www.QV500.com - Ferrari F40 Part 1: F40
 
If reputations determined values then the Ferrari F40 would be among the worlds most expensive motorcars. One generation had grown up with the Lamborghini Countach but for the next, Ferrari's 201mph F40 was the definitive supercar. Heavily derived from the experimental GTO Evoluzione's that had initially been conceptualised as Group B racers, this tiny batch of development vehicles went on to become test beds for the F40. With their infectious cocktail of stellar performance and Pininfarina’s best looking design for years, F40's were the second in Ferrari's line of ultimate modern day supercars, replacing the 288 GTO.
   

Featuring a tubular steel chassis with bonded composite inserts, most notably around the sills and floorpan, the F40's layout was much the same as its predecessors, both 288 and GTO Evoluzione using mid-longitudinally-mounted engines although the F40 was now progressively deformable to meet draconian safety legislation. The engine was also derived from the 288, but thanks to the development work carried out on the aforementioned Evoluzione's between 1985 and ’86, the F40 got substantial hike in output. Its three-litre twin turbocharged V8 was designated Tipo F120 A and had a displacement of 2936cc thanks to a bore and stroke of 81.9 x 69.5mm respectively. Output was nearly 80 horses up on the GTO, F40's boasting 478bhp at 7000rpm. Compression was set at 7.7:1 and the two water-cooled IHI turbochargers at 1.1bar. Identical Weber-Marelli IAW electronic fuel injection/ignition to the GTO was used, Behr intercoolers also going unchanged. Shatteringly fast for its day, the F40 was could sprint from 0-60mph in just 4.4 seconds and run 201mph flat out making it the first production car to surpass this mystical boundary. The gearbox was another GTO item although customers who wanted the ultimate performance configuration could specify a non-synchromesh Sports box if they so desired. As the successor to Ferrari's gorgeous 288, Pininfarina were always going to have a difficult job replacing such an inspired piece of automotive design. However, in the F40, the Turinese firm produced an era defining creation, one that even today is instantly recognisable by old and young enthusiasts alike.

 
Only the cabin bore any link to the 308's these cars were ultimately derived from, just the windscreen having been interchangeable. Whilst the GTO had pioneered the use of composite panels, the F40 was the first whose bodywork was constructed entirely from such materials. Comprising eleven panels made from Nomex, Kevlar and Carbon composite with a heavily ventilated Plexiglas rear windscreen, at 1202kg the F40 had a phenomenal power-to-weight ratio. Only available in Rosso Corsa, sliding Lexan windows were fitted to the first 50, these getting replaced by wind-ups thereafter.
   
The interior was clearly derived from the GTO Evoluzione and used the same dash, door trim, red cloth-covered Kevlar sports seats, the exposed composite trim also being highly similar. Equipped with a three-spoke suede-rimmed Momo steering wheel, a traditional open gearshift and drilled aluminium pedals, the F40 was never conceptualised for luxury touring and had little in the way of luggage space. There was no boot, just a hole where a spare wheel would have originally been, Ferrari rationalising that customers probably wouldn't attempt a wheel change themselves and decided not to fit one. The F40 was a landmark not just on account of its crushing performance and stunning looks, but it was fittingly the last ever car presented by Enzo Ferrari, this taking place at Maranello in June 1987, 14 months before the great mans death. A number of options were available, most notably the sports gearbox, Schedoni fitted luggage and adjustable suspension that allowed the ride-height to be raised or lowered by 20mm. A catalytic converter was introduced in 1991. US-bound F40's were a little slower than their European counterparts, these cars having to conform to more stringent emissions and safety legislation. They were fitted with catalytic converters, a wraparound chin spoiler and bigger bumpers although they escaped relatively unscathed when you consider the horrendous appendages the Lamborghini Countach was blighted with to make it legal for the North American market.
 
Production was discontinued in 1992 after 1311 examples had been completed in five years, but while the F40 was only ever available from Ferrari in left-hand drive, a handful of very special cars were re-finished in right-hand drive by Pininfarina for the Sultan of Brunei. Constructed for this most avid collector at vast expense, relatively little is know about these intriguing Speciale's, only one car having made it out of captivity. All received custom-fitted leather interiors, most using Testarossa seats, instrument binnaces and door trim. New bodywork shades were used, these including Grigio, Blu and Giallo Fly.