This weekend has seen the culmination of Ferrari's high-profile 60th anniversary celebrations; and while the main focus of this extravaganza has been on Maranello, Ferrari GB is marking the occasion by lining up six significant models, one drawn from each of the sportscar maker's six decades, in the evocative and exclusive setting of the Stable Courtyard at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Choosing six sports cars from a six decade long history littered with so many legendary models was always gong to be a demanding task, but the six cars which sit in a line across the imposing Stable Courtyard this weekend have been a real hit with the vast numbers of Festival goers who have stream in to seem them since the gates opened early on Friday morning.

The first Ferrari decade is represented by the 250 Testa Rossa which was was built in 1957 as a second prototype based on a lengthened 500TR chassis and fitted with a 3.1 litre engine; which was changed to 3.0 litres before the car took to the race tracks in 1958. Originally fitted with a pontoon style front end it was then converted to a '58 body style. The 'Testa Rossa' name was derived from the red painted cam covers and it was a term that was soon to become an integral part of Ferrari folk lore. So was this car, as in 1958, Ferrari won the Sports Car Constructors' World Championship. In the end just 21 of these machines were built.

Next to this slippery red sits a gorgeous 250 GTO, possibly the most desirable Ferrari sports car ever created; and the 'GTO' designation is deemed so special it is very rarely bestowed on a Prancing Horse car. As such the 250 GTO simply couldn't be left out of a line-up that celebrates 60 years of massive achievement. This example, chassis 3505GT, is almost equally as famous, as it is finished in the vivid green colours just as it was originally delivered to the UDT-Laystall team.

The 250 GTO at the Festival of Speed has in fact even more symbolic connection with Goodwood, as was collected from new by Innes Ireland for the Goodwood meeting, but after Stirling Moss' accident the car didn't race. This example is one of the 36 3.0-litre cars which were built, and one of the eight that today reside in the UK.
 

The next decade is represented by the 365 GTB/4 Daytona, another car synonymous with the Ferrari brand. Powered by a 352 bhp 4.4 litre V12 engine it took its name from a famous 1-2-3 victory for the Prancing Horse at the US race track. Weighing 1200kg it could hit 175 mph and was built between 1968 and 1973. This stunning blue example is one of 158 UK-destined right hand drive versions, from a total production run of 1284.

The three evocative historic models lined up in one covered area of the Stable Courtyard, and were complemented by an F40, F50 and Enzo which lined up opposite them, this latter trio representing the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. The F40 was introduced in 1987 to celebrate Ferrari's 40th anniversary, while the F50 arrived in 1995 and kicked off a theme of transferring the company's F1 technology to the road. This technological path was summed up in the ultimate manner when the all-carbon fibre Enzo supercar made its entrance in 2002. 400 Enzos were built, with stunning performance: it achieves 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds and can hit a top speed in excess of 217 mph. This example is one of 31 in the UK.

The six stunning historic models are perfectly complemented by two sports cars cars from the current Ferrari road range, a duo that are as equally capable of carrying the Maranello banner forward as the older cars did in their day: a 599 GTB Fiorano in Rosso Corsa and beige interior (UK list price £184,902) and a 612 Scaglietti finished in Blu Tour de France, also featuring a beige interior. The 612, which has a UK list price of £187,952, is liveried in special "Police" colours and highlights a police awareness campaign, dubbed 'Think!', which aims to promote safer driving.