While classic Ferrari sports cars are characterized by the sonorous small displacement V12 engines sitting in the middle of their stretched bonnets, the turbo era of the 1980s brought along a new Ferrari that has come to serve as the definitive Italian supercar of the modern era – the Ferrari F40.
Still one of the most extreme vehicles on the road today, it’s hard to believe that this year marks the 25th anniversary of the F40 since it was first introduced in 1987. Commanding an astronomic starting price of $400,000 when new, only 1,315 units were ever produced. As it is also the last vehicle founder Enzo Ferrari personally commissioned, the Ferrari F40 continues to demand an enormous sum of money today.
At this year’s Monaco RM Auction event, a special Ferrari F40 will cross the block to be sold to a lucky new owner. Not all Ferrari cars are built equal and this particular example is rare even amongst F40′s. Of the 1,315 units, eight examples were built as prototypes. Of the prototypes, a select amount were chosen to be converted to LM specifications for racing. That is the sort of rarity we are dealing with here.
This Ferrari F40 Prototype/GT is chassis number 74047, number six of the eight prototypes built for factory testing before displayed at the 1987 Frankfurt Auto Show. A factory backed racing car until 1991, Ferrari had sold the F40 to a privateer racing team.
The #74047 Ferrari F40 had its engine tuned to produce 590-hp and received suspension upgrades, larger Brembo brakes, a quick-fill fueling system, a fire suppression system, and wider Speedline wheels. Campaigning in the Gran Criterium Supercar GT series, the F40 earned its share of podium finishes.
It’s history fully documented, the RM Auction house estimates this F40 will go for $919,800 to $1,182,600 dollars. Held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco from May 11 to May 12, the RM Auction has prepared an extensive Ferrari collection for the special event. You can check out the selection of collectibles that will be auctioned at the official RM Auction site.
