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The 1988-1992 Ferrari F40 was the last car introduced and commissioned by Enzo Ferrari himself. Its introduction and its name coincided with Ferrari's 40th anniversary as an automobile constructor. The car was a celebration of the marque and the man seeking to safely provide owners with a race car for the street, embodying all the finest elements of 1987 automotive engineering. The F40 was to a large extent an evolution of the GTO in both form and concept. Though not designed for a particular racing series, it was a car that could be driven to a track and raced competitively at a professional level. It was a leap forward from the GTO in aerodynamic, structural, and performance terms. As befitted a car designed with such dynamic purpose, it had a somewhat spartan interior: the focus was unification of man and machine, combining for awesome acceleration, handling, speed, and presence
Specifications
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Dimensions | |
Length | 173.2 in |
Width | 77.6 in |
Height | 44.3 in |
Wheelbase | 96.5 in |
Front track | 62.8 in |
Rear track | 63.2 in |
Weight (Dry) | 2976 lbs |
Front Brakes | 13.1" Ventilated discs, four piston calipers |
Wheels front | 8 x 17 |
Wheels rear | 10 x 17 |
Tires front | 245/40 ZR 17 or 235/45 ZR 17 |
Tires rear | 335/35 ZR 17 |
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90° alloy Twin Turbocharged V8 mounted longitudinally rear amidship | |
Dual Overhead Camshafts, Four valves per cylinder | |
Displacement | 2936cc |
Bore & Stroke | 81.9mm x 69.5mm |
Compression | 7.7:1 |
Turbochargers | IHI |
Intercoolers | Behr |
Fuel Delivery | EFI |
Fuel System | Weber-Marelli |
Ignition | Weber-Marelli |
Maximum Power | 478bhp @ 7000 rpm |
Maximum Torque | 424lb-ft @ 4500 rpm |
Specific Output | 163 bhp / liter |
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0-60mph | 4.5 s. |
Top Speed | 201 mph |
1/4 mile | 11.7s @ 127mph |
July 24 1987 - Enzo Ferrari, in a ceremony commemorating his company's fortieth year, unveiled the Ferrari F40 at the factory in Maranello, Italy. Speaking through an interpreter during the ceremony, the eighty-nine-year-old Ferrari announced, "A little more than a year ago, I expressed my wish to the engineers. Build a car to be the best in the world. And now the car is here." Ferrari's engineers had designed the F40 to be the fastest road vehicle ever built. They viewed the Porsche 959 as their major competition, but while the Porsche was equipped with luxury amenities, the F40 was to be all nuts and bolts. Every spoiler on the F40 played a vital role in keeping the car on the ground at speed; every vent was essential to keep the brakes and engine cool. The F40 came with no floor mats, no stereo, no power locks or windows. Its only frill was a vanity window displaying its massive V-8 engine but this too was a part of the remarkably light composite body, molded of plastic, ceramic, and metal. The result of Ferrari's vision was the ultimate road vehicle for the ambitious driver. While the car had no electronic braking system, it was capable of 0-60 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds and could hold a top speed of 201 miles per hour, making the F40 the first production sports car to top the 200 mile per hour barrier. Like all of Ferrari's great cars, the F40 has enjoyed a successful career in sports car racing around the world.
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