How the Ferrari 333 SP Stayed Competitive for Nearly a Decade

With Ferrari's recent success in endurance racing thanks to the 499P, it's easy to forget that the brand had already made a serious impact in sports prototypes back in the 1990s. The Ferrari 333 SP marked Ferrari’s first factory involvement in prototype racing since the early 1970s.

In the decades following Ferrari’s withdrawal from sports car prototype racing in 1973, the landscape changed dramatically. Ford had made a statement in the mid-60s with the GT40, and Porsche followed in 1970 with the dominant 917. Ferrari responded with cars like the 512M and 312PB, but by the early 70s, their focus had shifted entirely to Formula 1.

In fact, 1973 was so rough that Ferrari even skipped a few F1 races due to lack of performance and reliability. Prototype development was shelved, seemingly for good, but the 1990s brought new opportunities.

Development and production

The push to bring Ferrari back into sports car racing didn’t come from inside Maranello. It came from outside, thanks to Gianpiero Moretti: founder of the Italian racing parts brand MOMO and an amateur driver himself. He convinced Ferrari that the new IMSA World Sports Car (WSC) regulations offered the perfect chance for a return. The category allowed for factory-developed prototypes and Moretti believed there was a gap Ferrari could fill.

Ferrari agreed and began work on what would become the 333 SP.

Dallara, known for its deep experience in race car engineering, handled aerodynamics, suspension and transmission. Ferrari developed the engine and chassis in-house, with the first four cars built at the factory. The rest of the production was split between Dallara and Michelotto, with a total of 40 chassis (s/n 001 to 041) made. Around 27 of them were raced between 1994 and 2003. The car was sold as a customer package for $900,000, which included spare parts and two extra engines.

Interestingly, chassis number 013 was deliberately skipped, a nod to superstition.

Road car derived engine

At the core of the 333 SP was a reworked version of the 65-degree V12 from the 1990 Ferrari 641 Formula 1 car. The engine was enlarged from 3.5 to 4.0 liters, producing around 641 horsepower at 11,000 rpm. While slightly down on power compared to the original F1 spec, the engine gained reputation for its reliability.

Photo: Tommy Cabrerizo / Garage26

British race car designer Tony Southgate, who joined the project in 1994, described it as "one of the most reliable race engines I have ever worked with.”

IMSA regulations required engines to be derived from those used in road cars. Ferrari answered this by aligning the engine's development with what would become the Ferrari F50’s V12.

Photo: James Davies and Michael J. Fuller

The name “333” referred to the displacement of a single cylinder (333cc), and “SP” stood for “Sports Prototype.” The car was aimed primarily at the North American market, especially since there were no Formula 1 races in the U.S. at the time. For Ferrari, the 333 SP became “The American Dream”: a way to stay visible on the racing scene in a key market.

Debut in 1994

The 333 SP made its debut on 17 April 1994 at the Road Atlanta round of the IMSA GT Championship. Four cars were entered, two of which were built by Ferrari (chassis 002, 003, 004) and one by Dallara (chassis 005). Momo Corse, Team Scandia and Euromotorsport were among the first teams to field the car.

Photo: Supercar Nostalgia

It didn’t take long to prove its worth. The car took a 1-2 finish at Road Atlanta, followed by a podium sweep at Lime Rock. By the end of the season, the 333 SP had collected multiple wins. However, since Ferrari missed the season’s first two rounds (Daytona and Sebring), Oldsmobile took the manufacturers' championship. Andy Evans was the top-ranked Ferrari driver, finishing fifth in the standings.

But Ferrari was just getting warmed up.

Peaking in the mid-90s

In 1995, the 333 SP came back stronger. Though it struggled at Daytona, it won the 12 Hours of Sebring and four other races. This consistency helped Ferrari secure the manufacturers' title, while Fermín Vélez clinched the drivers’ championship. Teammates Mauro Baldi and Wayne Taylor followed closely behind.

Ferrari even took the car to Le Mans, though success there came more slowly. The best early result was sixth overall in 1997, with two third-in-class finishes that same year and in 1998. In 1998, Risi Competizione entered the red #12 car and won the LMP1 class in their very first Le Mans attempt.

Design changes were minimal throughout its life. As Kevin Doran, who managed the MOMO team, explained: "There has been very little development to the car in all these years because it has been very good from the beginning. The new nose developed for 1995 was, I think, primarily for aesthetics!”

Photo: Martin Spetz

In 1996, the car remained competitive, although Oldsmobile edged Ferrari out in the constructors' championship through a tie-breaker. Former F1 driver Max Papis scored a key second-place finish and Didier Theys finished fourth overall in the standings.

Updates

By the end of 1997, Ferrari knew the car needed development. The engine was retuned for better low-end torque and the chassis received major upgrades including a new front nose, a redesigned rear section and improved aerodynamics with a new diffuser and rear wing.

Michelotto took over development from Dallara, and Ferrari began extensive testing at Fiorano. For the 1998 Daytona 24 Hours, they even simulated a full race distance in testing.

The result was a second life for the 333 SP. That year, it won every race in the International Sports Racing Series, later known as the FIA Sportscar Championship. Drivers Emmanuel Collard and Vincenzo Sospiri took the title, followed by Didier Theys and Fredy Lienhard in second.

Ferrari 333 SP

In the U.S., the car won three IMSA rounds including Sebring and brought Wayne Taylor to second in the standings. In the rival Can-Am championship, the 333 SP finally won Daytona with a dominant performance by Moretti, Arie Luyendyk, Mauro Baldi and Didier Theys. They led 108 out of the 711 laps they completed.

Decline

By 1999, the 333 SP had lost ground in the U.S. with the rise of factory-backed programs from Audi and BMW in the American Le Mans Series. Some teams fitted Judd engines in place of the Ferrari V12 to save costs. Still, the car remained a winner in Europe.

JMB Racing took the ISRS titles in 1999 and 2000 with Collard, Sospiri, Christian Pescatori and David Terrien. That made it three championships in a row for the Ferrari prototype.

In 2001, the car was mostly phased out. While it made a few appearances in Grand-Am and the FIA Sportscar Championship, it was no longer the force it had been. Doran Racing scored a final notable win at the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen.

The car's last recorded race came in 2003 at the 500 km of Monza, marking the end of a near-decade-long racing run.

Lasting legacy

In total, the Ferrari 333 SP competed in 144 championship races, winning 56 of them and securing 69 pole positions. It entered Le Mans nine times between 1995 and 1998, scoring two third-in-class finishes and one class victory. Even late into its racing life, the 333 SP remained competitive.

Derek Bell, who drove Ferrari prototypes from multiple eras, once described the 333 SP as “driving like a wide-bodied Formula 1 car. Totally complete, flawless, and balanced.”

More than just a race car, the 333 SP was a bridge between Ferrari’s past in sports car racing and a future that would one day include cars like the 499P. It wasn’t a full factory effort, but it carried the spirit of Maranello into some of endurance racing’s most iconic victories.

Teams' Championships

1998 IMSA GT Championship
1998 FIA Sportscar Championship
1999 FIA Sportscar Championship
2000 FIA Sportscar Championship
2001 FIA Sportscar Championship

Constructors' Championships

1995 IMSA GT Championship
1998 IMSA GT Championship
2001 FIA Sportscar Championship

Drivers' Championships

1995 IMSA GT Championship
1998 FIA Sportscar Championship
1999 FIA Sportscar Championship
2000 FIA Sportscar Championship
2001 FIA Sportscar Championship