Today, the Ferrari F40 celebrates its 25th birthday and swiftly blew out its birthday candles as a group of enthusiasts celebrated by racing a convoy of F40’s. The F40 was released in 1987 and since then has been the portrayal of everything that Ferrari stands for. In the present tense, Ferrari have modernised their designs, but still show signs of using ideas that helped culminate the F40. A combination of lightweight machinery, 471hp engine and a rear spoiler that cut through the air like a knife made this not just a supercar, but a superstar.

The Ferrari F40, the pinnacle of classic supercar, a truly revolutionary machine combined with a delicious design that screams awe inspiring power. Considering the actual quality of the car in terms of, a car to use regularly, then it is not the best car to be buying. The interior was basic and the quality of the paint was poor [so sources quote]. For this reason the F40 was popular. It was ‘raw’ and few cars have been able to replicate this since. However, if you value its showmanship, iconic design features and unrelenting gravitas, then the Ferrari F40 is something that ought to be on the top of your wish list.

The success of the car meant that it was only going to be a short while before it was thrown about a race course. This saw the birth of the F40 LM and Competizione’. The death of the F40 was certainly a shock to the world, at the time it was comparable to the death of a celebrity. Thankfully, many F40’s remain, therefore the machine has not entirely left our lives. We can still enjoy the F40 on special occasions where fleets of the monster congregate to entertain the masses.

To really investigate why the F40 was so popular it needs to be compared to one of its modern day equivalent, notably the 458 which I believe to be the complete opposite of the F40. This is because the 458 is a very precise and modern car compared to the F40. Computer aided and interior superior, the 458 is a much better everyday supercar. However, this entirely depends on your opinion of what defines ‘Ferrari’ to you. Buying a Ferrari should be for the enjoyment of your own, not to satisfy crowds. Therefore in my opinion there is no real need for an everyday functional Ferrari as it is something to refer to now and then to shock the system. On the other hand, Ferrari are a business and therefore need to satisfy the demands of the market and within that market are people who can afford to have their everyday car to be a Ferrari, to which I fully appreciate but would not personally do myself. Sadly, many are not in the position to have to quarrel over which Ferrari to be buying, but for those lucky few the F40 is one car that has remained a passionate favourite of the extensive range and would be my personal choice.

AF