Left-field Ferraris
Ferrari is rightly celebrated for its many sleek sports cars and supercars, but it’s also produced its fair share of unusual machinery.
Some of these oddballs have come direct from the Ferrari factory, while others have been commissioned by favoured customers. A few have been made against the odds and even against Ferrari’s wishes.
Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of lesser-known Ferraris, which are presented here in chronological order.
1. 1949 Ferrari 166MM Zagato Panoramica
The Ferrari 166M Zagato Panoramica was designed with aerodynamic efficiency in mind.
This explains the unusual teardrop shape of this coupé design by the Italian coachbuilder, which was the first collaboration between it and Ferrari.
The car was commissioned by Antonio Stagnoli and features Plexiglass side windows that curve up and into the roofline.
This was a radical design for the time and in this form it competed in the 1950 Coppa Intereuropa and that year’s Mille Miglia. Shortly after this, it was rebuilt with an open-top, barchetta-style body.
However, in 2007, the car was meticulously restored and taken back to its original shape, with help from Ferrari Classiche.
2. 1950 Ferrari 166MM 212 Export ‘Uovo’
The one-off body created by Fontana for this Ferrari 166MM/212 Export earned it the nickname ‘Uovo’, or ‘Egg’, and it has become known by this name ever since.
It was ordered new by the Marzotto brothers, who were prolific early Ferrari customers, and it was used for racing.
In 1951, Count Giannino Marzotto believed a lighter body would help make the car more competitive and he tasked Fontana with creating it.
The design was by Franco Reggiani and drew heavily on his aeronautical experience, which helped the car emerge 150kg (c330lb) lighter than its previous form.
The Uovo went on to compete in the Mille Miglia with Count Giannini and then in the 1953 Carrera Panamericana.
It remained with various owners in Mexico and the US, and it was restored in time for the 1986 Mille Miglia.
3. 1952 Ferrari 212 Inter Vignale Coupé Bumblebee
You know a car is special when it becomes known by a characterful name rather than its factory-given title. So it is with ‘Bumblebee’, a 1952 Ferrari 212 Inter Vignale coupé.
One of three cars built by Ferrari and bodied by Vignale to the same specification, Bumblebee stood out for its bold black and yellow paintwork.
The car was delivered new to Monsieur Signoret of Digne, France, but quickly moved on to the US and owner James Floria, who owned it up to 1963.
After a spell in the UK, the car was restored and returned to the US where its unusual style still sets it apart from most early Ferraris.
4. 1956 Ferrari 410 Superamerica Ghia
With no such thing as a standard Ferrari 410 Superamerica body, each of the handful of cars made was unique.
Yet even in such rarefied company, Bob Wilke’s order for his car stood out when he commissioned Ghia to produce a startling coupé.
Wilke was a US customer, which perhaps explains this 410’s influences coming from Detroit’s cars of the era.
The large, chrome, egg-crate grille and surround are paired with chromed bumpers, while the headlights are recessed and the windscreen has a wraparound style.
At the rear, the raised fins on the wing were right on trend for the period, and inside there is a deeply dished steering wheel with chrome spokes.
When the car was finished, it caused a stir at the 1956 Turin motor show ahead of it being delivered to Bob Wilke, who kept the car until his death in 1970.
5. 1961 Ferrari 250GT NART Spider
This standout Ferrari began life as a 250GT 2+2 coupé in 1961, but it gained its unique body in 1965 when US Ferrari importer Luigi Chinetti asked Fantuzzi to rebody the car following a crash.
The 250 was sent to Italy for the work to be carried out and what came back was a car with hints of 250GTO thanks to the trio of vents behind the front wheels.
A new more steeply raked windscreen was also added, along with the car’s most distinctive feature – the large rear roll hoop behind the open cabin.
Named after Chinetti’s North American Racing Team (NART), this Spider was originally finished in silver.
After some show appearances, it was sold in New York and was subsequently restored over an eight-year period, starting in 1980.
6. 1962 Ferrari 250GT Breadvan
The fastest delivery truck in the world? Not quite, because this Ferrari took its name from the aerodynamic bodywork developed to help it compete at the 1962 Le Mans 24 Hours.
