Ferrari is radically changing its strategy. The F40, the ultimate model that has been approved by Enzo Ferrari, is a road going car based on the 288 GTO. Its performances are similar to a race car : top speed at 200 mph, 60 mph after 3.9 seconds, 100 mph after 8 seconds.
The commercial success of the F40 is considerable despite a very high price. 1,311 F40 are produced in total from 1987 to 1992. The GT competition does not interest Ferrari any more and customers regret the absence of a racing version of the F40. With the agreement of Ferrari, 18 F40 LM are prepared by Michelotto, a Padua company that had a similar successful experience with the 365 GTB/4 Daytona.
The F40 LM is significantly modified from the basic F40. The chassis is reinforced, the body is more aggressive and several major equipment are modified. Lighter and more powerful, it reaches 229 mph, and 60 mph after 3 seconds.
The 18th and final F40 LM of the regular series, completed in 1993 and titled 1994, was sold for $ 3.3M including premium by RM Sotheby's in August 2015, a remarkable price for a car that had never been used in competition .
The third F40 prototype built in 1987 entered the market in 1992. Its first private owner had it upgraded in LM configuration by Michelotto. Its next owner returned it to Michelotto in 1995 to make it benefit from other improvements introduced by this manufacturer in 1994 under the reference F40 GTE. The car finished 12th overall and 2nd GT at Le Mans in 1995.
That 19th F40 LM by Michelotto is estimated € 4.5M for sale by RM Sotheby's in Paris on February 6, lot 126. The photo shared by Wikimedia was made at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2007.
SOLD for € 4.8M including premium
@rmsothebys Paris sale catalogue is absolute quality. They’ve pulled some great cars into this auction #rmparis #classiccars #ferrari #f40 pic.twitter.com/0Mke4E2xoD
— Peter Haynes (@torqueman) January 16, 2019