If you’re a millennial, like me, this car needs no formal introduction. The Ferrari F40 hung off every young petrolhead’s bedroom wall in the 80s & 90s. Every kid dreamt of one. Every kid wanted one.
Back then, this was the quintessential supercar. And it still is, to some extent, in the minds of those who grew up in a time before the interwebs.
After the 250 GTO, this has to be the best-looking Ferrari ever built.
The birth of the F40
The F40 was the successor to the 288 GTO.
But there were claims of Ferrari “going soft”, that they were making ‘em too plush and luxurious, dumbing down the essence of a Ferrari.
The birth of the F40 shut those critics right up. It was as raw as raw could be.
The interiors were spartan. No plush leather padded dash or other luxuries and gizmos for the F40.
Another legendary design from Pininfarina, the F40 was a strong departure from the Ferraris of the past. It was sharp, defining what a supercar should look like.
The car was built out of carbon fiber, kevlar and aluminium to keep the weight to a minimum. Even the windows and windshield were made from polycarbonate to further emphasise the diet.
Oh, fun fact – they were all made in RED (called Rosso Corsa) and they were all left-hand drive.
Power came from a 2.9L screaming V8 with two spinny-boi turbos mated to a manual transmission. The number was a 471 hp and 577 Nm.
Its speedo would climb to 100 km/h in about 4.7 seconds and top out at 321 km/h.
The Ferrari F40 was pitted against the Porsche 959 at the time. The 959 would best the F40 in almost everything: it was more refined, it had cutting-edge technology and probably a sharper tool to use.
But the F40 was thrilling and exciting. It was scary to drive and, while road-worthy, it was advisable to keep this on the track as much as possible. According to many, it still is the best thing from Modena.
Famous F40 Enthusiasts
We cannot do this section without talking about the Sultan of Brunei. Remember when we spoke about all Ferraris being LHD and in red? Well, the Sultan wouldn’t have it like that. He had, at least, seven cars modified in right-hand drive and in different colours. Check out his 456 GT Venice.
When he was not selling grills and knocking people out, George Foreman would drive a Ferrari F40.
The legend Nick Mason (of Pink Floyd fame) had one.
Chris Evans, the host who left Top Gear, is a Ferrari enthusiast and his collection would not have been complete without one.
Looking at the list of people who’ve owned one, it’s safe to assume that these are unaffordable to the common man. And in the 30+ years since production, the values of the limited-to-400 cars have gone up considerably.
I do not want one. But I would be fine just staring at one, if I ever get to see it in person, that is.
