Ever since the Ferrari, 1947 166 Barchetta rolled out the small workshop in Modena, this company's basic idea was to offer the customers world-class sports cars with exceptionally beautiful designs, high performance, bespoke finish, and exclusivity. Although there are some "common" Ferraris, especially modern ones, which have been produced in tens of thousands of examples, the Ferrari never mass-produced its models. If you are a real car enthusiast, seeing a Ferrari on the street or in the traffic will make your day, regardless of where you live. Ferrari in the wild is always an incredible sight, whether you are in Dubai or Pyongyang. 

However, amongst all Ferrari models, the enthusiasts' biggest attention attracts the rarest and limited-edition models. Machines that transcend a car's limit as a usable object become a dream on four wheels available only to the lucky few. Models that fall in the supercar category offer utmost in terms of power, performance, and design. Cars that draw inspiration from legendary icons like 250 GTO or Superamerica series and cars built for a reason – to show the world why the Ferrari is the greatest car company in the world. 

Today we will concentrate on five such models that represent the Holy Grail amongst the Ferrari fans. All those cars were constructed for a specific reason and occupy the same supercar category, but they all have distinctive characters, different technology, and designs. They were the pinnacle of automotive engineering when they came out and still command respect, high prices, and are regarded as pieces of automotive art.

Ferrari 288 GTO

1984 to 1987

The 288 GTO is the first proper Ferrari supercar, and it has all the essential design and mechanical characteristics. It is gorgeous, it's extremely fast, even today, it is frightening to drive, it is rare, expensive, and mythical. There is not much more you could ask for. The 288 GTO was conceived in the early '80s as Ferrari's competitor in the legendary and incredibly dangerous Group B rally championship. Back in the '70s and early '80s, the company enjoyed a lot of success with 308 GTB and wanted to do more. That is why the engineers used standard 308 as a platform but changed over 80% of it in the process. 

The 2.9-liter V8 engine gained twin turbochargers, which resulted in 400 hp sent to rear wheels over modified 5-speed manual transmission. With wider tires, revised suspension, aerodynamic enhancements, and stripped-down interior, 288 GTO was one of the fastest cars of its era with sub 5 second 0 to 60 mph time and 189 mph top speed. 

Purists thought that naming it the GTO (Gran Turismo Omologato) was just Ferrari's gimmick in gaining attention from the sports car fans, but no. This was a real homologation special and semi-racing car underneath a well-designed body. However, it never got the chance to show what it's got since FIA banned Group B in 1985 and the Maranello's turbo monster was obsolete. Ferrari left in production until early 1987, and just 272 cars were made. Although the successor set the bar high when it comes to Ferrari supercars, 288 GTO is still regarded as one of the purest '80s supercars and fantastic driving machine. Also, if I might add, a personal favorite. 

Ferrari F40

1987 to 1992

Even though the F40 relied heavily on the technical layout of 288 GTO, its dramatic styling, incredible performance, uncompromising nature, and unique appeal positioned as one of the best-known and most sought-after Ferraris. The F40 wasn't born to race; although it had a decent racing career, it was born to commemorate Ferrari's 40th birthday in 1987. 

The old man Enzo was rightfully proud of his achievement, and Ferrari went a long way from a small, obscure company in poor, post-war Italy to the biggest name in motorsport and ultimate sports car manufacturer. So, he instructed his engineers to use their best technology to create an extraordinary car—a road-going supercar with a race car feel and performance.  The F40 was ready just on time for celebrations, and Pininfarina outdid himself with the design. This is a very aggressive but also elegant design. The F40 screams speed and performance, but at the same time, it is not vulgar and frightening. In two words, it is addictively gorgeous. 

Beneath the carbon-kevlar body, the technical layout was pretty much the same as in 288 GTO, mainly since the Ferrari didn't have the time to develop anything new and because this concept was excellent. The 2.9-liter, twin-turbo V8 was further improved and delivered 478 hp, which positively affected performance. The 0 to 60 mph was achievable in around 4.7 seconds, and top speed was three mph shy of the magical 200 mph limit. The interior was deliberately stripped of any unnecessary luxuries and very Spartan because Ferrari wanted to make the car light, concentrate on driving, and never plan to sell many them. 

However, stellar performance, incredible looks, and limited-edition allure promoted the F40 in one of the most sought-after cars of the period, and in the end, Ferrari sold 1315 cars! This is incredible since the asking price was over $400,000 in 1987 money and you could sell your place on the ordering list for over $1 million. 

