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In pictures: Ferraris break world record

The Ferrari F40 features a twin-turbocharged 3-litre V8 engine producing 470bhp

13 May 2008

Five hundred Ferraris, over 200,000 Italian horsepower, one super-fast Japanese racetrack – and one world record. Bellissimo!

Vijay Pattni looks back on the largest ever parade of Ferrari exotica at the Fuji Speedway in Japan, which earned the prancing horse a place in the record books.

The Fuji Speedway in Japan played host to nearly five hundred Ferraris over the weekend as they convened on the tortuous Japanese circuit to break a world record.

Ferraris old and new – including the Ferrari F40, Ferrari F355 and 600bhp Ferrari Enzo – took to the newly formed Japanese circuit which only reopened last year.

The Fuji Speedway - which appears in Gran Turismo 5 Prologue - was banned from the Formula One season for thirty years for being too dangerous and was heavily redesigned, now boasting one of the fastest straights in F1; the same Japanese circuit whereLewis Hamilton stormed to a soaking wet victory last year when the track was reopened.

The Italian supercars had to cover two miles of the Fuji Speedway with no more than two-car lengths between them.

Last year 385 Ferraris invaded the UK’s Silverstone racetrack in June – setting the world record for the longest parade of Ferraris.

But this year, with 490 Ferraris screaming around the Speedway, Ferrari has set a new world record.

View more images of the record breaking parade of Ferraris

The Ferraris on display included…

Ferrari 360

The Ferrari 360 took us back to the 1960s – replacing the familiar sharp angles and wedge-shaped designs of the F355 and F40, and introducing a new bodyshape which brought back memories of the classic curvy Ferraris.

The Ferrari 360 - which Jamiroquai singer Jay Kay used to own - churns out 400bhp from its 3.6-litre V8 engine, and can accelerate from 0-62mph in just 4.6 seconds.

Ferrari F40

This 1980s supercar hero adorned the walls of teenagers across the world – its sharp, angular styling defined the automotive decade, and today stands as a magnificent Maranello graduate.

The hardcore Ferrari F40 was built as an ode to Ferrari’s father, Enzo, as the crown on his supercar empire.

It features a twin-turbocharged 3-litre V8 engine producing 470bhp – enough to propel the carbon-fibre bodied F40 from 0-62mph in around three seconds.

But the F40’s trump card was its top speed: this was the first production car to break the 200mph barrier.

But this awesome machine would not have been possible without…

Ferrari 288 GTO

The forerunner to the hardcore Ferrari F40, the legendary Ferrari 288 GTO was built to compete in the Group B race series – which it never entered.

The cars which rolled off the production line were now racers for the road, featuring turbocharged 2.8-litre V8 powerplants churning out 400bhp with a top speed of 189mph.

But the Ferrari 288 GTO was more than just a pretty face with bags of BHP – it was the first high-end Ferrari sportscar and paved the way for the superfast machines which would follow.

Ferrari Testarossa

Literally translated, ‘Testarossa’ means ‘red-head’ – referring to the red colouring on the top of the car’s engine.

This machine soprted the famous Ferrari flat-12 engine producing 420bhp, and was one of the most recognisable Ferraris of the 1980s and 1990s, featuring in the classic videogame Outrun and hit cop show Miami Vice.

Ferrari Enzo

It boasts Formula One technology for the road, 650bhp – and only 399 exist in the world.

The Ferrari Enzo – or Enzo Ferrari – is one of the world’s hardest, fastest and rarest cars, and is the ultimate expression of Ferrari’s technological genius.

It accelerates from 0-60mph in just three seconds using its 6-litre V12 engine, and has a top speed of around 230mph, making it a bona-fide racecar for the road.

View more images of the record breaking parade of Ferraris

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