1992 Ferrari F40

The Ferrari F40 was the first production car to break the 200 mph barrier. They were built in celebration of the company's 40th birthday and were the very last model that Enzo Ferrari personally oversaw before his passing. Carbon fiber was used for its chassis and bodywork, resulting in a lightweight 2,400 lbs.

Introduced in 1988, the F40 exemplified Ferrari's traditional values and relied on enormous power, a race-bred suspension, large tires, wonderful aerodynamics, and low weight to achieve its impressive level of performance. It was a development of the limited-production 288GTO and came with twin IHI turbochargers with Behr intercoolers to produce 478 horsepower. A factory tuning kit was available which could help increase horsepower by 200 bhp. The 90-degree, dual-overhead-camshaft, 'vee' type eight-cylinder engine displaced 179 cubic inches and used five main bearings, a Weber-Marelli engine management system, and a compression ratio of 7.8:1. It was backed by a five-speed manual in the rear transaxle, the suspension was double-wishbone independent all around with coil-over Koni shock absorbers, and four-caliper ventilated disc brakes provided the stopping power.

Using the company's Formula 1 experience, the F40 had a one-piece plastic molding, and the body was bonded to the tubular steel chassis. Removable panels, doors, boot lid, and bonnet were comprised of carbon fiber. The latest aerodynamic aids included the dam-shaped nose and high rear aerofoil, resulting in an impressively low drag coefficient of just 0.34. Leonardo Fioravanti's coachwork design, which was aerodynamically perfected in Pininfarina's wind tunnel, was built with paneling woven of Kevlar and carbon fiber, reducing the curb weight by approximately 20 percent, while tripling the car's structural rigidity. Zero-to-sixty mph was accomplished in 3.8 seconds, and top speed was achieved at 201 mph.

The interior had body-contoured seats, and sliding Plexiglas windows, and was devoid of trim and carpeting.

Publicly introduced at the 1987 Frankfurt Motor Show, the F40 was initially earmarked for a low production run of 400 examples, but strong consumer interest resulted in production reaching 1,315 units. Initially only offered in Europe, the early examples were built devoid of catalytic converters or adjustable suspensions. A more developed version arrived in 1990 as deliveries in the United States began, with standard equipment list including air conditioning and catalytic converters. When production ceased in the summer of 1992, Ferrari had built 213 examples for North American delivery.

The 1992 Ferrari F40
The 1992 Ferrari F40 Coupe, priced at approximately $400,000 (with dealer markup, the price often exceeded $700,000), was powered by a 90-degree, dual-overhead-cam, eight-cylinder engine with 32 valves, two IHI turbochargers with Behr intercoolers, and displaces 179 cubic inches (2,936cc). It had five main bearings, a Weber-Marelli engine management system, 7.8:1 compression, and produced 471 (SAE) horsepower at 7,000 RPM and 426 lb-f of torque at 4,000 RPM. It was paired with a five-speed manual in the rear transaxle, disc brakes, and a composite body on a steel-tube space frame. It had a 94.5-inch wheelbase, an overall length of 174.4 inches, a width of 78 inches, and stood 44.5 inches tall.

1992 was the final production year of the F40.

by Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2019