This car, Lot 209714, sold for $343,500, including buyer’s premium, on Bring a Trailer’s online auction on September 12, 2025.
Among the many quotes that are dubiously attributed to Enzo Ferrari, “A Ferrari is a 12-cylinder car” may be the most prolific. It is a wonderful line to throw shade at owners of V6- and V8-powered cars, but it is doubtful Enzo ever spoke such words. A more likely version of the quote is, “Twelve-cylinder cars will always be known as the original Ferraris; everything else is a derivation.” That is more accurate in that Ferrari’s number-one objective was to win races, and a 12-cylinder engine was not practical across all of the different classes in which he might want to compete. This version of the quote gives preference to the 12-cylinder configuration but leaves the door open for Ferraris with other engines.
It takes all kinds
While the first Ferraris exclusively featured 12-cylinder engines, by 1953, Ferrari was racing a model powered by an inline-4. The next year saw the introduction of an inline-6, while the famous V6 “Dino” engine followed in 1958. The first V8 was seen in the 1962 248 SP when Ferrari tried both V6 and V8 power in its “shark-nose” sports prototypes. It was a short experiment that was soon abandoned, but not without a few impressive results.
In 1964 Ferrari introduced a 180-degree (flat) 12-cylinder engine — a configuration not considered when the quote was supposedly uttered. Let’s not forget the incredible V10 Formula 1 engine, introduced in in 1996.
The production Dino V6-powered 206 and 246 GTs sold in reasonable numbers, but it would take decades for them to get past the not-a-V12 stigma. That only came after the rousing success of a series of V8-powered mid-engine models that made smaller-displacement Ferraris desirable.
The first V8-powered production Ferrari was the 308 GT4, introduced in 1974. Powered by a four-cam, 3-liter V8, the 308 GT4 was initially marketed under Ferrari’s Dino brand. The model was quickly rebranded as a Ferrari and became the cornerstone of a hugely successful line of V8-powered Ferraris.
Ferrari’s V8 engines would see configurations as small as 2 liters and as large as 4.5 liters. The four-cam V8 originally featured two valves per cylinder, then saw four valves and even five, before returning to four. They were originally fitted with four 2-barrel Weber carburetors, which were eventually replaced with fuel injection. Variations of the engine would win awards for excellence, and they continue to power Ferraris today, albeit now supplemented with electric power in the Ferrari’s mid-engine offerings.
End of the road
The last of Ferrari’s non-hybrid, mid-engine V8-powered models were the F8 Tributo and F8 Spider. As if acknowledging the end of an era, the model was a nod to the line’s history. Power came from a 3.9-liter twin-turbo version of the V8 as configured for the high-performance 488 Pista. Featuring technology learned from F1 racing, the F8’s engine produces 710 hp, enough to propel the F8 to 62 mph in 2.9 seconds, on the way to an incredible 211-mph top speed. The performance is enough to embarrass most of Ferrari’s classic supercars.
Ferrari’s Centro Stile, or Styling Center, beautifully sculpted the F8 Tributo’s silhouette to pay homage to Pininfarina’s masterwork. The F8 features cutting-edge, F1-derived aerodynamics, but rather than emphasize this like so many contemporary boy-racer designs, Ferrari chose to blend the features into the design, placing beauty over function. Complementing the tribute are four round taillights, a Ferrari trademark found on many previous models.
Cult classic
Lost between the 488 and the SF90, the F8 is a bit of an afterthought in the Ferrari market. Despite sounding better than 99% of other cars on the road, the F8’s engine gets a bad rap for being muffled by turbos and the exhaust-particulate filter, required to pass emissions regulations. But those in the know recognize the F8 represents the end of an era. They appreciate its simplicity as it relates to the technology and maintenance of newer hybrid models. They also recognize the F8 as one of the best-looking Ferraris of the modern era.
This 2020 F8 Tributo had a list price of $365k in 2020, which included over $87,000 in options. It sold here for about $20k less. While this model in certain specifications can sometimes bring over $400,000, this was not a bad result for a production Ferrari, as they are being produced in ever-larger numbers. Collectors have been paying nose-bleed prices for low-production special-edition models, but standard production models have seen normal depreciation.
This F8 was an attractive car with low mileage and desirable options. There were 67 bidders chasing the car, and the buyer got a great value on a great car. The seller did not do too badly either.
