We know we have, which is why we’ve put together this handy guide so you can spot the difference between these eight Ferrari models at a glance:
- the 360 Modena
- F430 Spider
- 458 Italia
- Ferrari California
- LaFerrari
- F40
- 488 GTB
- F12 Berlinetta
Ferraris were born back in 1947 when the first Ferrari-badged car left the shop driven by Enzo Ferrari, powered by a 1.5L V12 engine and looking like this. Since then, the Ferrari name has become synonymous with fast and sleek cars, Italian engineering and (possibly) owners with driving gloves and a lot of money to burn.
But, as with the Lamborghinis, how are you meant to tell the difference between them all? You’ve seen them zipping around on the Top Gear Test Track and probably going a little too fast on the motorway, but at the speed they go it’s kind of hard to read the model number!
Taking one for the team yet again, we’ve pored over every image of these Ferraris to study every sleek angle, every dab of paint, to figure out what you could use to pick them out of a line-up if they stole your wallet.
Then we wept inside, because we’ll never be able to afford any of them.
How can I tell which Ferrari it is from the front?
Look out for the mighty stallion, which is so important it’s actually there twice on most Ferraris – both on the little yellow rectangle/shield badge and all in silver underneath that. You’ll see that same stallion on the back, usually with the word ‘Ferrari’ somewhere. And they’ve almost all got ridges on the bonnet that rise over the wheels.
To be frank, you’ll not struggle to know it’s a Ferrari from the front or back. But, we’re all about the specifics here, so take a look below if you’re trying to figure out which beauty it was just sped past you on a country road.
Or if you want to know which one you might like to drive.
Headlights:
You might find it a bit difficult to pick out a Ferrari from its headlights alone, not least because there’s so many of them. The easiest ones to spot are the 458’s, (they look like they fork and they’re slim), the LaFerrari’s (shaped like a child’s plastic golf club) and the F40’s (they pop up!).
Bonnets and badges:
The bonnets on the Modena and F430 are pretty similar, though the F430’s is smaller, and they both have the badge on the flap. The 458’s bonnet goes all the way up to the lights, much like the 488, and both are wavy to make the car look all aerodynamic. If it’s got a big air intake and shaped like a diamond it’s a LaFerrari, a small intake and waviness makes it a California, or lots of intakes for a Berlinetta, and two triangle intakes makes it an F40 – that and the fact the entire bonnet flips forward which is both ridiculous and awesome.
Ridiculawesome?
Front air intakes:
Each Ferrari has slightly different intakes, so if you study the pictures above you’ll be able to pick them out. The quick version is below
- Small and on the side = 360 Modena
- Big and on the side = F430
- One long bar = 458
- A dopey smile on a pronounced lip = California
- One big intake split in two = LaFerrari
- Two on each side and one in the middle = F40
- Angry like a Huracán = 488
- A sinister smile = Berlinetta
Side air intakes:
Sadly these aren’t quite as easy to identify as they were on the Lamborghinis, but some of them are still pretty unique. The 458 has its side intakes on the back of the windows, while the LaFerrari has huge intakes with channels leading to them that you could probably stand in. The 488 has intakes that give the door a weird shape (they’re also really high on the wheel), while the Berlinetta has no intakes at all!
The F430 has taken a leaf out of the book of high-fives - one up top, one down low.
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How can I tell which Ferrari it is from the back?
Each Ferrari has its own little quirks when it comes to the back and body shape - ideal for when you're failing to follow one down the motorway.
Exhausts:
Ferrari seems to favour having four exhausts, two horizontally on each side, as the Modena, F430, LaFerrari and Berlinetta all have this same arrangement – although the LaFerrari also says ‘LaFerrari’ on the back, so if you can’t pick that one out you might need to see an optician. Three exhausts means a 458 or F40, while vertically stacked exhausts means you’re looking at a California. The 488 has the fewest exhausts with two.
Lights:
You can tell Ferrari like to take and idea and run with it – all the lights on each side are often contained within one circular housing, with four models sporting the same lights look. You can see the origins of this on the F40, the only model with clearly separate indicator lights – the Modena and the F430 both have four lights on the back, but as they all look black or red we weren’t confident calling one of them ‘indicators’. The California separates the reverse lights, putting them level with the number plate.
Body shape:
These Ferraris are all a bit different, though the Spiders have a tendency to look the same (the curse of a convertible). Here’s the body shapes at a glance:
- Looks like you could run your hand over it in one motion = 360 Modena
- Convertible with a dopey smile and a Ferrari badge = F430 Spider
- Ferrari that looks like a Lamborghini = 458 Italia
- Porsche-like with rear lights that extend across the boot = California
- Flaps, curves and all kinds of speedy = LaFerrari
- It’s got a spoiler! And pop-up headlights! And looks like it’s from the 80s! = F40
- Smooth, sleek and curvy with a wide grin = 488
- The kind of Ferrari your boss might drive with a rear windscreen all the way to the boot = Berlinetta
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How much do Ferraris cost?
Sadly these Ferraris are a little bit out of our price range – the cheapest is the 360 Modena at a cool 64k, all of which you could actually buy (at the time of searching) on Auto Trader.
What could I buy for a Ferrari 360 Modena?
£64,716.75. You could buy eight 18-Carat gold Apple Watches. Or 249 regular Apple Watches. Give them to your friends!
How much for a Ferrari F430 Spider F1?
£79,184. 320 LEGO F430 Spiders, scaled 1:17. You could probably build a full-scale model with them!
Buy a Ferrari 458 Italia/Spider for…
£293,375.80. Pretty much the average house price in the UK.
How much is a Ferrari California 2 Plus 2 S-A worth?
£101,745.75. Or drown in 83 Nebuchadnezzar bottles of Champagne – that’s 1245 litres, or 15 bubbly baths.
How to buy a Laferrari:
Own at least 5 Ferraris already, be famous and rich, be on first-name terms with your local Ferrari salesman, then still be out of luck as all 499 are already owned. However, according to the sketchy website, there are models on offer that average out to £2,450,310.71. A steal!
How much for a Ferrari F40!?
£889,950. Buy a car that seats two, or a London flat that sleeps six. The flat can’t do 0-60 in 4 seconds, or any seconds for that matter, but it does grant access to a spa. So that’s nice.
The price of a Ferrari 488 GTB
£219,145.67. As good as (almost) 1,000 40-inch flat-screen TVs. You could probably get a better deal if you shopped around, but who needs more than 1,000 TVs?
What’ll it cost for a Ferrari F12 Berlinetta AB S-A?
£205,557. Or, drive 8,000 laps around Silverstone in a Ferrari F430.
And last but not least:
Which is the fastest Ferrari?
Well, the fastest so far (not including F1 cars) is a 2012 Ferrari Enzo, made by a specialist tuning company called edo competition, with a top speed of 245mph. But the fastest on this list is the 2013 Berlinetta or 2013 LaFerrari, both with a top speed of 217mph and doing 0-100kph in 3 seconds (or 2.8s for the LaFerrari).