The Fabulous Ferraris of Casa Ferrari

The 512 M (the M stands for Modificata, or modified) is a direct descendant of the 512 S, built to take on the best of the world's sports cars at places like Daytona, Sebring, and Le Mans. Unfortunately for Ferrari, it came out at the same time Porsche debuted its 917. It was mighty hard to beat a 917. Nonetheless, the 512 M did its best, with better brakes, a new suspension, and a lighter, more powerful V12 engine. The bodywork was also redesigned to make it lower and more aerodynamic. Alas, the 512 M spent its short tenure on the track chasing the Porsches, without much success. Still, it looks mighty cool.

The 312T3 should have been a world-beater when it came out in 1978, with a new chassis and a 515-hp flat-12 engine. Other Ferrari 312Ts won 27 races, four constructors' and three drivers' Championships, making it the most successful car design in Formula One history. But 1978, the year of this particular 312T, the T3, was also the year Lotus came out with its Lotus 79 ground-effect car. The best the two Ferrari drivers could do that year was wait for Lotus to slip up. Carlos Reutemann managed to win four races in the 312T3, and Gilles Villeneuve only one.

...but the race Villeneuve won was at his home GP. Oh Canada!

When I first saw this parked on the first fairway at Pebble I thought it was a P3, but a more knowledgeable observer said, "No, it's too small to be a P3." So consider it a mini-P3. The Dino 206 S is 120 pounds lighter than the 206 SP, with a 2.0-liter DOHC V6 with a new combustion chamber said to be "straight from F1."

The engine made 220 hp, good for a top speed of 168 mph. And it looks great all the way.

It couldn't be more obvious that with this car Ferrari went from from 20 years of exclusive design collaboration with Pininfarina to a new collaboration with Bertone. In addition to a more angular exterior, the 308 GT4 featured a mid-mounted V8 and a back seat, of sorts. It was a big step away from the previous Dino.

In 1954 Ferrari made a significant shift in its competition sports cars, from big V12 power to the relatively diminutive 3.0-liter I4 found in the 750 Monza. The engine made 239 cavallino and powered Ferrari to first and second in its debut at, naturally, Monza.

The 250 GT was one of the most successful race cars in Ferrari history.

This was in many ways the definition of Grand Touring: a powerful V12 engine driving the rear wheels and a long, long hood announcing its arrival to all who were lucky enough to see it. The 275 GTB—Grand Touring Berlinetta—was made from 1964 to 1966. Its 3.3-liter DOHC configuration represented the final interpretation of the mighty Columbo V12. The exterior was a Pininfarina body built by Scaglietti. The combination made for a classic configuration in a near-perfect package.

While the 206 GT made only 178 hp from its 2.0-liter V6, the 2.4-liter V6 in the 246 made a more-satisfying 192 hp, matching the car's promising performance looks with actual performance. The engine went on to power the Lancia Stratos rally car, among others.

As with so many other things Ferrari, we have US importer Luigi Chinetti to thank for the 1967 275 GTS4 NART. NART stands for North American Racing Team, and Chinetti asked for 25 of these, but got only 10 in the Spyder configuration you see here.

Ferrari says the 296 GTS is the evolution of the carmaker’s mid-rear-engined two-seater berlinetta spider concept. It's powered by a new 120-degree V6 engine coupled with a plug-in (PHEV) electric motor that debuted on the 296 GTB. That powertrain produces what Ferrari calls "a massive 830 cv in total (819 hp)." "The car thus redefines the whole concept of fun behind the wheel, guaranteeing pure emotions not just when it is being pushed to its limits, but also in day-to-day driving situations."

When we drove this hybrid Ferrari recently we said, "It offers all the power and handling of the best of the class without beating the living linguini out of you." The SF (Scuderia Ferrari) 90 is the worthy successor to the La Ferrari, Enzo, F50, F40, and 288 GTO. There's a lot going on under that shapely skin.

Of the 2022 Daytona SP3, our colleagues at Car and Driver said, "The SP3 is rolling theater, and crowds form every time you stop. It is the kind of thing that commands phones to start recording and elicits excited noises from children. And you can play your part by pulling both shift paddles to temporarily select neutral, allowing you to rev the 6.5-liter V12 to its 9500-rpm redline." The SP3 gets carbon-fiber bodywork and an 829-horsepower naturally aspirated V12.