Ferrari F50

1995 to 1997

Although the F40 was an enormous success for Ferrari, the company wasn't so happy in the end. Yes, they sold five times more cars than they expected, and the car community went crazy over it, but at the same time, lots of people made a lot of money selling their places on the list and reselling the cars. The management was scared that the F40 would become too common and that the market would dry up. Ferrari was always known as a company that doesn't like to share its profits with anyone, and in 1995, when F50 was released, things changed. 

The F50 was announced as a successor to F40, but in fact, it was a completely different machine. The twin-turbo V8 was gone, and instead, F50 was equipped with a fantastic 4.7-liter, naturally-aspirated, and high revving V12 unit. The engine was based on a Formula One unit but adjusted for street use. It had 520 hp and could propel this gorgeous Ferrari to 3.8 seconds 0 to 60 mph time and a top speed of 194 mph. If the F40 had roots in rally championship, the F50 was Formula One car with the body, 6-speed manual, and leather interior. It wasn't a tire-smoking, corner sliding brute; it was a well-balanced, precise, and very fast driver's tool. 

However, in order to stop speculators cashing in on their car, Ferrari envisioned a completely different buying procedure for F50. It didn't matter if you had $475,000 in cash in a bag ready to hand it over to Ferrari dealer; you couldn't get one. I order to park it in your garage, you had to first go through a thorough check by Ferrari's people to see if you are a true enthusiast or you just want to sell it for a profit. In fact, nobody really bought the F50. You could only lease it from the Ferrari and then purchase it after the lease was up. Most owners were asked to sign agreements that they would not lend the cars to magazine testers or use them for promotional purposes. That is why this car is so exclusive, and in two years, Ferrari made just 349 examples, almost all still with their original owners. 

Ferrari Enzo

2002 to 2004

The first Ferrari's supercar of the 21st century was Ferrari Enzo, introduced in 2002. It was thoroughly modern and set the tone for almost all Ferraris that came after it. Not just in terms of design language but also in technology, materials, and appeal. The list of innovations is long, but this was the first Ferrari with ceramic brakes, F1-style gearbox instead of manual transmission, active aerodynamics, and F140 B V12 engine, the first engine Ferrari introduced in this century. It continued the idea of Formula One car for the street but improved this experience with incredible technology and cutting-edge materials. 

Once again, Ferrari was very careful to whom it sells this model, and only the best-known and trust-worthy Ferrari customers got the chance to put the Enzo in their collection at $660,000 apiece. The 6.0-liter V12 was a great power plant that could scream its way up to 8,200 redline, delivering 660 hp. Due to F1 paddle-shift gearbox, genius engineering, lightweight, and enormous power, Enzo was capable of getting to 60 mph in just 3.2 seconds and go all the way to 221 mph. Back in the '90s, Ferrari was afraid that F50 is not as fast as F40 and forbid all testing, but in the early ‘2000s, they were happy to show everybody that Enzo was one of the fastest things on the Earth at the moment. 

Enzo proved very influential, although it was sold in just 349 examples. Ferrari made an Enzo FXX, track-only versions, and their cross-town rival (who become a partner), Maserati, had its model called MC-12, which used most of the mechanics and engine. 

LaFerrari

2013 to 2018

If the Enzo was the first modern Ferrari supercar, the LaFerrari was the first supercar of the future from Maranello. Continuing with the idea but totally changing the form and abandoning some predecessors' traditions, LaFerrari is one of the most controversial models ever produced with prancing horse badge. First, there is the name, and it is pretty self-explanatory, but it sounds strange and a bit pretentious.  Then there is a "high" number of examples sold, 718 to be precise, both in a coupe and Aperta (convertible) form. In the end, there is the drive train – mild hybrid (Ferrari's first), which consists of a 6.2-liter V12 paired with a KERS system, which adds a short burst of power and harvest the energy while braking. 

We believe that the answers lie in the fact that by 2010, Ferrari's dominance in the car world was affected by new supercar companies like Pagani or Koenigsegg and old rivals like McLaren or Lamborghini. Something has to be done, and that something is a remarkably modern supercar with a simple name and clear message to competition as well as to fans that Ferrari still makes the most exciting and technologically-advanced supercars in the world. 

So, in 2013, the world was stunned by LaFerrari, its 950 hp combined power output, 0 to 60 mph time of 2.8 seconds, and a top speed of 220 mph. And of course, by its price of almost $1.5 million.