Before Ferrari won Le Mans again in 2023, the closest the brand came to an outright victory was in 1973, with the 312 PB, which finished second. On the surface, it seems like there’s been a 50-year gap between Ferrari’s last competitive prototype and the latest 499P, which won in 2023 and 2024. In fact, Ferrari built a race car 30 years ago, and many privateer teams have competed in it, making it a very successful race car. This is the story of the F333 SP, the forgotten Ferrari.

This car is not Ferrari’s own “child” but the work of Gianpiero Moretti, the founder of the Momo steering wheel. A successful racer in the US, he convinced Ferrari management to build a sports prototype for the new American IMSA world sports racing series. Ferrari North America supported the idea and Ferrari’s first sports racing prototype in 20 years was born.

The car was aimed at privateer racing teams, and Ferrari sold a complete package that included technical support and factory parts. Power came from a high-revving, powerful F1-based V12 engine that would later be fitted to the forthcoming F50 supercar. Displacing exactly 333.09 cubic centimeters (dubbed the F333 SP), the engine produced 650 horsepower at 9000 rpm. The chassis was a carbon-fiber and aluminum honeycomb monocoque of the latest design, and featured F1-style pushrod-operated wishbone suspension, while the two-seater Spider bodywork was a nod to the old 312 PB.

The F333 SP made its public debut at the 1994 Geneva Motor Show and made its racing debut at the third round of the IMSA series at Road Atlanta. The four starting cars were entered by three different teams (including Gianpiero Moretti’s Momo Corse). The debut could hardly have been better: the F333 SP finished 1-2. The cars went 1-2-3 in the next round and won three more races that year.

In 1995, the F333 SP took its biggest win to date at the Sebring 12 Hours. It was Ferrari’s first win in the American classic since Mario Andretti and Jacky Ickx won for Ferrari in 1972. The winning driver, Wall Street banker Andy Evans, drove for his own Scandia Motorsport team and went on to win the race.

Ferrari won the IMSA WSC championship in 1995 and the same year the F333 SP also saw Ferrari return to Le Mans. Unfortunately, the car failed to replicate the Le Mans success of previous Ferrari legends, with its best result at Le Mans being sixth place in 1997.

In the US, the F333 SP won the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1998 and the car also won at Sebring, Watkins Glen and Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta that same year. In Europe, privateer teams with the F333 SP won the new International Sportscar Series in 1998, 1999 and 2000. This series was renamed the FIA ​​Sportscar Championship in 2001 and the F333 SP also won.

The F333 SP is notable not only for its success, but also for the longevity of that success. It was also a regular race winner from 1994 to 2001 – a very long career for an elite racing car. Eventually, a number of cars were built for various private racing teams in the US and Europe.

What makes the car so forgotten is that it never achieved success at Le Mans – the world’s most prestigious sports car race – and most of its racing glory took place in the US. The car was also not really promoted much by Ferrari, as many private teams achieved success.