1992 FERRARI F40

1992 FERRARI F40
Sold for US$ 1,115,000 Bonhams Auction
Amelia Island, Florida 2015
Coachwork by Pininfarina
VIN. ZFFMN34A1N0093627
Engine no. 31130
2,936cc DOHC Twin-Turbocharged V8 Engine
Electronic Fuel Injection
478bhp at 7,000rpm
5-Speed Manual Transaxle
4-Wheel Independent Suspension
4-Wheel Disc Brakes
*The very last US-specification F40 produced
*1992 model benefitting from all the production-run upgrades
*Few owners, less than 10,000 miles and excellent service history
*One of just 213 US-delivery F40s ever produced
*Ferrari Classiche Certified
THE FERRARI F40
"The take-up into the next gear is flawless and, with the turbos cranking hard, the blast of acceleration just goes on again and you seem to be in a blur of time conquering distance, gearshifts and noise. It has the tonal quality of an F1 engine, if not the sheer ferocity. From outside, if you stand and listen, you hear the frantic whoosh as the turbos start to drive oh-so-hard" Autocar magazine, May 1988.
Introduced in 1988 to celebrate Enzo Ferrari's 40 years as a motor manufacturer, the 200mph F40 was the ultimate supercar. Inevitably, comparisons were made with the rival Porsche 959 but whereas its German rival represented a cutting-edge, technological tour de force, the F40 exemplified traditional Ferrari values. A relatively straightforward car, the F40 relied on enormous power, low weight, race-bred suspension, generously sized tires and excellent aerodynamics to achieve a level of performance near-identical to that of the infinitely more complex 959. F40 owners, though, had the satisfaction of knowing that their car was slightly faster, boasting a top speed of 201mph to the 959's 197.
A mid-engined, two-seater Berlinetta, the F40 was a development of the limited-production 288GTO and like the latter - but unlike the preceding 308/328 series - mounted its power unit longitudinally rather than transversely. A four-cam 3-liter V8 with four valves per cylinder, the F40 engine employed twin IHI turbochargers to liberate 478bhp at 7,000rpm. For the seriously speed-addicted this could be boosted by 200bhp by means of a factory tuning kit.
Of equal, if not greater, technical interest was the method of body/chassis construction, the F40 drawing on Ferrari's Formula 1 experience in its use of composite technology. A one-piece plastic molding, the body was bonded to the tubular steel chassis to create a lightweight structure of immense rigidity superior to an all-metal structure. The doors, bonnet, boot lid and other removable panels were carbon fiber. Pugnaciously styled by Pininfarina, the wind tunnel-developed F40 incorporated the latest aerodynamic aids in the form of a dam-shaped nose and high rear aerofoil. Despite the need to generate considerable downforce -- and with a top speed higher than the take-off speed of many light aircraft, the F40 needed all the downforce it could get -- the result was a commendably low drag coefficient of just 0.34.
The F40's interior reinforced its image as a thinly disguised racing car, with body-contoured seats, an absence of carpeting and trim, and sliding Plexiglas windows. When it came to actual competition, race-prepared F40s more than held their own and in the Global GT series occasionally proved quicker McLaren's F1 GTR.
Autocar concluded its test thus: "On a smooth road it is a scintillatingly fast car that is docile and charming in its nature; a car that is demanding but not difficult to drive, blessed as it is with massive grip and, even more importantly, superb balance and manners. You can use its performance - the closest any production carmaker has yet come to racecar levels - and revel in it. ...there's little doubt it is the very personification of the term sports car."
THE MOTORCAR OFFERED
Of the 1,315 F40s produced, just 213 examples were destined for the United States market. These cars, which were modified to meet US EPA and DOT regulations, were given slightly modified bumpers, reinforced doors, aluminum gas tanks, and modified seats with automatic seatbelts. These 213 examples have been coveted since their release because of the demand for these rare, mid-engined twin-turbo charged monsters in the enthusiastic American Ferrari market.
The superb example offered here, chassis no. 93627, is according to leading Ferrari historians known to be the last US-specification F40 built at the Maranello works. Having been built in the final production year, 1992, the car benefits from the upgrades and enhancements made throughout the F40 production run, and is among only twenty examples built that year. Furthermore, it is believed to have been on display at the 1992 Los Angeles Auto Show.
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Robert Myrick Photography