If you ask me what my favourite car ever made is, I will say that it’s the Ferrari F40. It’s a pure machine that doesn’t have any sort of annoying assists or systems to dampen the drving experience. There’s no automatic double-clutch gearbox, no drive modes, no fake exhausts, no fake vents and a design that still stuns with the perfect proportions. All of them left the factory painted in Rosso Corsa but a few ended up being resprayed many years later – like this one. When I saw it on Instagram for the first time I didn’t know whether to love it or hate it. All I knew is that I had to see it and the Motor Show gave me the chance to do so.
Red is my favourite colour by some margin so you probably think I’d scoff at this and pass it off as sacrelige because it desecrates on Enzo’s legacy… but you’d be wrong. It doesn’t really matter what colour an F40 is because you can’t take away the greatness of it’s character. Of course it’s not the colour I would choose but I can’t disrepect the owner for doing something different. Repainting a legendary car takes some serious balls and I admire the commitment to go all in.
Amongst all the crazy crowds, clout chasers and indecisive dimwits that served to get in the way of my Motor Show experience, the area around this vehicle seemed to evoke a feeling of calm in an otherwise chaotic event which was too big for it’s own boots. As much as I hate the overused word of aura, this car genuinely has it. I simply could not pass up the opportunity to see another F40 because it has me in a bind… I’ve been under it’s spell for 16 years but by no means do I feel cursed!
I think in a world where soo much of what we see isn’t always what we get, the honesty of this car is refreshing. People admire it because it’s a pure performance machine that used the best construction techniques from motorsport and an engine that was as potent as could be. Sure, the V12 is a spectacular unit but in terms of weight, packaging and complexity, it could not provide the specs Ferrari wanted, so a twin-turbo V8 from the still-born GTO Evoluzione was installed. The result? A car with almost perfect weight distribution and a then record-breaking top speed of 201 MPH (323 KM/H).
With a twin-turbo V8, carbon fibre body panels, kevlar, front and rear opening clamshells, air vents and a huge rear wing, the F40 was a race car for the road that demanded respect from both the owner and onlookers. The car is only as good as you because not a single thing is automated or filtered out. It does exactly what you want to do when you ask it to do it – no matter what colour it is. The beauty and performance of this magnificent machine will never go out of style.
DevMacCars 