Long a symbol of style as well as grace and having “made it” in life Ferrari cars are still made with racing and success in mind. When founder Enzo Ferrari first began making cars in 1929 in Maranello Italy he had Formula One racing in mind instead of the more common street legal machines we can see on the highways and roadways around the world today. Not that there is anything “common” about a Ferrari! But in order to boost sales and attract more buyers the road car began to appear in 1947, opening up a whole new market for classy automobiles that many could afford. That road car, the 125 S had a powerful 1.5 litre V-12 engine and it could hold its own against anything else that was “street legal” at the time.

At $1.8 Million only the wealthiest could afford an Enzo

From 2002 until 2004 the fastest model of Ferrari available was the Enzo. Named after the founder of Ferrari, the Enzo was definitely aimed toward the wealthiest of auto enthusiasts because of its high cost (nearly two million dollars). Availability was somewhat limited as well because they were special ordered only and difficult to get. Always a pace setting automobile, the Ferrari continues to dominate on the Le Mans and Formula One race courses as well as impressing many on the streets around cities around the globe.

Concept cars and hybrids bring Ferrari into the future

As the world must decide between fast cars and gas consumption versus practicality and gasoline economy Ferrari has been working on producing more practical vehicles including those which operate efficiently on some form of bio-fuel or ethanol. The 599 Fiorano model, which normally has 612 horsepower gets a boost of more than 100 more horsed thanks to the Ferrari hybrid system. They even gave it a new name, HY-KERS Concept car. And concept cars are nothing new for Ferrari as they have had many over the years including the Ferrari Modulo (a radical model never meant to see production lines). Some concept based cars like the Ferrari P4/5 were made to order for wealthy owners who could afford to pay for specially built “toys”. Most recently the Ferrari Millechili came about in 2010, made by Ferrari itself and boasting an aluminium frame resulting in a much lighter vehicle with racing in mind.

Popular as ever Ferrari sales are on the rise

Modern models of the Ferrari sports car include:

575M Maranello
575M Superamerica
599 GTB Fiorano
F430
F430 Spider
F430 Scuderia
Scuderia Spider 16M
458 Italia
512 Scaglietti
F50 GT
Ferrari California
Ferrari FF
Enzo (F60)
F70

Modern concept automobiles and concept models or those specially ordered by owners include:

Ferrari SP1
Ferrari P540 Superfast Aperta
Ferrari Millechili
Ferrari F151
Ferrari Superamerica 45

The ideas that come with concept cars are often integrated into the line, improving style and performance over the years. The concept car known as the Millechili (translates from Italian as one thousand for mille and chilli means kilograms) is the most recent version that is believed to be based on the F430 models aluminium frame with a 104.3 inch wheelbase and a 600 HP V10 engine and may be called the F7. Ferrari continues to think and play well ahead into the future.