This idea came about because Enzo Ferrari refused to sell one of his 250GTO race cars to Count Volpi.
Undeterred, Volpi’s Scuderia Serenissima team reconfigured its 250GT SWB with its new lightweight, streamlined body.
It also gained a more powerful engine that was repositioned further back in the chassis to improve handling.
The Breadvan proved its effectiveness at Le Mans by leading all of the 250GTOs in the 1962 race, but it retired due to a broken driveshaft. However, it did go on to score well in several other events.
7. 1965 Ferrari 330GT 2+2 Shooting Brake
As with a number of unusual Ferraris, this 300GT 2+2 exited the factory gates for the first time as a standard coupé model bound for the US.
The American importer, Luigi Chinetti Jnr, had other ideas in 1967, and asked illustrator Bob Peak to come up with something more striking and practical.
The resulting Shooting Brake estate body was built by Vignale, and it’s thought this is the last Ferrari bodied by this coachbuilder.
When finished, the Shooting Brake provided more generous space for its four occupants and a large boot area.
Finished in metallic green with a gold roof for its return to the US when completed, it was then used by Chinetti Jnr as his personal car until 1974. It was repainted in bronze metallic in 2017.
8. 1967 Ferrari 330GT Coupé
Luigi Chinetti, the US importer for Ferrari during the 1960s, was prolific when it came to commissioning one-off bodywork for the Italian cars he sold.
Among them is this 330GT Coupé with a body crafted by Michelotti.
As with several other oddball Ferraris, it started as a standard model and was converted early in its life.
It was given a quad-headlamp front end and long, tapering boot that blends into the sloping rear ’screen.
This design sacrificed the 2+2 seating of the original body for a sleeker two-seat look that has earned it many concours awards and a number of scale-model tributes to this one-off coupé.
9. 1969 Ferrari 330GTS Targa
The ‘Targa’ name is more commonly associated with Porsche, but Las Vegas casino owner and noted car collector William Harrah decided he wanted a custom Ferrari 330 drop-top.
In his own workshops in Nevada, he oversaw the design and build of the Harrah Targa.
The removable roof panel gave him the convertible body he wanted, while the long, sloping rear window was made in Perspex. This necessitated a shorter boot.
Harrah didn’t stop there, because his 330GTS Targa came with a substantial roll hoop finished in stainless steel to keep the body rigid and offer a solid mount for the targa roof panel.
10. 1969 Ferrari 365GTB/4 Daytona Speciale
Halfway between a Daytona coupé and Spider in its appearance, this Ferrari 365GTB/4 was a one-off commissioned from new.
The Ferrari factory tasked Pininfarina with making the car using an early Spider bodyshell with an added roll hoop section and wraparound rear glass.
Finished in Blu Tourbillon with white roof and a parchment-leather interior, this Daytona was also fitted with air conditioning and a radio from new.
It was first seen at the 1969 Paris motor show and then sold in Milan, Italy, but then headed to the US, Japan and back to Europe as it passed through various owners.
11. 1969 Ferrari Sigma
Long before driver safety in Formula One really took hold, Ferrari showed its Sigma race-car concept at the 1969 Geneva motor show.
Conceived with Pininfarina, it was based on a Ferrari 312 Grand Prix car but looked like nothing else on the grid.
Safety features of the Sigma included much fuller bodywork to protect the driver and a cockpit survival cell.
There was also a plumbed-in fire-extinguisher system, plastic fuel tanks with multiple internal layers to prevent fuel from spilling in a crash, and a more comprehensive safety belt for the driver.
Another innovation of the Sigma was its rear-wheel pods that were designed to stop wheel interlocking during close overtaking moves.
12. 1972 Ferrari 365GTB/4 Daytona Shooting Brake
This amazing Ferrari estate car started life as a standard Daytona coupé finished in red with a black-leather interior.
It was sold to its first owner in the US, but was then shipped to Panther Westwinds in the UK in 1974.
