Back in January, we ran a story about favorite racecars and asked RACER.com readers to select their top five. Your votes flooded in and, in the end, we had more than 400 different racecars to consider… but 10 clear favorites emerged.

Many of you had found it tricky to narrow your favorites down to just five, yet some of you had a clear No. 1 and no others. And, like ours, many of your selections were ones that fulfilled multiple criteria from a personal point of view – aesthetic beauty, period when you were first becoming addicted to racing, success, livery, piloted by your heroes. We understand, completely!

4. Ferrari 330 P3/P4

American race fans seem to have a love-hate relationship with Ferrari. There’s the F1 race team, whose penchant for poltical gamesmanship has at times overshadowed its on-track prowess, despite its place atop the all-time winner’s list. And there’s its heritage in sports car racing, in which it often played the role of arch-rival to American cars and teams like Ford, Shelby and Chaparral.

But, the cars themselves? Rarely do you hear any bad things to say about them. It would be a challenge indeed to name a marque that has been able as consistently to create works of automotive art that also set the pace than the house that Enzo built. The 330 P series of sports prototypes is surely a case in point.

Built at the height of Ferrari’s bitter rivalry with Ford, the 330 P3 of 1966 was intended to carry on the domination that the 250 P had maintained through the first half of the 1960s, in the face of Ford’s all-out assault.

The P3 incorporated fiberglass doors – a first for Maranello – while the 410 horses of its 4.0-liter fuel-injected V-12 were transmitted via a 5-speed gearbox. An F1-style monocoque chassis was augmented by some stressed body panels.

Pedro Rodriguez/Richie Ginther (Ferrari 330P3 Spyder) at Le Mans in 1966.After Ford GT40s won the opening two rounds of the World SportsCar Championship in ’66, Ferrari fought back with wins on home ground at Monza and at Spa with the P3. But the critical battleground of Le Mans went the Americans’ way as the armada of factory-supported GT40s swept the first three places, while all three works P3s failed to finish. Ford went on to edge the Italians by two points in the constructor’s championship that year.

Your favorite racecars #10: Porsche 956/962

Your favorite racecars #9: Chaparral 2K

Your favorite racecars #8: Lotus 49

Your favorite racecars #7: Lola T70

Your favorite racecars #6: Ford GT40

Your favorite racecars #5: Porsche 917K

For 1967 a revised car, the P4, was prepared that although visually very similar, incorporated a number of key mechanical differences. A new 4.2-liter engine derived from Ferrari’s F1 car increased power to 480hp, bringing top speed just shy of 200mph.

The Ferrari-Ford battled raged throughout the year. Ferrari gained a measure of revenge out of the gate, sweeping to a 1-2-3 finish in the 24 Hours of Daytona (ABOVE) with its P3/P4s, although Ford rebounded to win Sebring while P4s ruled again at Monza. At Le Mans, the superior horsepower of the big-bore Fords proved decisive, as Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt dominated with their GT40 Mk IV, but Ferrari P4s finished second and third in a race that contributed a famously dramatic anecdote to the Ford-Ferrari war.

Gurney in Parkes’ sights at Le Mans in ’67.In the middle of the night, while Gurney had been trying to cruise to preserve his car, Mike Parkes came up behind in his second-placed (but four laps down) Ferrari and hounded the leader with frequent flashing of his lights until Gurney had had enough and pulled off course at Arnage corner. Parkes stopped as well, directly behind him, and the two race-leading cars sat motionless for several moments until Parkes blinked first and drove off. It’s hard to imagine such a game of chicken being played out in today’s era of wall-to-wall coverage!

As soon as Parkes drove off, Gurney resumed behind him, and closed out the remaining hours to win by the same four-lap margin.

The ebb and flow continued the rest of the year, with Ford, Ferrari and Porsche all taking wins. This time, though, Ferrari eked out the constructors’ crown over its American and German rivals.

But the pending prototype rules changes for 1968 put an end to the 330 P series and the Ford-Ferrari fight, as manufacturers were required to build a minimum of 50 cars to qualify. Unable to do so, Ferrari pulled the plug on its factory program and a brief but spectacular sports car rivalry was over.

Some of your comments:

David Tremayne: I adore the swooping lines and the typically Italianate gold wheels, sculpted mirrors and delicate louvring. Magic!

Mark Jenkins: No question. The most beautiful race car

Andrew Wong: Doesn’t need a reason really, just look at it. Probably the most sensuous shape on a racecar, before the full understanding of aerodynamics took hold and start to morph them into something more purposeful. Aside from lack of Le Mans win, it is still a successful car…

Chris Venus: Best by far.

D. Blane Newberry: Lithe flowing and beautiful in the way a thoroughbred breaking the finish line at the Kentucky Derby is beautiful.

John G. Hill: This car had more curves than Marilyn Monroe.  Somewhere in the world there will always be a museum with a Ferrari 330 P4 on display.

Philippe de Lespinay: the Italians show the world how it’s done, introducing sexual appeal in racing car design. The P4 is a mix of the finest pasta alla carbonara with the best Chianti to make it even sweeter. Voluptuous is the word that should be used here.

Leonard Mishik: Words cannot describe it . Just beautiful!

Todd Telford: I was smitten as a pre-teen by the raw power this car exuded even static on the pages of Road & Track. When I heard one snarl by as a vintage racer, my coveting it as the most beautiful racecar ever was confirmed.