Jeremy Clarkson once said, “The F40 has no inside door handles, no stereo, no carpeting; the interior looks as if it's held together with bathroom silicone. The paint is so thin you can see the carbon fiber pattern beneath it. But all this made the F40 very light—about the weight of a Lotus Elise plus a passenger—and it could accelerate from 0-60 mph in 3.2 seconds. None of the cars in tonight's show are faster.” This opening line on Top Gear perfectly sums up the ferocity of the F40. It is an Italian supercar that, while out of reach for most globally, stands as a memorable legend of design and engineering—a grand celebration of Ferrari’s 40th anniversary.
Long before ABS brakes and airbags were common or expected, the automotive world competed through design and the emotional experience of driving. In the 1980s, a typical family car in Thailand like the Nissan Sunny produced 73 horsepower, with the sportier 1.5-liter coupe offering 85 horsepower. The most powerful Mercedes-Benz was the 300E with 188 horsepower. So imagine in 1987 when the F40 debuted with 478 horsepower—it captured the world's attention.
Some who grew up in the 90s knew that if you could afford a Ferrari, you bought one. If not, you’d put a side-profile poster of the F40 on your bedroom wall and spray yourself with Ferrari’s silver-capped perfume just to feel a connection—even though half the women in the world probably didn’t like that scent, especially the high school girls you were trying to impress. Most Ferrari owners didn’t wear Ferrari watches or spray Ferrari perfume; those products were for people who couldn’t buy a Ferrari—like me, for one.
The F40 was actually born from a small team disappointed after developing the 288 GTO Evoluzione for the Group B rally series, which was banned in 1986. Those Evoluzione cars became like ronin—skilled but without a place to prove themselves. Project leader Nicola Materazzi, head of engine and transmission engineering, shifted focus to circuit motorsport and proposed the F40 project using those cars as a base. Enzo Ferrari himself approved the plan.
Ermanno Bonfiglioli, Ferrari’s Special Projects head and one of the F40’s creators, said they developed the car in just 11 months, covering design through testing and ready-for-sale production—a remarkably short time even by today’s standards. Back then, car development typically took years; for example, the Mercedes S-Class W126 took almost six years from design to market. The rush was understandable, as Enzo Ferrari knew his time was limited.
The F40 was Ferrari’s most powerful and fastest car, created to celebrate the brand’s 40th anniversary. Its target customers were Ferrari’s exclusive clients interested purely in performance. Thus, the car emphasized power, lightness, and agility. To keep weight low, the chassis was a true racing-style space frame of metal tubes, covered by a Kevlar body shell. The front hood, rear, and doors were carbon fiber. Windows were plexiglass, and early production cars had sliding side windows with small openings. After about 50 units, complaints led to conventional windows operated manually with a crank—comfort and convenience were not priorities for the F40.
The exterior styling drew heavily from motorsport technology of the time. Compared to the 288 GTO, the F40’s lines were cleaner, removing protrusions. The front changed from a pointed shark nose to a wedge shape with purposeful air intakes. The midsection resembled the 288 GTO from above but featured smooth underbody skirts and additional lower air intakes. The most iconic design element is the large rear wing, created by Aldo Brovarone of Pininfarina, in collaboration with Ferrari designer Pietro Camardella. At that time, Ferrari regularly employed Pininfarina for design assistance.
If you notice, tall rear wings had been around for a while on special American cars like the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona. But the F40’s wing was functional, not just for show. Five to ten years after the F40 ended production, similar large rear wings appeared on many Japanese models—Supra JZA80, minor facelift GTO, GT-R R33, Lancer Evolution, Impreza STi, among others—reflecting an era when aerodynamics advanced through large wings to increase downforce. Ferrari’s next special model, the 1994 F50, also featured a massive rear wing. However, after the millennium, Ferrari shifted to smoother, computer-designed bodies with active aerodynamics, dropping the oversized wings.
The Ferrari F40’s engine, the Type F120A and F120D, evolved from the 288 GTO Evoluzione’s 90-degree V8 multivalve. Nicola Materazzi was the chief engineer behind this powerful unit. It displaced 2.9 liters, featured twin turbochargers—one per cylinder head—and an intercooler, delivering 478 PS at 7,000 rpm and 577 Nm torque at 4,000 rpm. Power was sent through a 5-speed manual transmission with a clutch pedal. All this power propelled a lightweight 1.1-ton car—heavier than a Lotus Elise K-Series Gen 1 but about 150 kg lighter than a neighboring country’s Mazda 3.
