General Introduction

The Ferrari Enzo is a 12 cylinder super car built in 2003. Using Formula One or F1 technology, this car was named after the company's founder, Enzo Ferrari. It boasts of carbon ceramic brake discs, a sequential shift transmission patterned after F1 standards and a carbon fiber body, to name a few. This vehicle's V12 engine ushers in a new generation of engines for the Ferrari line. Patterned after one of the engines of its sister company, Maserati, the design of the Enzo's engine will eventually replace the engine make-up of its other contemporaries, with the 2005 F430 being the second version to get this souped up kind of engine.

A Look At The Past

Being named one of the fastest cars of the 2000s, this is one vehicle that any car owner would dream of owning, but then again, to own one would really be a dream come true since it was produced only with a limited stock of 399 units. It was said that before production began on the initial 349 units, they were already sold out, having been offered to those who were existing Ferrari owners. Specifically, those who owned the Ferrari F40 and Ferrari F50 were sent invitations to purchase the then planned Ferrari Enzo. After the initial 349 units were sold out, despite its hefty $643,000.00 price tag, numerous requests from other Ferrari regulars then prompted the company to manufacture an additional 50 more units, thereby bringing the total to 399 cars. In 2005, they added one more car to the existing stock to bring the total to 400. The 400th Enzo was then auctioned off by Sotheby's for the benefit of those who were affected by the 2004 Tsunami tragedy. The vehicle was purchased for a whopping $ 1,274,000.00 which was twice its original price, and the proceeds were then presented to the pope. Race-car driver Michael Schumacher was also there to present a steering wheel to Pope Benedict XVI to commemorate Ferrari's efforts to help those who were victims of the calamity. It’s a wheel that signifies Pope Benedict XVI as “Christianity’s driver.” And that was the similar message written on the plaque that came with the steering wheel the famous F1 driver presented to the head of the Catholic Church.

Engine

A mid-engine car, the Ferrari Enzo has an F140 65° V12 engine that boasts of dual overhead cams, 4 valves per cylinder and variable valve timing that gives it its powerful 651 hp. With a 6 speed automated manual transmission, the vehicle has paddles that control an automated shifting and clutch mechanism that has LED lights, which in turn tells the driver when to shift gears. With a rather fast acceleration time, the Enzo can get to a speed of 100 MPH in less than 6.6 seconds. With an estimated top speed of 217 MPH, it can eat up a ¼ mile track or .04km in approximately 11 seconds.

Features

With its popularity, it is no wonder that the car has been featured in video games, music videos and even in the movie, Charlie's Angels 2: Full Throttle. Due also in part to this model's success, Ferrari created spin-offs of the model for some of their other customers to further gain insight on future vehicle development. Some of the Enzo based cars include the Ferrari FXX, which is loosely based on the former's design and the Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina which retained the Enzo's vehicle id numbering system and drivetrain. Other vehicles inspired by the Enzo also include the Maserati MC12, which is a mid-engine supercar controlled by Ferrari but developed by Maserati. This vehicle was specifically constructed for use on the FIA GT racetrack and saw numerous road versions before being allowed to race.

Popularity

The Ferrari Enzo, having enjoyed such a popular and well acclaimed stint, is not only a powerful race-car but is also an extremely good investment with a resale value that does not depreciate. Rather, its resale value is even twice that of its original price due to its superb performance and also to the fact that almost none of its current owners want to resell them. This just goes to show that the Enzo is one Ferrari model that will go down in history as one of the brand's greatest models of all time.