1993 Ferrari F40 Berlinetta
Coachwork by Pininfarina
Registration no. K63 JRP
Chassis no. ZFFGJ34B00093779
Engine no. 31221

'The take-up into the next gear is flawless and, with the turbos cranking hard, the blast of acceleration just goes on again and you seem to be in a blur of time conquering distance, gearshifts and noise. It has the tonal quality of an F1 engine, if not the sheer ferocity. From outside, if you stand and listen, you hear the frantic whoosh as the turbos start to drive oh-so-hard.' - Autocar magazine, May 1988.

Introduced in 1988 to celebrate Enzo Ferrari's 40 years as a motor manufacturer, the F40 was the ultimate supercar. A mid-engined, two-seater berlinetta, the F40 was a development of the limited-production 288GTO, and like the latter - but unlike the preceding 308 series - mounted its power unit longitudinally rather than transversely. A four-cam 3-litre V8 with four valves per cylinder, the F40 engine employed twin IHI turbochargers to liberate 478bhp (approximately 352kW) at 7,000rpm. For the seriously speed-addicted, this could be boosted by 200bhp by means of a factory tuning kit.

Of equal, if not greater, technical interest was the method of body/chassis construction, the F40 drawing on Ferrari's Formula 1 experience in its use of composite technology. A one-piece plastic moulding, the body was bonded to the tubular steel chassis to create a lightweight structure of immense rigidity. The doors, bonnet, boot lid and other removable panels were carbon fibre. Pugnaciously styled by Pininfarina, the F40 incorporated the latest aerodynamic aids in the form of a dam-shaped nose and high rear aerofoil. Despite the need to generate considerable downforce - and with a top speed of 201mph, higher than the take-off speed of many light aircraft, the F40 needed all the downforce it could get - the result was a commendably low drag coefficient of just 0.34. The F40's interior re-enforced its image as a thinly disguised race-car, with body-contoured seats, an absence of carpeting and trim, and sliding Plexiglas windows. When it came to actual competition, race-prepared F40s more than held their own and in the Global GT series proved quicker on many circuits than McLaren's F1 GTR.

Autocar concluded its test thus: 'on a smooth road it is a scintillatingly fast car that is docile and charming in its nature; a car that is demanding but not difficult to drive, blessed as it is with massive grip and, even more importantly, superb balance and manners. You can use its performance - the closest any production carmaker has yet come to race car levels - and revel in it. ...there's little doubt it is the very personification of the term sports car.' Even today the F40 has the power to impress. Reacquainting himself with the F40, F50 and Enzo Ferraris for Octane magazine (July 2014 edition) racing driver Mark Hales declared: 'The F40 is for me, the special one. Not just because I have spent so much time in them, but because it was such an explosive, other-worldly creation when it first appeared, and it still retains much of that character.' Enough said.

This particular F40 was first registered on 11th February 1993 to Giuseppe Carlo Castellano of Orlando, Florida, USA. However, it should be noted that this car was built to European specification and has never left Europe. '93779' has the Perspex sliding windows option, no catalytic converters and non-adjustable suspension, and has been fitted with a Tubi sports exhaust (original available). The accompanying service history testifies to regular maintenance by recognised European specialists.

In 2004 the F40 came to the UK and was registered here. Its first UK owner subsequently sold the Ferrari to Nick Cartwright Specialist Cars in May 2012 and the car remained in storage until its sale to the current vendor. Nick Cartwright replaced the cam belts in 2013 and the fuel cells in 2014 (bill on file). Presented in immaculate condition, this little used F40 is offered with a V5C document and the all-important Ferrari Classiche certification.