A
Ferrari F40 prototype with a unique history which
started life as the showcar at the Frankfurt IAA in 1987
and which went on to become one of seven examples
upgraded to GT racing specification by Michelotto, will
be the focus of attention at RM Auction's Monaco sale
next month.This
auction-bound car, chassis no: ZFFGJ34B000074047, was
one of about eight F40 prototypes and became one of
seven cars upgraded to F40 GT specification by
factory-appointed tuner Michelotto. It built up a
successful racing pedigree including second place
overall in the Italian GT Championship. This F40
Prototype/GT also comes with Ferrari Classiche
attestation and full build sheets from Michelotto as
well as having had the honour of starting its varied
life off as the Frankfurt Motor Show car in 2007. RM
have tipped it to fetch between 700,000 and 900,000
euros when it goes under the hammer on May 12.
With its ferocious performance and scintillating
aerodynamic styling, Ferrari’s F40 has often been called
the greatest supercar ever built. The model recalled
Maranello’s revered tradition of sport/racing cars
during the 1950s and early 1960s, conceived as a
race-ready Ferrari that could be driven to the track
with the manners of a road car. Claiming the distinction
as the last model engineered under Enzo Ferrari’s
leadership, the appropriately named F40 commemorated
four decades of Ferrari production.
Ferrari took a two-pronged approach in its development
of the F40, announcing on 16 July1986 that Pininfarina
would be responsible for the car’s body design. Ferrari
Engineering, the company’s advanced studies department,
was responsible for the mechanical foundations, which
were based on a competition-intended version of the
twin-turbocharged 288 GTO model that never campaigned
due to racing rule changes. Increasing the GTO engine’s
displacement to 2,936 cc, Ferrari’s engineers managed to
squeeze 478 bhp from the V-8, which in combination with
a low body weight gained from extensive use of carbon
fibre and Plexiglas, delivered speeds in excess of 200
mph.
Not long after the F40’s official début at a July, 1987
press conference in Maranello, discussions of a special
competition-prepared version emerged, and the necessary
tuning and modifications were entrusted to Giuliano
Michelotto, whose work on the Lancia Stratos rally cars
and the Ferrari 308 IMSA cars had earned him due praise.
Michelotto’s conversions of several stock F40 examples
into so-called F40 GT specifications were then sold by
the factory to privateer racers. The GT modifications,
which employed an even lighter body by the renowned
restorer Dino Cognolato, proved to be a forerunner to
more purpose-built racing versions, such as the F40 LM
and the F40 LM Evolution.
This extremely rare F40 Prototype/GT combines a number
of unusual distinctions to result in highly desirable
provenance. This car is the sixth of approximately just
eight F40 prototypes that were used by the factory for
testing, each with an individual purpose or application.
There is a strong likelihood that 74047 is the prototype
that was used primarily for press conferences and
display at public events, as it was exhibited at the
1987 Frankfurt Motor Show on the stand of Auto Becker,
an official German importer of Ferraris. A month later,
the car was spotted at the Ferrari Club Italia meeting
in Imola. Original Michelotto build sheets indicate that
74047 was upgraded prior to its public displays,
receiving extensive GT modifications between May and
July of 1987, where it was, in fact, referred to as an
F40 LM. For the first years of its life, 74047 was owned
and registered by Ferrari SpA on Modena number plates.
In 1991, 74047 returned to Michelotto for further
race-oriented improvements, and the car is believed to
be the first of seven F40 examples to receive such
conversions. These modifications included lowering the
ride height by five centimetres, tuning the engine for
an increase to approximately 590 bhp, upgrading the
Brembo brakes, installing a racing uniball suspension, a
quick-fill fuel system, extra NACA cooling ducts, a fire
system and wider Speedline wheels. Original Michelotto
invoices reflecting the exact modifications are included
with the car’s documentation, significantly enriching
the strength of the car’s recorded history.
Following GT conversions, 74047 was sold to Luca Sartori,
an Italian private racer who campaigned the car in the
début 1992 season of the newly formed Gran Criterium
Supercar GT series. 74047 took the checkered flag twice
and placed 2nd six times during the 1992 season,
resulting in an impressive 2nd place overall season
finish. In preparation for the 1993 season, this F40 GT
returned to Michelotto for further upgrades to remain
competitive under new C.S.A.I. GT specifications.
Repainted in Ferrari Club Italia colours and campaigned
again in the Criterium, now renamed the Italian Supercar
GT Championship, 74047 finished 2nd three times. A year
later, in the same series and finished in white with
ToTip livery, the car placed 1st twice, with two more
2nd place finishes.
74047 was subsequently acquired by a renowned collector
in Milan and has since been sparingly driven and
dutifully maintained. Now offered in its ToTip racing
livery and benefitting from a comprehensive check by
leading Ferrari dealership in Milan, Rossocorsa, it is a
faithful reminder of its most successful competition
campaign. This extraordinary F40 Prototype has recently
received attestation from Ferrari Classiche, including a
comprehensive white binder of factory-certified,
point-by-point evaluations, confirmation that it retains
its original engine as well as its racing career.
From the extreme rarity of its identity as an F40
prototype and one of very few officially upgraded F40 GT
specification cars, as well as its documented and highly
successful racing history and display at the 1987
Frankfurt Motor show, this beautifully presented and
blisteringly fast F40 Prototype/GT is one of the most
desirable examples of the celebrated supercar ever
offered for sale.
Technical
Specifications: 590 bhp, 2,936 cc dual overhead camshaft
twin-turbocharged V-8 engine, five-speed manual gearbox,
independent front and rear double-wishbone suspension,
and four-wheel vented Brembo disc brakes. Wheelbase:
2,450 mm (96.5").