Nearly four decades since its debut, the Ferrari F40 still stops traffic, ignites imagination, and defines what it means to be a supercar. Born in 1987 to celebrate Ferrari’s 40th anniversary, its name was simple enough— “F” for Ferrari, “40” for four decades of excellence—yet the shockwave it sent through the automotive world was anything but simple. The last model personally approved by Enzo Ferrari, it was a fitting farewell from the legendary founder and a final roar of defiance in a world with increasingly safe, soft, and soulless cars.

Penned by Pininfarina with extreme performance in mind, the F40 is pure and uncompromising. Lightweight composites of Kevlar, carbon fiber, and Nomex trim the car to just over 2,400 pounds and enable its 471-horsepower 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-8 engine to rocket the car from 0 to 60 mph in just four seconds. Each vent, duct, and curve is purposeful: to slice the air, cool the engine, and glue it to the road. Its sharp angles, signature NACA ducts, and towering rear wing make it not traditionally beautiful, but undeniably stunning; long, low, wide, and violently functional.

There was no luxury. No stereo. No carpets. Not even interior door handles—just a pull cord. Steering is unassisted, the clutch heavy, and the steering wheel and pedals broadcast the car’s every subtle move. At launch, it was the fastest, most powerful, and most expensive Ferrari ever built. Piloting one is a primal experience that rewards focus, commitment, and bravery in a way that devastatingly few modern supercars can replicate.

The F40 offered here—chassis 88139—is a Ferrari Classiche-certified, German-delivery example that was sold new on 19 March 1991 through Auto Becker GmbH of Düsseldorf. Delivered to an enthusiast in Mühlheim am Main, Hessen, it was finished—as it remains today—in the model’s iconic Rosso Corsa Ferrari (300/9) over Rosso Stoffa Vigogna racing seats.

Following a short term in Germany, the car was exported to the United Kingdom in the mid-1990s, where it enjoyed a cherished life of sparing use with its original warranty and service manual documenting a history of regular servicing by noted British Ferrari specialists. These entries importantly include numerous annual, fuel tank, and belt-related work.

Service stamps in the accompanying warranty and service booklet indicate that official Ferrari dealer Graypaul replaced the speedometer with a new unit calibrated to miles per hour on 13 May 1997, a common practice during this period when importing cars from mainland Europe into the United Kingdom. At the time, the F40 had logged 8,714 kilometers (5,415 miles). Subsequent service stamps suggest the new odometer was left set to zero, as the next stamping from Maranello Sales Ltd. on 6 January 1998 recorded that the car had 1,507 miles. At the time of cataloguing for this current offering, the odometer displayed 9,380 miles, which should be noted does not account for the car’s prior odometer’s reading. Taking into account the odometer reading pre-replacement and today, this F40 is believed to have covered roughly 14,800 miles from new.

The F40 remained in the United Kingdom for the better part of the next three decades before its importation to the United States in 2022. Since arriving Stateside, chassis 88139 has received regular maintenance from Ferrari Philadelphia, honored in 2023 and 2024 with the prestigious Ferrari Cavallino Award that recognizes the automaker’s most outstanding dealerships. Notable work has included servicing the air conditioning and installing new thermocouples and catalyst-protection ECUs in 2023. In December 2025, Ferrari Philadelphia performed an extensive multi-point inspection confirming the satisfactory condition of all major components, including the upgraded aluminum fuel tanks. The dealer also performed a timing belt service, replaced fluids, filters, spark plugs, gaskets, and seals, adjusted the valves, and more.

In February 2024, the F40 received Ferrari Classiche certification with the accompanying Classiche Red Book and Certificate of Authenticity confirming the presence of its numbers-matching chassis, engine, gearbox, body, and other mechanical components. Also included with the car is a binder of service records, previous British MOT certificates, its original warranty and service booklet with stampings, and a collection of owner’s books with leather pouch.

As it approaches its own 40th anniversary, the F40 endures as a benchmark Ferrari, delivering an unmatched connection between driver and machine. This well-documented, Classiche-certified example presents an extraordinary opportunity to experience that bond firsthand.