At the behest of Luigi Chinetti Jnr, the US Ferrari importer, Panther Westwinds rebodied the Daytona as a striking Shooting Brake.
Almost all of the exterior was new for the car and its most remarkable features are the twin rear windows that open in a bat-like fashion to access the rear luggage deck.
The interior came in for a revamp, too, with centrally mounted instruments in a wood-trimmed dashboard.
With so much attention to detail, it’s no wonder this car was said to have cost its owner, Bib Gittleman of Florida, the equivalent of four new Daytonas.
13. 1972 Ferrari 365GTS/4 NART Spyder
One of the most divisive one-off Ferraris ever created, the 365GTS/4 NART Spyder was another commission from the company’s US importer, Luigi Chinetti Jnr.
The car was said to have been ordered for his wife and was built by Michelotti.
The angular, two-seat, open-top Spyder coachwork borrowed from the wedge school of design and came with more conventional pop-up headlights than a standard Daytona Spider.
The interior didn’t escape Michelotti’s update and features a large black dashboard with centrally stacked minor gauges.
The steering wheel also has a unique centre boss with the Michelotti badge embossed into it.
Shown at the 1974 Turin show, the car survives in unrestored condition.
14. 1974 Ferrari 330 Convertible
The crowd-stopping Ferrari 330 Convertible was built by Zagato using an unsuspecting GTC as the starting point, after the 1967 base car suffered damage in a collision.
As with so many unique Ferraris of the period, the revised car was the brainchild of US importer, Luigi Chinetti Jnr.
He shipped the crashed car back to Zagato in Italy and commissioned an all-new body with hints of Daytona Spider.
The car was completed in 1974 and was sold back to the owner who had crashed the 330GTC, Robert Kennedy, who was so taken with the new looks that he retained the car until the 1990s.
15. 1974 Panther FF
Taking a different line to its other retro-styled models, Panther Westwinds came up with the FF, which stands for Felber Ferrari.
This name derives from the car being built by Panther for Swiss company Felber.
With looks aimed to, approximately, ape early Ferrari cars, the FF was based on the running gear of a 330, so came with a 4-litre V12 engine to deliver strong performance.
The chassis was a tubular frame designed and built by Panther.
While the FF was quick, it was also horrendously expensive and that meant only 12 were ever built between 1974 and 1975.
16. 1976 Ferrari 308 Rainbow
It seems a slightly odd choice to have picked the Dino 308GT4 as the base for this one-off wedge when the shorter-wheelbase 308GTB was available.
However, that didn’t deter Bertone from lopping 10cm (4in) from the wheelbase of a GT4 to create the Rainbow.
As well as the extreme wedge shape of the Rainbow created by Marcello Gandini, it used a mechanical hood mechanism to fold the targa-style roof section behind the seats.
This allowed the car to swap quickly between open and closed styles.
The interior was just as striking as the exterior, with a simple aluminium strip for the dash, which also came with dual rows of holes in front of the passenger for ventilation.
17. 1976 Ferrari 365GTC/4 Dune Buggy
Beach cars were simple, lightweight affairs based on humble small cars. Or they were until Swiss Ferrari distributor Willy Felber dreamt up the Ferrari 365GTC/4 Dune Buggy.
Aimed squarely at the wealthy Middle Eastern market, Felber used a 365GTC/4 that had been sold new in 1974.
The styling and build were undertaken by Michelotti, and the car retained a similar front end and its windscreen.
However, there were no doors, just scooped-out sides, and no roof. Ground clearance was also increased for driving on rough surfaces.
It was due to be sold to the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Hamad Al Thani, but he eventually cancelled the order and Felber then turned the car in to a Shooting Brake estate.
It was returned to Dune Buggy form and called the Croisette, and it finally found a buyer in 1978.
18. 1980 Ferrari Pinin
Ferrari’s four-seat cars were strictly two-door models, but the Pinin of 1980 tested the waters for a luxury saloon from the company to rival the Maserati Quattroporte and the best from Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz.
Displayed at the 1980 Turin motor show, the Pinin was named in honour of the 50th anniversary of coachbuilding company Pininfarina.
