Serious vehicle detailing is an art form that often gets overlooked in terms of restoration. The level of care that must be taken when dealing with the paint of a multi-million dollar supercar is incredible. YouTube channel Esoteric shows just how much work goes into detailing and preserving this Ferrari F40 owned by The Triple F Collection. The knowledge and precision of the Esoteric detail crew is mesmerizing to watch as they break down every step it takes to make an F40 look better than it did when it drove off the showroom floor.
One Of The Most Difficult Vehicles To Detail
Esoteric explicitly states in the video that "You don't just go in and start hacking away" in reference to his plans for preserving the F40. There are certain aspects that make detailing one of these cars much more difficult than other vehicles.
Esoteric explains that in the '80s and ‘90s, Ferrari considered painting an afterthought. This was such a problem that sometimes Ferraris would have to have panels repainted at the dealership when they were dropped off. The lack of modern technology leads to lots of inconsistencies in the paint. Things like blend marks and burnt edges may have existed on the car when it was bought new.
Esoteric states the importance of correcting these issues without having to repaint anything to keep the value from dropping. This becomes even more of a challenge when the overall shape and abundance of sharp edges on the F40 come into play. If one doesn't proceed with the utmost caution, they may leave their own unwanted marks on the F40.
What It Takes To Detail An F40
This particular F40's owner plans to keep his Ferrari on the road. Taking that into account, Esoteric, made a game plan of only lightly polishing and adding a PPF (Paint protection film).
Although the detailing doesn't dive into the level of restoration that a museum car may require, the F40's unique problems still require surgeon-like precision. Interestingly enough, the PPF also isn't free from the many oddities that plague the F40. The PPF was only applied in high-impact areas to protect the paint from road damage.
The owners opted the avoid the full vehicle wrap. Esoteric explains that the F40’s paint is extremely vulnerable to cracks. Adding a PPF on top of a crack may create more serious problems if the film was ever removed.
F40 Protected And Ready To Drive
The Esoteric team had to jump through a ton of extra hurdles to detail a handbuilt vehicle as iconic as the F4o. The F40 is an important piece of Ferrari history and an incredibly valuable one at that. If you're interested in just how valuable, then check out this article about how much an F40 is worth today.
The Triple F Collection breaks down all the work that was done to get their F40 cleaned up in this follow-up video. The car is new to them, so keep watch on their youtube channel for updates on the car and how the PPF holds up to their driving.