Car of the Week: The F40 May Be the Ultimate Ferrari of Its Era, and This One Is Heading to Auction
That the Ferrari F40 is a masterpiece in the Prancing Horse portfolio would not be debated by anyone with a penchant for Italian supercars. Everything about this stereotypical 1980s-era rocket sled stirs emotions, from its basket-handle rear spoiler to Pininfarina’s liberal sprinkling of NACA ducts.
I recall seeing one in my local dealer’s showroom in 1990, fresh off the delivery truck and still with plastic on the seats. My photographing it for a magazine cover required that it be started and moved to a more suitable location, and the ensuing mechanical music it made was simply intoxicating. So was its window sticker: at about $400,000, the F40 was so far beyond my grasp that I contented myself with merely being in its company, if only for the day. Things haven’t changed much in the 35 years since the car’s introduction, save for the nearly ten-fold increase in the value of a concours example. The F40 still makes music, and still stirs emotions.
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One exemplary specimen, dressed in red and ready to captivate its next owner, will cross the block at the Mecum Auctions sale held on August 19 as part of Monterey Car Week. “The Ferrari F40 is an extraordinary example of what is universally regarded as the finest analog supercar ever built,” says John Kraman, lead TV commentator and analyst for Mecum Auctions. “The uncompromising approach to performance, with no pretense for comfort or luxury, adds to the legend and visceral experience behind the wheel. Over 30 years later, the F40 is still regarded as one of the most exciting Ferraris ever produced. It is the absolute centerpiece of any collection.”
The technical underpinnings of the F40 are a fascinating story, one made more interesting by the poignant lore surrounding its creation. You see, the F40 was the final supercar commissioned by Enzo Ferrari, who died in August of 1988, and that direct connection to Il Commendatore is an undeniable attraction—a little extra sprinkle of Italian fairy dust.
But the F40 was hardly a sentimental endeavor. In direct response to Group B rallying, and the competition threatened by Porsche’s upcoming 959, Ferrari began the F40 program in 1984 to build a successor to the Ferrari 288 GTO. The carnage experienced by some Group B competitors ultimately shut down the series, but Ferrari continued to develop the F40, whose debut in 1987 coincided with the company’s 40th anniversary. The design by Pininfarina’s Leonardo Fioravanti still looks modern today, with a slippery drag coefficient of 0.34. The body, made by Scaglietti, is composed of Kevlar, aluminum, and carbon-fiber panels covering a tubular space-frame chassis.
Under the rear clamshell is a 2.9-liter, twin-turbocharged, fuel-injected V-8 engine, mounted longitudinally and producing 478 hp at 7,000 rpm. A five-speed transmission sends power to the rear wheels. The published zero-to-62 mph time is 4.7 seconds, and the car’s top speed is reported to be 199 mph—certainly impressive for the day.
Although 400 examples were initially planned, demand far outstripped original projections, and a total of 1,315 F40s were ultimately produced by the time production ended in 1991. But the car didn’t come stateside until 1990, with just 213 of them finding their way to the U.S. when new. This example, finished in ubiquitous Rosso Corsa with a Rosso Ferrari interior, is particularly desirable, having only 3,415 miles on the odometer. It comes with Ferrari Classiche certification and is complete with a tool kit and the car’s original Schedoni luggage.
While no estimate is currently listed by Mecum, the value of an F40 in good condition, at least according to classic-car insurer Hagerty, is about $2.55 million, while a concours-quality example is up to $3.65 million.
Click here for more photos of the 1990 Ferrari F40 being offered through Mecum Auctions.
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