It had a wheelbase 5cm (2in) longer than a 400 coupé, and used the same V12 engine and rear-drive set-up, but it was only ever a static show car.
The interior of the Pinin came with a high-tech digital dashboard and rear-seat passengers were treated to their own audio controls with individual headphones.
The Pinin was subsequently sold to Jacques Swaters, boss of the Belgian racing team Ecurie Francorchamps, and he later sold it in 2008.
19. 1983 Ferrari Meera S
Michelotti was tasked with creating the Meera S from a standard Ferrari 400i, which was ordered by the Saudi Arabian royal family and delivered direct to Michelotti’s coachbuilding workshop.
What emerged was a sharply styled 2+2 coupé with hints of the Corvette C4 that had been launched around the same time.
To cope with the large glass area, the Meera S featured individual wiper blades for the front and rear ’screens, and the door windows. However, the only opening windows were tiny portholes.
To counter the amount of glass, the Ferrari Meera S used a split air-conditioning system for front passengers, while an electric sunroof offered some fresh air for the cabin.
It also had a monitor and camera set-up in place of a rear-view mirror.
20. 1984 Ferrari 308GT/M
The Ferrari 308GTB Group 4 rally car was an unusual diversion for the Italian firm from its more usual track-based motorsport activities.
The 308GT/M, with the M standing for Michelotti, was the ultimate derivation of this with less weight and a more powerful 3-litre V8 engine.
The plan was for the 308GT/M to take on the best from the Group B rally scene, but Ferrari quickly realised its car could not compete with four-wheel-drive crowd.
As a consequence, only three GT/Ms were made, though they did do well in the few rallies they entered.
While the 308GT/M didn’t bring Ferrari much silverware, it did perform a vital role in the development process of the 288GTO.
21. 1986 Ferrari 288GTO Evoluzione
A GTO is about as special as a Ferrari can be, yet the 288GTO spawned an even-more exotic version called the Evoluzione. As the name says, this was an evolution of the original, built to go racing.
The body was reworked with a new front end for better aerodynamics and downforce.
It was also lightened to help the Evoluzione weigh just 940kg (2072lb), which was some 220kg less than the already featherweight 288GTO in standard trim.
Further upping the ante, Ferrari tuned the 2.9-litre twin-turbo V8 engine to c650bhp, giving the Evoluzione a top speed of 230mph in its fastest race trim.
However, before the 288GTO Evoluzione could be campaigned, the Group B category was banned.
Only five Evoluziones were made for Ferrari by Michelotti, but the car served a purpose as a test bed for the F40.
22. 1986 Ferrari Testarossa Spider
There are several Ferrari Testarossas that have been converted into open-top cars, but only one was ever built by the company itself.
This silver Testarossa Spider was made at the request of then company boss Gianni Agnelli.
It was ordered to mark Agnelli’s 20th year as president of Fiat and the car was completed in mid-1986, just in time for the chief to enjoy it through the summer.
A discreet button on the dashboard works the electrically folding roof, which is neatly stowed under the clean sweep of the rear deck.
While much of the rest of the Spider was identical to the production Testarossa, this convertible was fitted with an experimental transmission.
This allowed the car to be driven as a manual or an automatic, which was used because of a long-standing leg injury that Agnelli suffered from.
23. 1987 Ferrari Mondial T Indy Car Pace Car
In a long line of one-off cars built to work as the official PPG Pace Car for the Indy Car Series in the US, this Mondial is the only Ferrari to date that has performed this role.
These pace cars are often bespoke creations and the Ferrari was no exception.
Underneath, it was a standard Mondial, but the bodywork was anything but and was the work of Ercole Spada’s pen. It was made into metal by IDEA Institute.
A much smoother shape was conjured up by Spada, which included strakes running the width of the front bumper and continuing along the lower sides.
A larger glass area and steeply angled side windows meant smaller secondary opening glass was needed in the doors.
24. 1988 Ferrari F90
Looking more like the Batmobile than something from the Maranello factory, the Ferrari F90 was a limited run of cars built for the Sultan of Brunei.
