This is an original new-old-stock Ferrari F50 crankcase that remains with its factory crate – interestingly it’s believed to be the last “new” F50 crankcase available for public sale.
The Ferrari F50 was the successor to the Ferrari F40, and it was designed to celebrate Ferrari’s 50th anniversary. The car was built on a carbon fiber monocoque chassis, and its engine was derived from the Ferrari 333 SP race car, which had sourced its engine from the V12 used in the 1990 Ferrari 641 Formula 1 car.
The development of the Ferrari F50 can be traced back to the late-1980s when Ferrari began to explore the idea of building a road-going supercar version of their F1 race cars. The project was intended to be the ultimate expression of Ferrari’s engineering and design capabilities.
The styling of the Ferrari F50 was well-received when it was released at the 1995 Geneva Motor Show, and it would go on to have a major influence on the Ferrari supercars that would follow including the Ferrari Enzo. Image courtesy of Ferrari.
The first prototype of the Ferrari F50 was unveiled at the 1995 Geneva Motor Show, and it immediately caught the attention of automotive enthusiasts around the world, quickly becoming the new de facto bedroom wall supercar poster.
The F50 is powered by a naturally aspirated 4.7 liter V12 engine that produced 513 bhp and 347 lb ft of torque. The engine is mounted longitudinally behind the driver, and it sent power back to the rear wheels via a 6-speed manual transmission – the engine was also a load-bearing member for the rear suspension and the transmission much like an F1 car.
The F50 was designed to be a race car for the road, and it featured a number of advanced technologies, including a carbon ceramic braking system, active suspension, and an adjustable rear wing. The car was also remarkably lightweight, with a curb weight of just 2,712 pounds.
The engine used in the Ferrari F50 was sourced from the 1990 Ferrari 641 Formula 1 car and modified extensively for road use. It’s one of very few times that an F1 engine has been used in a road-going supercar. Image courtesy of Ferrari.
Today the F50 remains a highly coveted and collectible Ferrari, with prices reaching into the millions of dollars for well-maintained examples. The F50 also played an important role in the history of Ferrari, as it paved the way for the development of the iconic Ferrari Enzo, which was produced between 2002 and 2004.
This new-old-stock Ferrari F50 crankcase will likely be very appealing to any number of the 349 Ferrari F50 owners in the world, as it would be almost impossible to get a spare otherwise.
It has a price guide of $90,000 – $120,000 USD and it’s due to roll across the auction block with RM Sotheby’s later in March as part of the Garagista Collection. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images: Neil Fraser ©2022 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s + Ferrari
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
