USA F40 SPECIFICATION... | FerrariChat
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USA F40 SPECIFICATION...

Discussion in '288GTO/F40/F50/Enzo/LaFerrari/F80' started by joe sackey, May 15, 2007.

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  1. joe sackey

    joe sackey Five Time F1 World Champ

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    #1 joe sackey, May 15, 2007
    Ive read varying reports of the specification for the 212-odd USA F40s as manufactured by Ferrari. Seems to me that they are a series unto themselves.
    Im wondering about the disposition of the engine and how much real bhp the USA units put out (Ive read 478bhp and Ive read 515bhp) and how much the USA cars weigh - all of this versus the European cars. What are the differences?

    F40 scholars?

    Joe
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  2. amenasce

    amenasce Three Time F1 World Champ
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    #2 amenasce, May 15, 2007
    I read they are +/- 100 kgs heavier than the Euro cars.
     
  3. joe sackey

    joe sackey Five Time F1 World Champ

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    #3 joe sackey, May 15, 2007
    That makes sense with the added body strengthening etc.

    I wonder about the engine's disposition though...

    Joe
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  4. SSNISTR

    SSNISTR F1 Veteran

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    #4 SSNISTR, May 15, 2007
    As far as I know they are all rated at 478 BHP.
     
  5. joe sackey

    joe sackey Five Time F1 World Champ

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    #5 joe sackey, May 15, 2007
    I have definately read in a Dean Batchelor publication that the USA cars had 515 bhp in order to get them to operate correctly with the neccesary emissions controls. I read that again in a Forza publication, later.

    Thats why Im seeking clarification for or against...

    Joe
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  6. carsinxs

    carsinxs Formula Junior

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    #6 carsinxs, May 15, 2007
     
  7. joe sackey

    joe sackey Five Time F1 World Champ

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    #7 joe sackey, May 15, 2007
     
  8. writerguy

    writerguy F1 Veteran

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    #8 writerguy, May 16, 2007
    If memory serves me the engine output etc were exactly the same with the major differences being the added weight to bolster the rear bumpers and other safety stuff. It ended up weighing more even though most if not all USA spec cars didn't have the adjustable front suspension the Euro cars did.

    Pretty sure the only other USA spec was (now don't kill me on this) but didn't they slightly de tune the engine management so it could be a 50 state car? the California Emission regulations I don't think had changed when they were being introduced but....

    Kind of like right Now RUF's are 49 state cars and can't be imported to Cali unless they have something like 7k on the speedo...
     
  9. joe sackey

    joe sackey Five Time F1 World Champ

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    #9 joe sackey, May 16, 2007
    Thanks for that.
    I find definitive information is hard to come by.
    Joe
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  10. Tenney

    Tenney F1 Rookie
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    #10 Tenney, May 16, 2007
    Per R&T on Ferrari ('91)/Martin Peters ...

    "Overall, U.S.-specification cars are about 250lb heavier than their European counterparts."

    "Despite the converters and specified unleaded fuel, the engine is healthier than it was in original trim, according to Ferrari officials in the U.S. While the official horsepower rating for the U.S. cars is the same as that of the first European ones (478bhp), the U.S. cars are said to be generating as much as 515 horsepower on the dynamometer. In fine-tuning the fuel injection for cleaner burning, the engineers found some extra power."
     
  11. carsinxs

    carsinxs Formula Junior

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    #11 carsinxs, May 16, 2007
     
  12. TexasMike

    TexasMike F1 World Champ

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    #12 TexasMike, May 16, 2007
    My friend's F40 was put on a dyno and it was 495bhp but it has larger turbos.
     
  13. Widebody350

    Widebody350 Karting

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    #13 Widebody350, May 16, 2007
    The car or engine was put on the dyno? If the car was put on the dyno that would be whp and if it was the engine alone, it would be bhp. Also, do you know why kind of dyno?
     
