interior door handles.

Ferrari F40

Ferrari

Its 2,936cc 90° V8 is equipped with two IHI turbochargers and produces 478 PS and a maximum torque of 577 Nm. Weighing just 1,250 kg, the power-to-weight ratio is a very favourable 2.6 kg/PS. The result is a top speed of 201 mph and acceleration from 0 to 62 mph in 4.1 seconds.

	Ferrari F40 (1987)
Engine	2.9 V8 twin-turbo, 478 PS, 577 Nm
Rear-wheel drive	Rear
Gearbox	5-speed manual
Power-to-weight ratio	2.6 kg/PS
Top speed	201 mph
Acceleration 0-62 mph	4.1 seconds
Production	1,331 units
Current cost	€3.5 million

Production of the Ferrari F40 reached 1,331 units, including 20 F40 LMs. In 1987, it cost 373 million lire, or almost €502,000 (£419,000) today. The collectors' market today values the F40 at around €3.5 million (£2.9 million).

Ferrari F50

With the Ferrari F50, we're already in 1995 and the mechanical configuration of the Maranello supercar changes as the racing world evolves and it becomes a Formula 1 road car. The sinuous, spider-shaped body resting on a tubular carbon-fibre chassis conceals a naturally aspirated 12-cylinder engine with a narrow V-angle of 65°, five valves per cylinder and a displacement of 4,698 cm3.

Ferrari F50

Ferrari

The result is an open-top F1-style supercar that develops 521 PS and 471 Nm. It reaches 202 mph and takes 3.9 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 62 mph. When new, it cost around 852 million lire, or €769,000 (£640,000) discounted to 2024.

	Ferrari F50 (1995)
Engine	4.7 naturally-aspirated V12, 521 PS, 471 Nm
Rear-wheel drive	Rear-wheel drive
Gearbox	6-speed manual
Power-to-weight ratio	2.6 kg/PS
Top speed	202 mph
Acceleration 0-62 mph	3.9 seconds
Production	349 units
Current cost	€5 million

A total of 349 examples of the Ferrari F50 were produced and are now being sold at auction for up to €5 million (£4.2 million).

Ferrari Enzo

The Ferrari Enzo pays homage to Enzo Ferrari, the brand's founder, using the most advanced engine technology available in 2002 and the ever-present Pininfarina signature for a square, "technical" style.

Ferrari Enzo

Ferrari

The car was built entirely in carbon fibre and the naturally-aspirated 5,998 cm3 V12 engine, combined with the sequential gearbox, produced 660 PS and 657 Nm. The top speed is impressive: 217 mph and 0 to 62 mph in 3.65 seconds.

	Ferrari Enzo (2002)
Engine	6.0 naturally-aspirated V12, 660 PS, 657 Nm
Rear-wheel drive	Rear-wheel drive
Gearbox	6-speed sequential semi-automatic
Power-to-weight ratio	2.1 kg/PS
Top speed	217 mph
Acceleration 0-62 mph	3.65 seconds
Production	400 units
Current cost	€5.5 million

There are 400 examples in production, and the Italian price in 2002 was €665,000 / £555,000 (around €949,000 / £792,000 in 2024). On the collector's market, this Ferrari is already worth €5.5 million (£4.6 million).

Ferrari LaFerrari

In recent years, the object of desire for many Ferrari collectors around the world has been the Ferrari LaFerrari, a supercar and hypercar in one, which since 2013 has summed up in its name its desire to represent the best of Maranello.

Ferrari LaFerrari

Ferrari

The LaFerrari's rounded, streamlined forms are the work of the Centro Stile Ferrari headed by Flavio Manzoni and cover a carbon fibre and Kevlar body and chassis worthy of the best single-seaters. The engine is a naturally-aspirated 6,262 cm3 V12 combined with two electric motors to form the HY-KERS hybrid system with 963 PS and 900 Nm. More than 217 mph top speed and a 0-62 mph time of 3 seconds are two figures that testify to the LaFerrari's capabilities.

	Ferrari LaFerrari (2013)
Engine	6.3 naturally-aspirated V12 + 1 electric, 963 PS, 900 Nm
Rear-wheel drive	Rear
Gearbox	7-speed dual-clutch automatic
Power-to-weight ratio	1.5 kg/PS
Top speed	>217 mph
Acceleration 0-62 mph	3.0 seconds
Production	500 units (+210 units Aperta)
Current cost	€3.5 million

In addition to the 500 LaFerrari, there is a series of 210 LaFerrari Aperta with targa bodywork, sold as new for €1.2 and €1.6 million (£1 million and £1.3 million) respectively. If you want to buy a LaFerrari Aperta today, you should be prepared to pay at least €3.5 million (£2.9 million).

Ferrari F80

The Ferrari F80 of 2025 is the worthy heir to that lineage of supercars/hypercars that have marked the history of automotive evolution, with a new 1,200 PS hybrid engine that represents the pinnacle of today's sports car.

Ferrari F80

Ferrari

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This time, the technologies are drawn from both Formula 1 and endurance racing, in particular the 499P hypercar that won the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2023 and 2024. The 2,992cc twin-turbo V6 engine alone develops 900 PS and 850 Nm. Top speed and acceleration are 217 mph and 2.15 seconds. The latter figure is the best ever achieved by a Ferrari road car.

	Ferrari F80 (2025)
Engine	3.0 V6 biturbo + 4 electric, 1,200 PS
Traction	All-wheel drive
Gearbox	8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Power-to-weight ratio	1.2 kg/PS
Top speed	217 mph
Acceleration 0-100 km/h	2.15 seconds
Production	799 units
List price	€3.6 million

The price of the Ferrari F80, which will be delivered to customers from 2025, is €3.6 million (£3 million), another all-time record for a new Ferrari. The planned production run is 799 units until 2027, the year of Ferrari's 80th anniversary.