It's no secret that Ferrari doesn't like people messing with its cars. Even exterior modifications can land owners in trouble, and we're talking something as simple as wrap jobs that Ferrari thinks isn't "tasteful" or goes against the spirit of the company. Mechanical mods are a whole different can of worms. So when Richard Rawlings got his hands on a Ferrari F40 for a Gas Monkey build, you can imagine how badly the Italians wanted the build to stop.
Rawlings, from Gas Monkey Garage, was one of the investors of the black 1991 Ferrari F40 from Fast N’ Loud, where it became one of the most famous rebuilt analogue supercars in recent times. With help from Aaron Kaufman and Dennis Collins, and some very skilled Ferrari experts, they restored what was a totaled F40 in red, after having bought it for a whopping $400,000. Getting the car back into shape with some modern mechanicals took the cost up further to $695,000. A wrecked icon it may have been, but the guys at Gas Monkey couldn’t resist picking up.
What Happened To The Ferrari F40 On Gas Monkey?
Rawlings had an eye on the F40 with the intention of buying it back, but it landed with another owner willing to pay the price. What you haven’t known until now, is just how far Ferrari was willing to go to stop the Gas Monkey Garage attempt to rebuild the wrecked exclusive F40 supercar.
In a video on the Gas Monkey Garage’s YouTube channel, Richard Rawlings reveals that the F40 was not only one of the most famous builds, but also the most controversial. He mentions it was too expensive to build all by himself, which is why his dear friend, Collins came into the picture as well. This was the first time the Gas Monkey Garage was tasked with the challenge of rebuilding something like an F40.
Ferrari had mentioned that the car was damaged beyond repair, so they wanted it scrapped. The owner of the wrecked F40 kept insisting, after which, Ferrari agreed to help him fix the car by asking him to ship it back to Italy, but it would take them nothing short of three years to finish. The owner was disappointed, and then ended up selling it to Gas Monkey Garage. The moment Ferrari got to know that the Gas Monkey folks had acquired it, they were willing to go as far as not shipping in F40 parts to the United States entirely, to try and put a halt to their build.
But that didn't stop Rawlings from going ahead and getting a whole team, firing on all cylinders, to get it back in shape. HRE built a set of custom wheels for the F40, while the engine, turbos, transmission and suspension were all worked on in-house. Even the gorgeous paintwork was done by the TV show’s monkeys. A lot of workers from different shops came in to finish the project in just 38 days.
According to Rawlings, he built a lighter, meaner and faster F40, and he seems darn proud of it. While it was painted black, some of the original red paint remained from the wrecked car. However, painting it black did trigger a lot of debate. Rawlings also mentions he wants Ferrari to sell him a Monza SP1.
Fast N’ Loud F40 Is Faster Than The Original
While the original Ferrari F40's factory-built 2.9-liter V8 twin-turbo engine produced 471hp and 426 lb-ft of torque, the tuning on the Fast N’ Loud F40 saw it increase to 550hp, thanks to all the upgrades to the exhaust and turbocharger. The wrecked Ferrari came with red seats, but during restoration, it was redone in black fabric. Mike Luongo, a Ferrari and Lamborghini technician, and Stuart Singer, a Ferrari restorer, played an important part in putting the Ferrari back together.
Did Gas Monkey Make Money On The F40?
The Gas Monkey F40 was later bought by different owners, one of them being Richard Scott, a Santa Monica parking lot operator. Scott landed himself in trouble having scammed the US Department of Veteran Affairs out of $13 million, and that meant the F40 was seized, among other fancy cars in his collection. Bearing in mind the car’s value, it eventually sold through the Apple Towing Company’s US Marshals auction in California for $760,000.
The Ferrari F40 is an exotic car from the late 1980’s that's current value is rising over the $3 million mark. The average price is about $1.5 million, but some extremely well cared-for cars go for as much as $3.5 million or more, depending on the history and condition of the car.
The F40 was Enzo Ferrari’s pride, as it was the fastest Ferrari built back then. Its mid-mounted engine is synced to a 5-speed manual gearbox that’s nowhere as refined as today’s dying manual transmissions. The company claimed it could accelerate 0-62mph in 4.1 seconds, which was shattering for its time, further reaching a top speed of 201 mph.
It used a tubular steel chassis, fitted with Kevlar and carbon fiber bodywork to save weight. It also featured polycarbonate windows and a windshield, while the rest of the cockpit had all the basic essentials a driver ever needed. Instead of door handles, it had pull-type tabs, like some of today’s hardcore Porsches, and floor carpeting wasn’t even available as an option!
Source: Apple Towing Company, The Supercar Blog, Hemmings, Ferrari Lake Forest