Ferrari F40: The Rawest and Most Legendary Prancing Horse

Raw Legend - There are some cars that don’t just exist as machines, but as legends that carry a story bigger than their own horsepower numbers. One of those legends is the Ferrari F40. Born in the late 1980s, this car was never just about speed or design—it was about marking a milestone in Ferrari’s history, a celebration of 40 years since Enzo Ferrari founded the brand. What makes it fascinating is how raw and unapologetic it is, especially compared to the safety-packed, technology-heavy supercars we see today.

The Ferrari F40 unveiled in 1987—looked like a spaceship that had just landed from the racetrack with styling influences drawn from the Ferrari 308 GT/M IMSA racer. (Picture from: PermaisuriBan)

Unveiled in 1987, the F40—internally known as Type F120—looked like a spaceship that had just landed from the racetrack, with styling influences drawn from the Ferrari 308 GT/M IMSA racer. Serving as the successor to the 288 GTO, also engineered by Nicola Materazzi, it was created to mark Ferrari’s 40th anniversary and became the final model personally approved by Enzo Ferrari himself.  

The Ferrari F40 serving as the successor to the 288 GTO, also engineered by Nicola Materazzi, it was created to mark Ferrari’s 40th anniversary and became the final model personally approved by Enzo Ferrari himself. (Picture from: Wikipedia)

It wasn’t designed to spoil drivers with modern comforts—instead, it stripped everything down to the essentials and put pure performance front and center. Safety features we take for granted today, like ABS brakes or traction control, were nowhere to be found. The F40 came only with a 5-speed manual transmission, demanding complete concentration from whoever sat behind the wheel. That raw, uncompromising character is exactly what made it a dream machine for enthusiasts—driving it was never about convenience, but about the adrenaline rush of mastering it. 

The Ferrari F40, styled by Leonardo Fioravanti of Pininfarina, combined advanced composite materials for lightness and strength with a design that was as functional as it was beautiful. (Picture from: Motortrend)

Under the hood, Ferrari equipped the F40 with a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8. It wasn’t just any engine—it was a reimagined version of the powerhouse found in the Ferrari 288 GTO. The engineers at Maranello pushed it to its limits, squeezing out 478 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and an impressive 574 Nm of torque at 4,500 rpm. Numbers like these allowed the car to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.8 seconds, a figure that still feels sharp even by today’s standards. At the time, it was mind-blowing, making the F40 not just a fast car of the 1980s, but a benchmark for performance in the decades that followed. 

The Ferrari F40 was one of the first supercars to have a 'stripped out' interior in order to maximise weight savings and achieve ultimate performance. (Picture from: Motortrend)

Every part of the F40 was designed with intention. Its wheels were unusually wide for the era, measuring 245/40R17 in the front and 335/35R17 at the back. Inspired by Formula 1 technology, Ferrari gave the car a single-bolt wheel system for quicker changes. Its suspension was equally performance-oriented: an independent tubular setup combined with a strong anti-roll bar. Braking, however, was completely old-school. Brembo disc brakes were fitted, but without servo-assist. Each axle had its own system, reminding the driver that control was entirely in their hands.

The Ferrari F40 powered by a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 for squeezing out 478 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and an impressive 574 Nm of torque at 4,500 rpm. (Picture from: Motortrend)

The F40’s creator, Leonardo Fioravanti from Pininfarina, ensured that the car’s design wasn’t only functional but strikingly beautiful. The body was built from advanced composite materials, reducing weight while maintaining strength. The shape was engineered for aerodynamics—long, flat, and flowing, with that massive rear wing sealing its identity as a true supercar. When Enzo Ferrari himself revealed the car, the world saw not just a vehicle, but what many still consider the purest Ferrari ever made. 

The Ferrari F40 production ended in 1992, with 1,315 cars had rolled out of Maranello, that number made it the most-produced Ferrari supercar of its time, which is remarkable considering its exclusivity and performance focus. (Picture from: PermaisuriBan)

Back then, owning one wasn’t cheap. Its price hovered around $1.2 million or the equivalent of nearly Rp 21 billion today, but that didn’t stop buyers from lining up. Demand was so high that Ferrari ended up producing far more units than originally planned. By the time production ended in 1992, 1,315 cars had rolled out of Maranello. That number made it the most-produced Ferrari supercar of its time, which is remarkable considering its exclusivity and performance focus. | 5vTtwSb1Ais |

Today, almost four decades later, the Ferrari F40 hasn’t lost any of its magic. It remains a symbol of a different era in car culture, when analog driving and raw engineering created machines that demanded respect. For collectors and enthusiasts alike, the F40 is more than just a Ferrari—it’s a piece of history, a car that captured the spirit of its time and continues to inspire passion across generations. And perhaps that’s the most powerful thing about it: even in a world full of advanced hybrid hypercars, the F40 still stands tall as a timeless icon. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | MOTORTREND | CARSIGHTING IN X ]

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