Ferrari is one of the most famous and iconic sports car brands in the world. Revered for some of its astounding engineering prowess, Ferrari was the epitome of luxury and speed. Ferrari as a brand has been known to push the limits. Through their relentless pursuit for perfection, Ferrari has mastered the art of building engaging sports cars. One among them is the Ferrari F40.

The F40 was the brainchild of Nicola Materazzi, Ferrari’s head of development who pitched it as a competitor to the highly advanced Porsche 959. The successor to the 288 GTO came as the last Ferrari ever to be personally signed off by Enzo Ferrari. The F40 was made from 1987 to 1992 to commemorate 40 years of Ferrari and was the most expensive supercar sold by the marque up to that point.

The F40 wasn’t a straight forward commission, it was developed within 13 months to be the most extreme and lightweight supercar ever to leave Maranello. With race-bred DNA, the Ferrari F40 shares a spot amongst the legends of the automotive industry.

Ferrari F40: How It came To Be

Ferrari-F40
via motortrend

It all started with Group B racing, where literally the FIA threw away the rule book and manufacturers started building outrageously capable race machines. The Ferrari 288 GTO was a perfect starting place and the team developed a competition version dubbed the 288 GTO Evoluzione. This project was proposed to enter FIA Group B in the same class as its competitor, the Porsche 959.

However, in 1986 FIA banned Group B, and Ferrari was left 5 of the 288 GTO Evoluzione development cars in hopes of finding an enthusiastic buyer. One of the validation drivers convinced Enzo that it’s possible to keep the idea alive and make it roadworthy. Enzo, possibly acknowledging him entering the last days of his life, gave the project a green signal. The Ferrari F40 was to be released in 1987 and the engineering division had 13 months to completely homologate the supercar for various legislations. The development took place in total secrecy and not many aside from the ones close to Enzo were aware of such a project happening. Commemorating the iconic brand’s 40th anniversary, the F40 came at a time when customers had been saying Ferraris were becoming too plush and comfortable.

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A Classic Example Of More Power And Less Weight

Ferrari-F40
via eftm

The F40 stuck to the classic principle of less weight and more power, unlike the Porsche 959 which was a technological feast. The F40 employed turbocharging and was the third road-going Ferrari ever to have forced-induction. Power came from a 2.9-liter twin-turbo V8 producing 471 horsepower and 426 lb-ft of torque. The engine was closely related to the 288 GTO albeit with several tweaks for enhanced output. The transmission was a 5-speed dogleg manual designed to handle the immense torque generated from the turbocharged motor.

The weight was significantly cut down to 1,200 kilograms (less than 3000-pounds). The F40 saw the extensive use of carbon-fiber and kevlar across its body shaving away a significant chunk of mass. The chassis was a steel tubular frame that offered immense rigidity whilst being lightweight. For the time, the F40 was one of the first supercars to employ a fully-carbon-fiber bodyshell. The power to weight ratio was unlike any Ferrari up to that point and resulted in a 0-60 time of 4.2 seconds and a top speed of 199 mph.

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Insane Dynamics And A Stripped Out Interior

Automobilemag

In line with its weight savings, the F40 is aerodynamically very efficient. NACA ducts are employed on the hood, rear fenders, side skirts, and even on the doors. Along with these, there are vents on the front and rear fenders that release turbulent air, thereby relieving pressure inside the wheel wells. The Interior is largely stripped out with minimal moving parts. For instance, leather is not an option and the dash is lined with felt to reduced glare and of course weight. There are no seat adjustments or any power-operated systems; steering, brakes, windows are all unassisted, which further adds to the drama. There’s bare carbon-fiber everywhere and everything you see is there for a purpose- to shed weight.

A Collector’s Ferrari

Via Evo

As with anything old and priceless, collectors are well aware of where to allocate funds. No doubt, given the rich heritage and of course being the last Ferrari to be signed off by the legend himself, the F40 would go down as a great investment. When new, the F40 was worth around $400,000 and today decent examples cost anywhere between $1.5-1.8 million. One thing to point out is that out of all Ferrari halo cars, the F40 was the most produced; a total of 1315 units worldwide out of which 213 found their way to the United States. Considering there are significantly more number of cars relative to say the 288 GTO and the Ferrari F50, the Ferrari F40 is not as covetable as them and has in fact seen a dip in its price in 2020.

Sources: YouTube, Ferrari, Wikipedia

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