Reducing engine weight was crucial. Ferrari used magnesium instead of aluminum in many parts—the oil pan, engine covers, gearbox housing, and intake manifold. At the time, magnesium cost about five times more than motorsport-grade aluminum. The F40 lacked an exhaust emissions control system until 1990, when U.S. regulations required catalytic converters on all road cars.
The Ferrari F40 accelerated from 0-100 km/h in 4.1 seconds, covered a quarter mile in 11.9 seconds, and reached a top speed of 324 km/h. This was remarkable when even high-performance family cars struggled to hit 200 km/h. However, the F40 wasn’t the absolute fastest car of its era; at Nardo testing, the Porsche 959 reached 339 km/h and the RUF CTR 342 km/h. Ferrari still claimed the F40 as the fastest production car because the 959 and CTR were limited-run models of only 20-30 units. The F40 initially planned for 400 units but demand surged after Enzo Ferrari’s rumored passing, ultimately producing 1,311 units—the most of any special Ferrari, compared to the hundreds for the F50 and Enzo models.
Ferrari invited top international journalists to test the F40 at Fiorano, even bringing a Porsche 959 for comparison. American Automobile and British CARS magazine journalists favored the 959 for its easier, more comfortable driving and all-wheel drive. Fans of the F40 appreciated that “it’s not a car anyone can drive fast,” serving as a true test of driver skill versus just money. Drivers considered it fast and fierce, while ordinary people found it terrifying to launch hard and even scarier in city traffic, where the side mirrors seemed made for birds to peck at their reflections and the rearview mirror was nearly useless. Changing lanes required prayers, clutch work, and trembling limbs. Ferrari smiled and said, “I told you, this car isn’t for everyone to drive.”
Ferrari test driver Dario Benuzzi recalled that earlier Ferrari models felt like cars flirting on California beaches—too soft, too slow, too customer-friendly. Even the fierce 288 GTO made him smile softly. But when Leonardo Fioravanti, chief design engineer, handed him the F40 key during tuning tests, Benuzzi returned shaken—not from partying late but because the F40 was terrifying. He said, “I can handle it, but on public roads, it’s a demon so fierce our customers might lose control.” The 478-horsepower version sold was the one Benuzzi and his team deemed safe enough for street use.
What if the F40 was tuned as Benuzzi drove it then? No one knows. Later, Ferrari produced the F40 Competizione for wealthy customers wanting to race at Le Mans. It featured upgraded turbos, engine, and suspension, generating 700 horsepower and reaching 367 km/h. Built for racing, it wasn’t considered a street-legal speed record, but the eight units made likely approached the demon Benuzzi once drove.
There’s a reason the F40 was so fierce and developed so quickly. Imagine Ferrari when Enzo was a fiery young man: the company revered motorsport, selling road cars mainly to fund racing. Customers were not gods; trophies were. But that business model collapsed, pushing Ferrari to make customer-pleasing cars that lost the fierce racehorse character. In old age, Enzo, suffering blood cancer, told his staff, “My time is short. Leonardo, before I die, I want to see a Ferrari as it truly is...”
That inspired everyone to work hard to fulfill Enzo’s “Last Wish.” The F40 was the final car he personally approved. About a year after its debut, Enzo passed away, leaving a legacy that shook the automotive world.
From 1987 to 1992, Ferrari produced 1,311 F40s. While this number is not small compared to rarer specials like the F50 or Enzo, as the car approaches its 40th anniversary, well-preserved examples are increasingly rare. Why? Because the F40 is essentially a race car. Some wealthy owners keep it as a showpiece or for occasional drives, but true enthusiasts race it. The turbocharged engine can be tuned to 650 horsepower easily. Imagine 650 horsepower driving the rear wheels, with no power steering, no brake booster, and no electronic aids—it’s unsurprising accidents happen, even to skilled drivers.
After the F40, Ferrari stopped making turbocharged engines, focusing instead on larger displacements and higher revs. The F50 used a naturally aspirated 4.7-liter V12; other models employed 5.5-liter V12s or 3.5-3.6-liter V8s. It wasn’t until 2014 that the California T became Ferrari’s first turbocharged model in 22 years. Modern turbocharged Ferraris are so powerful and fast they easily outpace the F40, but anyone who can drive an F40 as fast as these newer models is truly a master driver.
If you want to buy an F40 today, you need three things: opportunity, fortune, and money. It costs about two million—but that’s two million euros, not baht.
Pan Paitoonpong