Why does the F40 seem so much more desired than the F50?

How old were the tires on the F50 ? New rubber makes a huge difference.

 

True but we cant always have new rubber...

I liked the linear acceleration, but it didn't do nearly as much for me as the F40 as far as driving excitement is concerned.

Still, I do really like the car's looks. But for the price there are other things...

 

Utter nonsense!

I have never contradicted myself about the F50's good looks.

You on the other hand have contradicted yourself in post 273 as I have clearly pointed out in post 274.

Or perhaps you have "blown with the wind"?

Thanks for making my point.

 

Doesn't it ?

 

Too much talk, too few pics
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I know its loud but.....
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You are in a advantagous position to reveal to us your preference. When you choose to go driving which do you select more often the F40 or the F50?

Thank you.

 

I try to be an equal opportunity driver Right now, the recent arrival of the F50 has it at the top of the choice list. The F40 has nothing to worry about though.

 

We all agree that the F40 is the fantasy car. I have a feeling that if Gordon Murray hadn't dumped the Mclaren F1 on the world right when the F50 was out that the F50 would be the fantasy car of the 90s. But the McLaren was just so much "more" than the F50 that the only thing the F50 had on the F1 was lower price and a removable roof.

That being said, I was born in 85 so I missed the F40 boom. I was old enough to like cars by the time the F50 was out. That's my pick.

 

Not sure what make of car that is??? Oooops 100 cavallinos to remind me!!!

 

Could you please elaborate on why the McLaren F1 is so much "more" than the F50 ?

 

Great family outing

 

I put the two along the same vein- the F50 and F1 are both F1 inspired V12 firebreathers-

However, the F1 has more power, more exclusivity, higher top speed, higher price and more understeer. (and more seats too!)

My point was that the F50 most likely is the superior car (vs the F40) (only seen one, never touched or smelled), but from a purely fantasy point of view, the McLaren is the F40 of the 90s. Its still the measuring stick for supercars. The F50 and how fabulous it is is forgotten by its predecessor and its successor (is anyone a middle child here?) and having the McLaren F1 as contemporary didn't help.

 

Michael made a good point. The McLaren F1 was released one year before the F50 and effectively rewrote all performance standards in the "big numbers" that people quote - horsepower, acceleration, top speed - for production cars. While the F1 and F50 are very different cars and have their own merits, it's certainly understandable that the F50 would be somewhat "in the shadows" relative to the F40 at the time of their releases, since the F40 was easily the fastest production car ever built at the time of its release. Note all the press attention that the Enzo received when it was released as the most powerful production road car ever built at the time.

I have never driven either car and would pay dearly to drive them both. Having said that, the F50 is the car that "got me into cars". As a kid growing up, nothing screamed "dream car" more to me than that hot red roadster with the huge wing and screaming V12. Most kids my age lusted after the more well-known Lamborghini Diablo or McLaren F1, but to me the F50 was the Big Kahuna, and it was a thrill to see one for the first time in LA when I was in high school. Both the F50 and F40 are awesome cars and should rightly be regarded as some of the most desirable vehicles ever built, but I guess the F50 has that emotional attachment for me that the F40 doesn't have. That it looks and sounds better IMHO further enhances its appeal.

Thanks a lot to those who own or have driven both cars and thus can provide a perspective that most Ferrari enthusiasts and auto journalists can't.

Not to create a big tangent, but how do they feel vs. the Enzo, if anyone can comment?

 

The arrival of the 288 GTO did not create such public hoopla (although it should have done) for two reasons:
(1) It was made in such extremely limited numbers and never imported to the US, so most of the general public knew nothing about it; and
(2) It looked to the untrained eye too much like the familiar (though beautiful) 308/328

The F40 stole all the attention because is was released in huge numbers amid tremendous hype. No publicly-recognized car since the Lamborghini Countach had such extreme styling.

The F50 was released too soon after the F40, amid far less fanfare, and I suspect that many share my opinion that the F50's styling was nothing to get excited about. Following on the heels of the far better-looking F40, the F50, part LA Custom Conversion Van chop-top 355 with integrated wing, part bright red Batmobile, mutters a timid half-apology for the uncompromising ruthlessness of the F40.

 

I'm late to this conversation, but having owned them both for quite a while, I ultimately believe the F50 is the better car. I've tracked them both and I far prefer the F50 on the track. It's much more predictable, handles better and has a much broader torque band.
A lot of the comments discuss the "rawness" of the F40 as a plus. When you own it and drive it, the rawness is no plus at all and the F50 is really a much easier car to drive very fast.

I sold both of my F40's without any real regret at the end of the day but I'm having a much harder time with the idea of selling the F50.

 

I think that the general public's preference for the F40 is based largely on perceptions, as I have noted above. I am personally no less guilty of that than anyone: I remember a great deal of hype surrounding the arrival of the F40, and when the F50 came along only a few years later, my response, like that of so many others, was relatively staid.

Also, as I mentioned above, I personally cannot get my head around the looks of the F50.

That said, having never driven either car on the track, I defer to your experience with all due respect to your impression of the F50 as a better car overall.

 

looks like we have a winner, and time has shown who was right and who was *dead* wrong.

congrats @joe sackey

Old posts like this are so interesting to stumble on. Almost like a time machine.

 

LOL, the F50 has aged well, to me at least, and judging by how much they bring these days its time in the sun has definitely come!

 

I completely agree! I've always loved it as well! I never understood folks that said it is bad. That's why I especially appreciate stumbling upon these old debates and seeing what time has teased out to be the truth.

 

Never cared for design as much as F40 but except for interior noise level I prefer everything about driving it.

 

Slight drift, just curious if RufMD & 410SA are into cars anymore …. They both were all over the forum years ago with great collections ( F50 included ).

MDS

 

was rufmd jas? if so he has an insane collection and on IG

 

Yes.

Reading Jas' preceding posts regarding the F50, I'm not seeing the "gotcha" that Paul and Joe seem to be, but whatever makes them feel better (strange necro bump regardless).

 

You make some great points and I agree, the F50 is the better car and my favorite limited series Ferrari.
I'd also like to add one more thing to what you said. What made the F50 look like a failure the most was the fact that when it came out, it wasn't the best supercar out there, the way the F40 was when it came out in 87.
By the time the F50 was launched, McLaren already had the F1 which was viewed as the pinnacle of a supercar.
In order for the F50 to be seen as a clear succes, it should have surpassed the F1. Top speed wise it might have been very difficult since the F1 could reach 370 km/h, but it should have been way faster on a track.
The F50 looked poor in comparison, it only had 520 HP to the F1's 627 HP, and the top speed was poor by comparison. It should have had at least 650 HP and a 350 km/h top speed.
Basically many journalists and Ferrari fans were dissapointed Ferrari didn't try to surpass the F1.