  14. joe sackey

    joe sackey Five Time F1 World Champ

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    #14 joe sackey, May 16, 2007
     
  15. joe sackey

    joe sackey Five Time F1 World Champ

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    #15 joe sackey, May 16, 2007
    Thankyou! This is what Im referring to... I have also heard that the extra hp was on account of setting up the engine to take all the emission controls.

    Joe
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  16. joe sackey

    joe sackey Five Time F1 World Champ

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    #16 joe sackey, May 16, 2007
    Per Dean Batchelor in the Fourth Edition of the Ferrari Buyer's Guide:

    "It took 2 years and nearly $11 million to certify the (USA) cars....Ferrari fitted and aluminum fuel tank protected within a second box (skin)....side impact protection and federalized front and rear bumpers added about 100 pounds to the US cars...in meeting the 50-state emissions standards on the F40, the catalyst-equipped engines actually made closer to 500 horsepower than 478 because of all the work done for certification. A great deal of the engine management technology (for the USA cars) came from the Formula One engines"

    The purpose of this thread is to solicit independent confirmation of the above. I have seen it quoted in 2 specific presumably well-researched Ferrari sources that the USA cars had optimum engine outputs of 515 bhp. Where does that number come from? And can anyone corroborate or expand on this?

    Joe
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  17. Scuderia-San-Antonio

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    #17 Scuderia-San-Antonio, May 16, 2007
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  18. joe sackey

    joe sackey Five Time F1 World Champ

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    #18 joe sackey, May 16, 2007
  19. Scuderia-San-Antonio

    Scuderia-San-Antonio Formula 3

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    #19 Scuderia-San-Antonio, May 16, 2007
    I was really referring to Mike's comment, but back to topic...

    My car is a US model (June 1991) with LM turbos, Tubi LM, etc. Figuring parasitic loss at 20%, 515bhp might not be too far off as a starting point. I am not real sure what the mods exactly add to the equation.

    I was always under impression the 478 figure was the starting point, but who knows. I could imagine that there is a wide disparity on the car's performance according to production dates and use that they have seen.


    Also, I thought the US number was 213?
     
  20. carsinxs

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    #20 carsinxs, May 16, 2007
     
  21. joe sackey

    joe sackey Five Time F1 World Champ

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    #21 joe sackey, May 16, 2007
    Yes I think you are correct, 213 built. Marcel Massini will know for sure.

    So far this thread establishes why I started it. Definitive information about the specification of USA F40s is not easy to pin down. i know all the USA cars would be fairly close in spec...


    Joe
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  22. joe sackey

    joe sackey Five Time F1 World Champ

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    #22 joe sackey, May 16, 2007
    The thread is about the USA F40's original specification, not how much it might have chaged over the years or whether or not you or I can "feel" the difference between 478 and 515 bhp....Id actually venture to say that in a car of that calibre, I WOULD feel the difference if my engine suddenly dropped 37 bhp!
    Again, USA production cars as manufactured by Ferrari are pretty standardized and similar so we can allow for one car at 510 bhp and another at 515 bhp for example, but the variance would have been pretty minor.

    I am looking for information, as this thread suggests. Why? Because knowlege is a good thing...

    Was the SV worth the trade? Well an SV is still in my garage to this day. I absolutely love it.

    Joe
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  23. SSNISTR

    SSNISTR F1 Veteran

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    #23 SSNISTR, May 16, 2007
    That's RWHP, so it would be alot more if you were talking about it at the flywheel. Impressive though, that would be about (at the flywheel) 575 HP!
     
  24. SSNISTR

    SSNISTR F1 Veteran

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    #24 SSNISTR, May 16, 2007
    Even if the US cars "secretly" had a few more ponies, it was just to offset the differences. So the performance would basically be the same. Many newer cars do the same to offset all the US spec weight adders/emissions.

    They kept it "secret" so they would not have to certify another engine that was 99.9% the same.
     
  25. WCH

    WCH F1 Veteran
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    #25 WCH, May 16, 2007
    I'm not sure what constitutes "definitive." I assume the owners' manual answers the questions, but ... definitively?
     
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