You have likely heard of Ferrari, even if you aren’t a car fan. The Italian automotive manufacturer has produced some of the world’s most iconic supercars and sports cars and forged a legacy unlike any other automotive brand. Such a long history has also included some exciting prototypes.
In this list, we are looking at some of the most astonishing and intriguing Ferrari prototypes and some of their concepts that never made it into production. They all still carry the same allure as any production model, simply because they carry the legendary prancing horse.
Ferrari F50 Berlinetta Prototipo
After the success of the F40, Ferrari came out with the F50 in the mid-1990s. The first production example was also a prototype, the Berlinetta Prototipo. Famous F1 drivers, including Jean Alesi, Niki Lauda, and Gerhard Berger, would drive and experience the 512 hp F1-derived 4.7-liter V12 engine. The F50 was also an evolution of the 1989 Ferrari Mythos concept.
Ferrari F40 Prototype
The prototype F40s are easy to forget amidst the legacy the production cars left. Ferrari produced just 1,300 production examples, each with a 2.0-liter twin-turbo V8 with 478 horsepower. However, eight prototype F40s were also built. Never sold to the public, there were differences between the production and prototype F40s. These are the mirrors, additional vents, a thinner rear wing, a different Kevlar weave in the tub, and a quilted headlining. Only seven remain today, with one burnt in a fire.
Ferrari 499P Modificata
A prototype in a different sense, the 499P Modificata is a limited-edition track car based upon the 499P that won the 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours. Costing over $5 million, the 499P Modificata has an 858 hp 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 under the hood and features styling similar to the Le Mans winner. Ferrari has confirmed that the Modificata will be a “strictly limited-series car.”
2011 Ferrari LaFerrari Prototype M4
The LaFerrari hypercar is one of the Prancing Horse’s most outstanding achievements. Before that, it went through a vigorous testing phase. That led to prototypes such as the M4, the first one for the new hypercar. The M4 is on the Tipo F142 platform and accommodates the Type F140FB V12 engine under the hood. The matt black panels and unique bodywork make this a very stealthy-looking Ferrari.
Ferrari 250 P5 Pininfarina
Developed as a concept car by Pininfarina in 1968, the 250 P5 debuted at the 1968 Geneva Motor Show. It was on P4 chassis #0862 and had a 3.0-liter V12 engine in the rear. The upper body featured a transparent teardrop canopy, while it also had gullwing doors and a very spartan interior with two seats and basic driving controls. It is no surprise that this Ferrari never went into production.
Ferrari Modulo Concept
Sitting on the chassis of a Ferrari 412S was the incredible Modulo concept. The radical-looking concept debuted at the 1970 Geneva Motor Show, and Paolo Martin of Pininfarina designed it. A large 5.2-liter V12 with 550 hp was under the hood, and it had a canopy-style glass roof that slid forward to allow entry into the car. The car would never run until Jim Glickenhaus bought it in 2014 and brought it to life. Complete with its original engine, the Modulo became road-legal in 2019.
Ferrari Enzo Protoype M3
The Ferrari Enzo is one of the best supercars the manufacturer ever produced. However, prototype M3 was little more than a Ferrari 348 with the Enzo’s large V12 shoved under the hood. Bodywork is from the 348, while suspension comes from the Ferrari 355 Challenge plus the instrument panel of a 360 Modena. Ferrari prototypes rarely survive, so the fact this does is truly remarkable.
Ferrari LaFerrari Prototype PS1
Prototype PS1 was the last for the LaFerrari hypercar. Internally, Ferrari called it the F150 Prototipe Preseries PS1, and its bodywork was almost identical to the production LaFerrari. It does have the final version of the F140FE V12 under the hood with 789 hp and comes in a two-tone Rosso Corso and Matte Black color scheme.
Ferrari 166 Inter
The first 166 Inter played a crucial part in the company’s history. It was the first actual Ferrari Grand Tourer plus the first to boast a 2.0-liter V12. It debuted at the 1949 Paris Motor Show and had a top speed of 93 mph. Only 38 166 Inters were ever produced, making it one of the rarest Ferraris in history.
Ferrari 250 GT Carbriolet Prototipo
In the mid-1950s, Ferrari had yet to make its first Cabriolet. That changed with the 250 GT Cabriolet, designed by Pininfarina. The prototype debuted at the 1957 Geneva Motor Show, and chassis #0655GT still survives in 2024. The prototype has unique details, including the driver’s side cut-down door and the hood scoop with chrome accents.
Dino 206 Competizione Prototipo
The Dino 206 is a rare case of a fully functional prototype on a proven race chassis. The 206 Competizione Prototipo followed on from three Dino 206s that raced at Le Mans. This new prototype would receive a custom Pininfarina body, while it kept the engine from one of the Le Mans racers of 1966. The unique 175 hp V6-powered sports car would eventually pass into the ownership of Jim Glickemhaus.
Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa Prototipo
Chassis #0666TR was the very first 250 Testa Rossa. Ferrari ran it alongside another prototype for various ideas and components testing. The car has had a long life, including a crash at the 1958 Le Mans 24 Hours that claimed the life of Jaguar D-Type driver J.M. Brousseler. Ferrari rebuilt the car in 1959 before it was finally retired from racing in 1960. It has since undergone a complete restoration back to its 1958 configuration.
Ferrari F.Z. 93
The Formula Zagato 93 is one of the most peculiar of all Ferraris. The idea behind the Zagato creation was to morph the 1991 Ferrari F1 car into a 512 TR, complete with the 4.9-liter 390 hp V12 engine. The vehicle would gain a “double bubble” roof, and the F1-style nose certainly provided a talking point. Not one of the prettiest Ferraris ever made.
Ferrari SP12 EPC
We know little about this Ferrari, a one-off for music legend Eric Clapton. It allegedly cost Clapton over $3 million, and under the hood, it has a 4.5-liter V8 with 562 hp. Ferrari kept full details of the car under wraps, but the company released images of the 458 Italia-based supercar in 2012. The car also made a rare public appearance at the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Ferrari PPG Pace Car
Ferrari has built very few pace/safety cars for motorsport. One exception, however, was the Mondial PPG Pace Car, built for the Indianapolis 500 in the late 1980s. Under the hood, the PPG Mondial had a 3.4-liter V8 with 300 hp. The car would pace various races in the United States and make a few appearances in Europe.
Ferrari CR25
The CR25 is another Pininfarina-designed concept, although it is a mysterious Ferrari. Aldo Brovarone was the chief designer of the CR25, which debuted at the Turin Motorshow in October 1974. It was the first Pininfarina Ferrari since the Modulo, and this was a concept destined for static display only as Ferrari never graced it with a powertrain. Theoretically, a V12 would have gone under the hood of the CR25.
Ferrari P6 Berlinetta Speciale
Ferrari unveiled the P6 Berlinetta Speciale at the 1968 Turin Auto Show and again boasted a Pininfarina design. Under the hood was a 400 hp V12 engine, and the P6 would form the basis for Ferrari’s 365 BB of 1971. For the time, the P6 Berlinetta was a very futuristic-looking Ferrari with its smooth surfaces and a very complex rear-end.
Ferrari Rossa
First shown at the 2000 Pairs Motor Show, the Ferrari Rossa was a modern reinterpretation of the 1958 250 Testa Rossa. Unlike its predecessor, the new car was only to tour the show circuit and not venture onto the racetrack. Using a Ferrari 550 Barchetta Pininfarina as its chassis, the Rossa utilized rear-wheel drive and a 5.5-liter V12.
Ferrari 250 GT Coupe Prototipo
Yet another Pininfarina design, the Ferrari 250 GT Coupe Prototipo, was first unveiled in Geneva in 1956. The car replaced the 250 Europa GT with a similar chassis but updated styling. A smaller front grille and rear tail fins were distinguishing features of the new vehicle. Like many versions of the 250, the GT Coupe Prototipo is also one of the prettiest Ferraris ever made.
Ferrari SP265 RW Competizione
In 2017, Ferrari created a unique, one-off prototype using the best bits of the F12. This was the SP275 RW courtesy of Ferrari’s Special Projects division. A 770 hp 6.3-liter V12 engine powered the car, which had bespoke bodywork to replicate the famous 275 GT of the 1960s. There are more curves and louvers than the F12, and the performance was impressive, with a 0-60 mph time of 2.9 seconds.
Ferrari Pininfarina Sergio Concept
While marked as a Pininfarina, the Sergio utilizes the underpinnings of a Ferrari 458 Spider. The design house produced the car as a tribute to former chairman and founder Sergio Pininfarina, who passed away in July 2012. Pininfarina took the covers off the car at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, which has a 4.5-liter Ferrari F136 G V8 under the hood. Ferrari would build six production versions of the Sergio, selling them to handpicked customers each for $3 million.
Ferrari SP America
While less dramatic than the Sergio, the SP America is another Ferrari Special Projects Division product. They created a restyled F12, using the same 6.2-liter V12 as the base car. Ferrari never revealed official pricing, but rumors say the cost of the vehicle stands in the $4 million region. This remarkable creation belongs to grocery chain CEO Danny Wegman.
Ferrari Mythos
In 1989, Ferrari took the Testarossa and created the Mythos. With Pininfarina’s design work, the Mythos was a mid-engine rear-wheel drive concept with a body split into two sections at the front and rear. Two massive side intakes characterized the design, feeding air into the 390 hp 4.9-liter Tipo flat-12 engine.
Ferrari 408
Ferrari made just two 408 Concept prototypes in 1987. The first is a red car, and the second is a yellow car now on display at the Galleria Ferrari in Maranello. These unusual cars had a four-wheel drive system utilizing hydraulics. Both were testbeds for different production methods, the first using a welded stainless steel body and the second a glued aluminum body.