Only six were made in 1988 under the watchful eye of Pininfarina’s Research and Development division.
The base for the F90 was the Ferrari Testarossa and the engine was kept standard, but the radiators were repositioned to the front of the car to cope more ably with the heat of Brunei.
From the outside, the only clues to the F90’s origins were the badges, wheels and door mirrors retained from the Testarossa. A targa roof panel opened the cabin to the elements and it slid back to sit flush with the rear glass.
25. 1989 Ferrari Mythos
With no open-top supercar in its line-up at the time, Ferrari investigated the idea in partnership with Pininfarina, and the Mythos was the result.
First seen at the Tokyo motor show in 1989, the Mythos immediately wowed showgoers and very wealthy Ferrari customers.
It was only ever intended as a concept car, with a Testarossa providing the underpinnings, but a couple of determined buyers persuaded Ferrari to produce a tiny number.
This led to three being commissioned by the Sultan of Brunei, while the prototype was sold to a Japanese owner and later returned to Pininfarina’s design centre in Turin, Italy.
The Mythos also served a purpose as a way for Ferrari and Pininfarina to experiment with carbonfibre and other composite materials that would eventually be used in the F50 and other models.
26. 1990 Ferrari 348 Elaborazione
In 1990, when most others were looking to carbonfibre, Zagato stuck to its traditions and crafted a limited run of Ferrari 348 Elaboraziones with handmade aluminium bodies.
Only 10 348 Elaboraziones were created and each came with a smoother look than the car it was based on, giving the Elaborazione an appearance similar to the F355 that Ferrari would launch in 1994.
The rear featured a glass panel to better show off the engine, which was another feature adopted by Ferrari for the 360.
Other design touches for the 348 Elaborazione were a rear spoiler that could be raised electronically and the trademark Zagato double-bubble roof. Mechanically, the Elaborazione was identical to the Ferrari 348.
27. 1993 Ferrari F40 LM Barchetta
If a Ferrari F40 wasn’t rare and fast enough for you, there was always the F40 LM racing car.
But for Belgian former Le Mans driver Jean Blaton this still wasn’t sufficiently extreme, so he created his own F40 LM Barchetta.
Ferrari denied the existence of this car because it was not sanctioned by the factory and it insisted all Ferrari badges were removed.
Despite this lack of support, Blaton bought a retired race F40 LM and asked Gillet Cars to lop the roof off.
Replacing the lost strength with a rollbar, the Barchetta also did without a full windscreen and used a cut-down deflector.
With the engine’s race-mandated restrictors removed, the twin-turbo motor produced c760bhp.
This delivered 0-62mph in 3 secs and a top speed claimed at 231mph, and Blaton had his extreme F40.
28. 1993 Ferrari FZ93 Zagato
The side strakes of the Ferrari Testarossa defined its look, but Ercole Spada decided to make them much more obvious for his FZ93 made by Zagato.
The one-off Testarossa-based concept did without any strakes to mask the side vents and came with gaping holes to let in as much air as possible to the flat-12 engine.
Initially shown in a two-tone colour scheme at the 1993 Geneva motor show, Zagato later repainted the car in traditional Ferrari red.
Even then, the FZ93 split opinions among Ferrari fans, though the Zagato car’s lower front air intake style was later mimicked by the Ferrari Enzo.
29. 1998 Ferrari F100
Italian design company Fioravanti decided to come up with a successor to Ferrari’s F50 and created the F100.
It first saw the light of day at the 1998 Geneva motor show and the company followed up in 2000 with the F100r, a roadster version of the original coupé.
The 100 name was chosen to mark the centenary of the birth of Enzo Ferrari and it was completed in secrecy as a surprise for the Italian car maker.
Fioravanti had been involved in many of the great Ferrari models while working at Pininfarina, so the F100 came with numerous trademark design features such as the round tail-lights, front grille and side-window profile.
More cutting edge were the headlights and extendable rear wing that could act as an air brake, which would be needed because the car was supposed to use a Formula One-derived V10 engine.
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