Mega Thread: The FERRARI F50

Sheehans take on serial number 99999

"The issue of confusion is not specific to vintage Ferraris. A client was recently offered F50 prototype s/n 99999 and came to me for info. A quick glance in the database and a few emails to our historians group confirmed there were at least two and possibly even four F50s with s/n 99999. One was a former press car at the Galleria Ferrari, another belonged to Jacques Swaters, former Belgian Ferrari importer, and a third F50 s/n 99999 was registered on a Channel Islands Guernsey plate 17404.

Looking through my voluminous notes under F50 s/n 99999, I saw that one of the spotters in our group noted every F40 and F50 has a tiny external number on the external door lock, and that over several years of spotting at dealers, events in Europe, and at the Galleria Ferrari, he had seen four different door lock numbers on four different F50s in four different locations, all numbered s/n 99999. For example, he spotted two F50s in Mugello on the same day, both with s/n 99999. One carried factory plates Prova MO2112 while the second had Prova MO2268. He was unable to get the door lock numbers.

Other notes showed the F50 with Guernsey plates (door lock number 325) also had the top of the windshield tinted, and it had a type shield behind the steering wheel, while the three other s/n 99999 F50s did not. The Guernsey car had a chassis plate on the steering column; the Swaters car did not. Ad infinitum.


One of many 550 Barchettas with build number 001/448Adding yet another dimension to the madness, there were also a total of seven pre–production or prototype F50s built, those being 95592, 98170, 99999 x 4, 100825, 101919, 102474, 102813 and 102816. The punch line to all this was that none of the various iterations of s/n 99999 was for sale, and the client was being offered what is referred to in the trade as a “ghost car.”

 

Very interesting. As Mike points out there are several Vintage Ferrari's with the same Vin # as well. There are two 10523's for example.

 

F50GT Dyno video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7jQ200ewOU

 

#001 is owned by the owner of Ferrari/Maserati of Silicon Valley in Redwood City. It was crashed a couple times, once by him the other by a Porsche test driver and was rebuilt by Ferrari. It's HP upped, and Schumacher signed the dash.

#001 is the first picture

#002 is with its original owner, Shin Okamoto. He has what could be considered a shrine to Ferraris at his home on Mt Rokko. The second pic shows a portion of his collection - the third offers some proof that the car does get tracked

#002 is the second and third picture

#003's current Japanese owner is unknown, but it was originally owned by an American named Jim Spiro from New Orleans. He sold the car at auction to an Australian who kept it for a few years, using it once at the famous Phillip Island race track. It was then sold to a dealership called Duncan Hamilton in the UK, who eventually sold it to its current owner in Japan.

#003 is the fourth picture
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I remember seeing one of those briefly at Luguna during the FCA meet. Pretty cool but quite a handful on cold tires.

 

What happens if you put a air fence on an F50?

 

It was Oakfields, not Duncan Hamilton

 

Flames arise, not literally though.

lol, Ryan that was really a good one!

 

Well, in fact, I own Ferrari Supercars, and deal with them also, so....

 

Thanks very much for sharing.

Just FYI, 002 owned by Yoshikuni Okamoto DOES in fact get tracked, as you can see... thats his F40 LM also being prepped to go out on the track also.
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003 at Willow Springs International Raceway in California shortly after it was purchased by Jim Spiro from Beverly Hills Ferrari together with his famous black F50 circa 1997 ...
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the heart of the beast...what noises within
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F50 unveiled at Geneva....photogs seem to be interested....
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The F50GT's interior...spartan & purposeful. If anyone has others please share...
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baffles me how some find this shape unattractive
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001 by Top Speed, on the track in California...
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Well, we know it happened 623km from Stockholm
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Major...
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What else is this thing good for?

Goodnight!
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Cool. Always loved seein these pics.

 

yeah right.

youve been here (and probably other forums too) long enough to know that if there is already an existing active post on a subject its poor netiquette to start another one - regardless of however much you dislike the person who started the original.

it doesnt take a genius to know you had other motives in starting this thread.


absolutely pathetic.

 

compare it to the shape of some earlier Fcars and some feel its not quite up there from some angles.

however i agree with you, i personally love it.

 

You're quite right Nick, thats why the first post in this thread recognizes the efforts and threads of others...refreshing eh ?

If you have a useful comment or contribution to make regarding F50's in this thread, please do so. Otherwise, kindly spare everyone your musings.

 

That service looks cheap.