As the progenitor of Ferrari’s flagship line of anniversary-celebrating hypercars, the F40 is undeniably one of the most special Prancing Horses ever produced. Essentially built to racing specifications with a twin-turbocharged V-8, aerodynamically perfected carbon fibre and Kevlar coachwork, and the barest modicum of cockpit trim, the F40 oozed Maranello’s racing DNA. It was not merely coincidental that this was the last model developed under Enzo Ferrari’s watchful eye, as the F40 exemplified the spirit of the Scuderia Ferrari’s finest competition machines.

The model was originally conceived to be an FIA Group B competitor developed from the superlative 288 GTO, to take on the likes of the Porsche 959. Enthusiasts can be grateful that the F40’s development continued regardless of the racing class’s cancellation. Rather than scrap the programme entirely, Ferrari opted to use the five initial 288 GTO Evoluzione development cars as the basis of a new 40th anniversary model.

As it was designed for competition purposes, the F40 featured a race-developed steel tube-frame chassis with four-wheel double-wishbone independent suspension, coil-over Koni shock absorbers, and four-calliper ventilated disc brakes. Pietro Camardella’s coachwork design, executed under the direction of Leonardo Fioravanti and aerodynamically perfected in Pininfarina’s wind tunnel, was built with panelling woven of Kevlar and carbon fibre, reducing the curb weight by approximately 20 per cent while simultaneously tripling the car’s structural rigidity.

The 288’s twin-turbocharged V-8 was bored to displace 2.9 litres and equipped with IHI turbochargers and Behr intercoolers. It was then mated to a five-speed transaxle actuated by a gated shifter. The resulting performance was nothing short of astonishing, as the type F120 040 engine developed 478 horsepower and 425 pound-feet of torque, capable of launching the F40 to 100 km/h from standstill in just 4.1 seconds and achieving a top speed of 324 km/h (thereby exceeding the Porsche 959 and Lamborghini Countach).

Unlike the more luxurious treatments that have become fashionable today, the F40’s interior amply reflected its basis in race car development, with a no-frills spartan design philosophy. Accordingly, weight was thoroughly minimised with the use of components such as cloth upholstery on plastic-composite racing seats, pull-strap door releases, drilled pedals, and Perspex windows.

Publicly introduced at the 1987 Frankfurt Motor Show, the F40 was initially earmarked for a low production run of 400 examples. However, skyrocketing customer interest prompted Ferrari to build 1,315 cars. The commemorative supercar was initially only available in Europe and early examples were built without catalytic converters or adjustable suspension, endowing these cars with added desirability today.

Occupying such an important perch in Maranello’s supercar lineage, it is hardly surprising that many F40 examples were initially purchased by astute collectors and largely restricted to showroom viewing and concours exhibition. Relatively few cars were driven in anger on a track, but a handful of drivers were lucky enough to experience the F40 under such conditions.

Case in point, five-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Derek Bell was allowed to push the car’s limits during a test drive for Classic & Sports Car magazine conducted during the mid-2000s. His verdict: “It’s just magnificent…This is a car to make your hair curl. The power delivery is sensational, and I love the way the turbos come on with such a rush. Very quickly the situation changes from neutral understeer to amazing oversteer, but it’s all superbly predictable.”

A LIFELONG HELVETIAN THOROUGHBRED

This well-preserved F40 boasts modest use through a short chain of just three Swiss owners, resulting in an optimal example of Ferrari’s celebrated supercar. Most notably, as a mid-production example, the car was configured as a “non-cat, non-adjust” chassis, suggesting great purity in its performance and potential longevity.

According to a history report by marque expert Marcel Massini, chassis number 83845 completed assembly in December 1989 finished in the classic colour combination of Rosso Corsa paint over an interior minimally trimmed with seats in Stoffa Vigogna (red cloth upholstery). As confirmed by the car’s original warranty booklet, the F40 was retailed through the Swiss agency AD Autodiffusion of Meyrin-Geneva, who sold the car to its first owner, Heinz Lussi of Effretikon, Switzerland, in January 1990.

Service entries in the warranty booklet show that the Ferrari was regularly maintained, including a 10,000-kilometre service by Ferrari Suisse SA in Nyon in September 1997, by which point the odometer displayed 10,830 kilometres. The F40 was later sold to a physician residing in Biel, Switzerland, who retained possession until October 2020 before selling the car to a respected Swiss dealer. Around this time both fuel cells were replaced. Additionally, in February 2022 the F40 was certified by Ferrari Classiche, confirming the presence of the matching-numbers engine, gearbox, and body.

In 2024 the Ferrari was acquired by The Tailored For Speed Collection, while in the February of the same year it was serviced by Niki Hasler AG. Currently displaying just 11,882 kilometres, this beautiful F40 is now poised to join a new stable, offering a distinctive complement to any collection of sporting thoroughbreds. The car exudes the purity of the model’s earliest configuration, lacking the catalytic converter and adjustable suspension that arrived in later cars.

Documented with its Ferrari Classiche “Red Book”, Massini report, warranty booklet, and owner’s manuals in the proper brown leather Schedoni pouch, further to its Ferrari tool kit, this well-presented F40 is a stellar example. Such an authentically pure F40 would make for a spectacular addition to any Ferrari-focused collection or supercar assemblage, being a prime example of the most brutally specified and dynamic track contender among Maranello’s modern anniversary cars… just as Il Commendatore intended!