Owning any Ferrari, even the least expensive Portofino, would be a dream come true for many. But for some monied gearheads, owning one Prancing Horse just won't do. In the USA, few Ferrari aficionados have a collection as complete as David Lee, who recently added a LaFerrari Aperta to his garage. A true fan of the brand, Lee has previously shared his passion with Jay Leno, bringing his Enzo to Leno's garage for an in-depth look at the Italian supercar.
Leno's latest video centers around the Enzo's predecessor, the F50. Just 349 examples were ever made, but Lee's yellow-painted example is even rarer, with just 31 officially painted Giallo Fly. Naturally, he owns a bright red (Rosso Corsa) one as well.
With a naturally-aspirated 4.7-liter V12, the F50 was massively powerful in its day. 512 horsepower and 347 lb-ft of torque may not sound like much by modern standards but, weighing in at just 2,712 pounds, the '90s halo Ferrari is still a very quick car. 0-60 mph? A mere 3.8 seconds. Lee didn't buy his pair of Ferraris new; he wasn't on a high enough level with the brand to be offered the F50 at the time.
Leno questions why the F50 never received the warm welcome and accolades of the F40 and subsequent Enzo, but as we know, its styling and perceived performance - as well as claimed acceleration and top speed figures - were not very impressive when compared to the aforementioned special edition models that bookended its production.
Despite his expansive car collection and his massive respect for the Ferrari brand, Leno doesn't own a single example. That doesn't stop him from getting behind the wheel of Lee's yellow F50, though. Fitted with a Tubi exhaust, the large V12 howls beautifully. Leno is smitten with the supercar, describing it as the best of both worlds. "You get a rear-engine [configuration] with the big V12 and a manual gearbox. You'll probably never see this combination ever again."
The deafening 12-cylinder roars as he floors the throttle, Leno delighting in the mellifluous engine noise. Despite its reputation as a fearsome supercar, the former late-night show host remarks the clutch and gearbox are surprisingly easy to use. Leno praises Lee for using the F50 regularly, noting that cars as special as this one deserve to be driven and enjoyed. "It's a lot of fun. That's what I love about a manual gearbox in a car like this. You don't have to go fast...it's involving, even if you're going 60 mph."