288, F40, F50, Enzo, LaFerrari, F80: the big numbers for the six big Ferrari halo cars

The idea for any Ferrari is simple: according to its makers it should look, sound and drive better than anything in its class. But what if ‘the best’ simply isn’t enough? Well, say hello to Ferrari’s range of halo cars, the latest of which is the all-new F80. 

What’s interesting about this group of ultra-rare, ultra-expensive supercars is that they aren’t supposed to be about numbers... and yet the numbers just can’t be ignored. Heck, two of the six became the fastest cars in the world upon their release.

So how does the F80 compare to its predecessors in this game of Ferrari Top Trumps? Here’s a rundown of all the cars involved, beginning with Ferrari’s first ‘true’ halo car...

Did you know that Ferrari used to compete in rallying with the 308, and that it intended to follow that up by joining Group B with the 308-derived 288 GTO? It was the first road-going Ferrari to use a turbocharged V8, while Pininfarina returned to throw on some incredible styling cues to prep it for racing duties (seriously, we need yellow fog lamps to make a comeback).

Sadly, Group B folded before the GTO ever got the chance to show its worth, but the silver lining lay in it becoming the world’s fastest road car. Well, until the Porsche 959 came along. The GTO also set the stage for one hell of a following act for Ferrari’s low-volume halo car contingent.

Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V8

Power: 394bhp 

Torque: 366lb ft

0-62mph: 4.9s

Top speed: 190mph

Gearbox: Five-speed manual

Weight: 1,160kg

Production: 272

Fiorano lap time: 1m 36s

Built to commemorate 40 years since the launch of Ferrari’s first road car, the 125 S, the F40 ended up wrestling the production speed record back from Porsche. But, more importantly, it became the world’s first road-legal car to top 200mph. 

Ferrari’s boffins focused on lightweight engineering from the off, so the F40's body comprises just 11 panels forged mostly using lightweight composite materials. That's coupled with independent front/rear suspension with bespoke coilover springs and shocks. The last car personally approved by Enzo before his passing, you'll know, because everyone knows the F40's story.

Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V8

Power: 471bhp 

Torque: 426lb ft

0-62mph: 4.1s

Top speed: 201mph

Gearbox: Five-speed manual

Weight: 1,100kg

Production: 1,315

Fiorano lap time: 1m 29.6s

Following the F40 was never going to be easy, and the F50 found out the hard way. Why? Because despite being 2.6s quicker around Fiorano and sporting a more exotic V12 engine, its arrival coincided with that of the game-changing McLaren F1. Opinions are changing these days though. The F50 is filled with tonnes of F1 know-how, and also very much not-filled with power steering or ABS. Hardcore.

Engine: 4.7-litre naturally aspirated V12

Power: 512bhp 

Torque: 347lb ft

0-62mph: 3.8s

Top speed: 202mph

Gearbox: Six-speed manual

Weight: 1,230kg

Production: 349

Fiorano lap time: 1m 27s

Talk about three-punch combos. This is everything Ferrari knew about F1 in its peak, stamped with the authority of one Michael Schumacher, and released in their most dominant year. 2002's Enzo - a car that lapped the Nürburgring almost three seconds quicker than its in-period rival, the Porsche Carrera GT - is packed with racing technology (like a lightweight, compact V12) honed for road-use, wrapped up in a blocky, timeless design.

Plus, it's literally called the Enzo.

Engine: 6.0-litre naturally aspirated V12

Power: 650bhp 

Torque: 485lb ft

0-62mph: 3.6s

Top speed: 217mph

Gearbox: Six-speed automated manual

Weight: 1,255kg

Production: 399

Fiorano lap time: 1m 24.9s

By combining its most powerful-ever naturally aspirated V12 for the road with a 120kW electric motor, Ferrari's confusingly titled 'TheFerrari' was a hybrid that pumped out almost as much power as an F40 and an F50 combined.

Not just plain brutality at play here, mind: there's active aero, an F1-derived dual-clutch gearbox and KERS, too. Because you might not know this, but Ferrari dabbles a bit in F1.

Engine: 6.3-litre hybrid V12

Power: 950bhp (combined)

Torque: 664lb ft

0-62mph: 2.9s

Top speed: 217mph

Gearbox: Seven-speed dual-clutch

Weight: 1,480kg

Production: 499

Fiorano lap time: 1m 19.7s

Ferrari only releases one of these halo cars every decade or so, when there's a technological leap to be made, and the F80's leap is all about combustion. Specifically, race-winning combustion. No, it hasn't got a V12, but a turbo hybrid V6. And yet despite halving the cylinder count and drastically upping the reliance on electrical assistance, the F80 steamrollers everything that's come before it using a powertrain related to that in the 499P double Le Mans winner.

The result is the most powerful Ferrari road car ever built. And the fastest. And the fastest around Fiorano.

Engine: 3.0-litre hybrid V6

Power: 1,183bhp 

Torque: 805lb ft

0-62mph: 2.1s

Top speed: 217mph

Gearbox: Eight-speed dual-clutch

Weight: 1,525kg

Production: 799

Fiorano lap time: 1m 15.3s