Why the F40 is Ferarri’s Finest: One of the greatest supercars ever built If you were to ask what the greatest supercar ever made is, most would say McLaren F1. But those that didn’t would undoubtedly say, Ferrari F40. Introduced in 1987, the F40 was not only a celebration of Ferrari’s 40th anniversary but the final car approved Enzo Ferrari before his death. A car he wanted to be “very fast, sporting in the extreme and spartan.” The F40 was certainly all of those things. Its interior featured no creature comforts, string for door handles and no carpets, the windows weren’t even electric. It was also the first production car to have a bodyshell made entirely of Carbon Fibre that not only strengthened the car and made it unbelievably light. The result was it tipped the scales at 1.1 tonnes. Then to prevent any additional weight it was fitted with the 2.9l twin-turbo V8 from the 288 GTO with bigger turbos and a larger intercooler. The result was 471 horsepower and 426 lb-ft of torque. And the result of that was the first production car to break the 200mph barrier, with a top speed of 201mph, and 0-62mph in 4.2 seconds. But the F40 wasn’t just a speed demon, thanks to the low weight and the lightweight construction, it was incredibly agile and precise in the corners. A proper, raw, thoroughbred, no-nonsense Ferrari. It’s no surprise then that 1311 were built and that each today is worth over $1.5millon. Since the F40, Ferrari have produced many fabulous wonderful cars like the Enzo, F355, Scuderia, LaFerrari, 458 and F12. But none of them have ever managed to capture the F40’s magic. It is Ferrari’s Magnum Opus, their greatest-ever achievement. So it’s small wonder Ferrari are keen to revive it. Lamborghini’s revival of the Countach: An absolute inspiration You might think it’s daft for a manufacturer to rebuild an icon from the past. That they should move forward instead of looking back. But the fact is, given the current climate of EVs and emissions petrolheads and collectors look for that little reminder of the past. Nowhere is this more clearly seen than in the Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4. Underneath the skin, this car is a Sian. It uses the same 6.5 supercapacitor-assisted 804 horsepower V12, the same all-wheel-drive system and the same antiquated single clutch ISR gearbox, that has been used since the Aventador. Yet the body, interior and name are all inspired by Lamborghini’s most iconic, important and greatest car, the Countach. Even though it’s had many successors, all of which have surpassed it as a car, no model from Lambo’s 60-year-long history better embodied what the brand stood for than the Countach. It was Lambo’s Magnum Opus. Similarly, no model ever captured the drive, rawness and excitement of a Ferrari quite like the F40. So if the bull from Bologna revived their most iconic car, the mount from Maranello should also revive their most iconic car. Why the revived F40 will be part of the Icona Series? If Ferrari are planning on reviving the F40, the one thing you should know is it won’t be a production car. More than likely, it will be part of Ferrari’s exclusive Icona Series. This line-up is designed to celebrate Ferrari’s heritage and history, via reinterpreting designs in a classic way. Some of their projects include models like the Monza SP1 and SP2 which call back to the racers of the 50s and 60s like the 250 Testarossa and 166MM and the Daytona SP3 which honours its styling on prototype racers from the 50s. So for a line-up that calls back to Ferrari’s past what better model to join it than one that calls back to Ferrari’s greatest car? Design: What will the revived F40 look like from inside and out? If there’s one thing the new F40 must achieve in its design is to capture the iconic elements of the original. These include the squared-off nose, short wheelbase stance and signature large rear wing, all constructed in carbon fibre to make it light. It’s important that these styling cues don’t affect the performance and assist in aerodynamics. Inside there needs to be a minimalist interior. Not completely spartan like the old car but minimalist such that there is a clear focus on the drive and nothing more. Undoubtedly the new will feature several features that are common amongst modern Ferraris like a tech-based steering wheel and an 8-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Performance to thrill from the Past The old F40 infamously used a twin-turbo V8 so the new car should also use a twin-turbo V8. More than likely it will use an un-hybridised variant of the SF90 XX’s 4.0l 786 horsepower twin-turbo V8. Though more than likely Ferrari will try and extract 800 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque. Not to mention, it will likely be the last time they use their twin-turbo V8. And to truly capture the F40s spirit, unlike most of Ferrari’s turbo V8 cars, the torque mustn’t be limited in gears instead revelling in that classic turbo-lag feel. However, this probably won’t be the case. More important than the engine though, is that this car must send all its horsepower to the rear wheels to capture that raucous and raw drive the old car excelled in. Being part of the Icona Series, it will be a limited-run production car. Ferrari produced 499 and 599 units of Monza and Daytona respectively, both of which sold out almost instantly to their most loyal clientele. Undoubtedly though the revived F40 will be well over $1.6 million. Magnum Opus Revived Every car maker has its Magnum Opus. For Audi, it was the Quattro. For Jaguar, it was the E-Type. For McLaren, it was the F1. For Bugatti, it was the Veyron. For Lamborghini, it was the Countach and for Ferrari, it has and will always be the F40. Whilst we’ve yet to see what this revived F40 will look and drive like, one thing's for certain. It will undoubtedly be a very special car. Not just for celebrating and calling back to Ferrari’s greatest ever car but for potentially celebrating the rawness and thrill that make Ferrari one of the automotive greats. Source: TopGear
