The F50 was the Ferrari "extreme machine" of the nineties taking over the mantle from the F40. As with the F40 it was also a celebration model, this time heralding fifty years of Ferrari as a car manufacturer, albeit in reality a little early. At the unveiling of the new model at the 1995 Geneva Salon, Ferrari President Luca Di Montezemolo stated that only 349 examples would be produced, one less than they thought that they could sell. A definite change in marketing strategy, brought about by the change in market conditions, after the slump at the beginning of the decade.