The Ferrari F40 is arguably the single greatest car from arguably the single greatest sports car manufacturer of them all. So iconic is its striking looks and phenomenal speed that, even three decades on, if you mention the name ‘Ferrari’ to a layman, the chances are the image that springs to their mind will be the F40.
Big on power, light of weight and in possession of some of the rawest, most rabid characteristics of any car ever designated road legal, it was the first production car to crack the 200mph barrier, the fastest car of its time, and also the last Ferrari to be built under the personal supervision of Enzo Ferrari before his death.
It’s impossible to overstate the effect that the F40 had on the supercar scene and it’s perhaps best known as the only car that could rival the technological marvel that was the Porsche 959. But, believe it or not, the iconic F40 was actually the by-product of a stillborn experimental rally car.
In 1982, the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, the official governing body of motorsport, legalised the now-infamous Group B regulations. Group B drastically lowered the restrictions on the technologies, materials and power levels that manufacturers could utilise when building their cars.
As a result, manufacturers quickly used this as an excuse to test new and experimental technology, building advanced, all-wheel drive machines made of aluminium, magnesium and Kevlar like the iconic Audi Quattro, the Peugeot 205 T16 and the Ford RS200.
Faster than the Formula One cars of their day, the Group B cars were beasts barely controlled by their drivers, meaning the only real limitation was the skill of the human sat behind the wheel. Ever keen to dominate new forms of motorsport, Ferrari’s interest was piqued.
Porsche had already started developing the car which would become the 959 a year earlier. While the 959 took full advantage of Group B’s leniency and became the most technologically-advanced car of its time, Ferrari decided to take an altogether different approach.
Eschewing modern advancements, Ferrari instead opted for the old-school formula for racing car success of low weight, high power. The result was the 288 GTO, a highly-modified racing version of the existing 308 GTB.
Ferrari instead opted for the old-school formula for racing car success of low weight, high power.
The GTO badge had appeared on only one Ferrari prior to that: the legendary 250 GTO. As a result, it had a lot to live up to, but Ferrari spared no expense in the effort to make the 288 GTO the best possible car it could be.
Built on a tubular steel chassis like many of the Group B rally cars at the time, much of the car’s aerodynamic body panels were made of super-light glass fibre and Kevlar composites. Power came from a twin-turbocharged 2.8-litre V8 engine, which in its basic format produced 400bhp.
However, as the years ticked by and the Group B class started to devolve into a free-for-all, many of the cars which took part in Group B competitions saw their power outputs swell in excess of 600bhp, while the technology and materials used continued to become ever more advanced.
Ferrari realised that in order to be competitive, it needed to refine the 288 GTO even further. As a result, it commissioned five next-gen development models, which became known as the 288 GTO Evoluzione.
The amount of composite materials used on the car increased dramatically which made it much lighter, while it was completely redesigned with a new wedge-shaped exterior that bore all sorts of aerodynamic vents, scoops, spoilers and canards.
Ferrari put a new engine into it, the Tipo F114 CR – with the ‘R’ standing for ‘rallying’ – and cranked up the turbochargers’ boost pressure. The Evoluzione models produced an insane 650bhp and weighed just 940kg, which meant it could do 0-100mph in under ten seconds, before racing on to a top speed of 225mph.
That would have made it one of the most powerful Group B cars ever, and arguably the fastest too. Such was the quantity of horsepower, it was described as being: “as progressive as heavy artillery, you just point it and fire it.”
Unfortunately, neither the original 288 GTO or the Evoluzione would ever get the chance to test their mettle in competition.
It was described as being: "as progressive as heavy artillery, you just point it and fire it".
Following the tragic deaths of Lancia driver Henri Toivonen and co-driver Sergio Cresto during the Tour de Corse rally in 1986, the FIA officially declared that Group B be dismantled and all of the cars banned from competing in 1987.
Almost overnight, all Ferrari’s hard work with the 288 Evo became obsolete. But Ferrari wasn’t about to let all that go to waste, particularly not when the Porsche 959 was parading around and making a name for itself as a superb road car.
Of course, the 959 shouldn’t be trivialised. Cars like the Lamborghini Countach and Ferrari GTO had come before it, but the 959 was a different kind of supercar: something new, something greater than anything the world had seen up until that point.
At the time, it featured technology never before utilised in any road car, including the first four-wheel drive setup of any supercar, and for a time it was the fastest production car on earth with a top speed of 195mph.
In response, Ferrari decided to transform the now-defunct 288 GTO Evoluzione into a road car of its very own. While the Porsche 959 was defined by the technology it featured, it was what the Ferrari road car lacked that made it so special.
Weight, in particular, was key to its success. This new car retained much of the same design as the 288 Evo, with the same ultra-light, Kevlar-intensive body panels to keep it as lean as possible. The windscreen was made of plastic, as was virtually all of the interior, while the only real concession to driver comfort made was the addition of rudimentary air conditioning.
Its appearance was heavily influenced by the wide, low looks of the 288 racing car as well, and although the canards and scoops were dropped it retained the Pininfarina styling, NACA ducting and large rear wing which helped form its iconic silhouette.
The 959 was defined by the technology it featured, but it was what the Ferrari lacked that made it special.
Power came from a 2.9-litre twin-turbo V8 engine, nearly identical to the one used in the 288, which produced 478bhp and which was the first-ever turbocharged engine used in a road-going Ferrari.
The 959 didn’t know what hit it. Able to scramble to 62mph in a standstill in a shade over four seconds and with a top speed of precisely 201mph, the Ferrari put a quick and embarrassing end to the 959’s short-lived reign as top dog.
Dubbed the F40, the car debuted at the 1987 Frankfurt motor show, just in time for Ferrari’s 40th anniversary. Only 400 were planned to be made, each finished in the trademark Rosso Corsa red paint, but such was the popularity of the car that 1,311 were produced in the end.
The public instantly went wild for it despite the fact that its sparse interior, lack of power assistance and the temperamental, spiky delivery of all that turbocharged horsepower made it divisive among the motoring press.
Car and Driver magazine referred to it as a “mix of sheer terror and raw excitement”, while designer Gordon Murray - who famously created the iconic McLaren F1 - heavily criticised the F40 for feeling “like a big go-kart with a plastic body on it”.
All examples were quickly snapped up by buyers and collectors, and despite dividing opinion in those first couple of years the F40 has risen to become one of the most iconic and most desirable sports cars ever made, with examples regularly exceeding £1 million on the rare occasion that they’re sold.
Like a phoenix from the ashes, the technology developed to conquer Group B gave rise to one of the world’s best-loved cars. So, despite the less than obvious connection, the F40 remains not only the greatest Ferrari ever made, but arguably the most enduring and successful product of the Group B era.