One of the most collectible supercars of all time, the F40 is hailed as the first series-production automobile to exceed 200 miles per hour (a little over 320 kilometers per hour). The last road-going Ferrari personally signed off by ol’ man Enzo, the Pininfarina-styled F40 typically sells for a whopping $1.2-plus million in this day and age.
Although not as rare as the 288 GTO before it or F50 after it, the F40 is highly coveted by collectors. A grand total of 1,311 were produced between 1987 and 1992, of which 213 went to the USA.
The F40’s value depends on many things, including the year, mileage, and ownership history. For example, Ferrari switched to roll-down glass instead of sliding Plexiglass windows after the first 50 cars had been completed. The North American specification switched from rubber to aluminum fuel tanks, whereas Fiat chairman Gianni Agnelli had an F40 built with an electronically actuated clutch that needs 100 milliseconds to shift gears.
Ferrari never bothered engineering the F40 for driving on the wrong side of the road, yet that didn’t stop the Sultan of Brunei from tasking Pininfarina with converting the F40 to right-hand drive. Some of the Sultan’s cars were equipped with sumptuous leather interiors featuring the dashboard and seats of the flat-12 Testarossa.
Although we’re only scratching the surface, you can tell that the F40 is an extremely special machine. Ferrari knows it as well, and so does every F40 owner in the world. The Prancing Horse of Maranello brought together no fewer than 40 of them at Pista di Fiorano as part of the inaugural F40 Legacy Tour, the very same track where Ferrari fine-tuned the F40 into a corner-carving thriller.
Photo: Varryx on YouTube
An F40 is a rare sight in and of itself, but 40 examples of the breed in such a historically important place for the most revered of Italian automakers? That is a sight to behold, alright!
Finished on September 30, the first-ever F40 Legacy Tour comprised three days of driving on some of Italy’s finest roads. The event kicked off on September 27 at the Augustus Hotel in Tuscany’s Forte dei Marmi, a seaside town located between the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Apuan Alps.
The route from Forte dei Marmi to Pista di Fiorano included many kilometers through and over the Apennines, where Scuderia drivers such as the one and only Ascari asserted dominance in the Mille Miglia. The F40s, a Fiat 500X, and two Purosangues took to Ferrari’s test track on September 30.
When it comes to mid-engine V8 production cars, the Prancing Horse recently discontinued the F8 Tributo. A direct successor isn’t expected given the V6-engined 296 plug-in hybrid, which is way punchier than its internal combustion-only sibling. As a result, the SF90 is the sole mid-engine V8 road car that Ferrari makes as of October 2023.
Regarding the F40’s lineage, the LaFerrari will be replaced in the second half of 2024 for the 2025 model year by the F250. Rather than a free-breathing V12, the yet-unnamed newcomer brings together the 296’s twin-turbo V6 and some kind of hybrid assistance in a track-focused package that’s more sports prototype than road-going supercar.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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