Ferrari 500 Superfast

Ferrari 500 Superfast

The Ferrari 500 Superfast occupies a rarefied position even within the world of Ferrari collecting. Produced in a total of just 36 units between 1964 and 1966, it was the most exclusive, most powerful, and most expensive road-going Ferrari of its era, a car built not for racing enthusiasts but for the international elite who demanded the absolute best and could afford to pay for it.

The 500 Superfast evolved from the 400 Superamerica, itself a low-volume, high-prestige model. Where the 400 SA had used a 4-liter version of the Colombo V12, the 500 Superfast was powered by a full 5-liter engine displacing 4,962cc. This Tipo 208 engine, with its single overhead camshaft per bank, 24 valves, and three Weber 40DCZ/6 carburetors, produced approximately 400 horsepower at 6,500 rpm. In 1964, this was a staggering output for a road car, surpassed only by a handful of the most exotic racing machines. The engine's character was defined by effortless torque delivery rather than high-revving excitement; its enormous displacement produced a wave of power from low rpm that made the 500 Superfast feel almost unstoppable in its acceleration.

The body was designed and built by Pininfarina as a bespoke creation. While following a consistent general design theme, characterized by a long, elegant bonnet, a formal roofline, and distinctive aero-style front fenders with integrated headlights, each car was finished to the individual specifications of its owner. This was not a car bought from a showroom; it was a car commissioned by appointment, with the buyer specifying everything from the exterior color to the interior leather, the instrumentation layout, and even specific body modifications. Two distinct series were produced, the Series I with a slightly different rear treatment than the Series II, though the differences between individual cars were often greater than the differences between the two series.

The chassis was Ferrari's Tipo 538 tubular steel frame, fitted with independent front suspension and a live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs. While the rear suspension was not as sophisticated as the independent system fitted to the concurrent 275 GTB, the 500 Superfast was not conceived as a sports car. It was a grand tourer in the truest sense, designed for covering vast distances at very high speed in supreme comfort. The four-wheel disc brakes were power-assisted and more than adequate for the car's weight and performance.

Transmission was either a 4-speed manual with overdrive or a 5-speed manual, both operating through a gated shifter. The overdrive-equipped cars were particularly well-suited to high-speed motorway cruising, with the combination of the enormous engine's low-rpm torque and the overdrive ratio making sustained speeds of 150 mph or more feel relaxed and sustainable.

The customer list for the 500 Superfast reads like a Who's Who of the mid-twentieth century. The Shah of Iran, Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, actor Peter Sellers, Fiat patriarch Gianni Agnelli, and the Aga Khan were all among the select few who owned examples. Several customers ordered more than one, suggesting that the ownership experience was sufficiently extraordinary to justify repetition at a price that was, even by Ferrari standards, exceptional.

Today, the 500 Superfast is among the most coveted of all Ferrari road cars. Its combination of extreme rarity, aristocratic provenance, bespoke construction, and the sheer magnificence of the 5-liter V12 engine places it in the top tier of collectible Ferraris. Values have risen dramatically in recent decades, reflecting the car's growing recognition as one of the finest achievements of the Maranello factory. In a world increasingly dominated by electronically managed performance, the 500 Superfast remains a monument to the era when the ultimate expression of automotive luxury was a very large engine, a beautiful body, and an open road.