Motoring Weekly

No-frills sports model was launched 20 years ago

December 26, 2007 - January 1, 2008
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In many respects the Ferrari F40 is the legacy of Enzo Ferrari, who commissioned the vehicle in 1986 at the age of 88, marking the 40th anniversary of his famous sports car company.

Rumour has it that Enzo Ferrari ordered his engineers to build "the best car in the world" bringing together many of the race car qualities the marque gathered over the years.

The Pininfarina body design gave the F40 a spectacular, sharp-edged look with huge rear spoiler and many air intakes. Today the 478 hp is not quite as impressive, but at the time of its launch in 1987, it was the fastest road vehicle with a top speed of 324 kilometres an hour. Acceleration from zero to 200 km/h was in 11 seconds.

But anyone seeking a day-to-day runner in the F40 would be disappointed. It is a no-frills attached sports car.

During its 1987-1992 production run some 1,300 units were produced with the first cars priced at around $300,000. But some enthusiasts paid up to $2 million at auctions.







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