F40-first hand driving experience???

It scares me when I look on WreckedExotics, the amount of F 40s on there. Leads you to believe some owners just cant keep the beast tame..

 

An F40 is a very primitive and unsophisticated road/race car which will punish you mercilessly if you let it. The power is too much for the rather simple chassis and suspension, the brakes are either cold (and do not work) or, if on a track, they are too hot (and do not work), the gearbox is heavy and clumsy, the shockers are brutally hard and will crash into every pothole, the noise and lack of comfort makes it an entirely short-distance car, and the steering darts and pulls into every ridge on the road.

It's a very misleading car, it will do 120mph just like that, when your brain is still at 60mph, and it is thought that at least half of the ones in Europe have been crashed at one stage or the other.

HAVING SAID ALL THAT I think that the F40 is the most fantastic, dramatic and sexiest Ferrari ever made ! It is brutal and a real man's car, satisfying like no other, and certainly the very pinnacle of the overpowered underchassied supercars. The F50 and Enzo are real Wendy cars by comparison.

 

I absolutely agree with Rossobadger about the F40. I thought long and hard about one instead of the Murcielago, but it is an animal and requires a lot of concentration to drive especially in the wet where its literally lethal. It just would'nt have been able to cope with the mileage I do, but all the same I would love one. Have been in a couple and the accelaration made me feel ill. In the Murci its still savage but much smoother and constant whereas the F40 is neck snapping. Mind you I say the F40 is one of very few cars that beats the Murcie on looks - especially from the back

 

I've had significant seat time in the F40.

Firstly I don't think it's particularly uncomfortable to drive, it's worse for the passenger as his/her seating position is a bit more skewed inward.
Yes it IS deadly in the wet (all high powered 2wd cars are) but in the dry, despite the basic suspension it does have good traction.
The good thing is that when off boost, it is basically a 308QV , so it's also PERFECTLY tractable at sensible speeds. It doesn't overheat/foul it's plugs or have hicupping FI (I trawled them through London on plenty of occasions and they never misbehave). The clutch is a little heavy and on/off but other than that they are doddle to drive around.
It is LAIRY but it's not THAT much of a beast. Provided that you don't arrive mid corner just about to develop maximum boost it actually handles quite predictably that is to say that *in my experience* it does not "momentum oversteer" (like the Murcielago ) The brakes are shocking that's definitely true but it's no more a beast than say a 996 GT2.
I don't like PAS so I think the steering is great. Let's you know EXACTLY how fast you are going - IMO it doesn't disguise at all.... because it's so raw.
You get a strong feeling of it being a very lightweight car. The nose bobs around all over the place but it does feel quite planted at high speed. Not all that noisy without a Tubi.
The ULTIMATE car for getting people out of your way on motorways etc....

Eminently tuneable - dump the brakes/turbos/intercoolers/ECUs/wing/hood for LM variants and you'll have something which will honestly LEAVE an Enzo. i've driven one with 600hp and that WAS an animal - it would try and spin around in a straight line.
Stories - even in stock guise - at certain points in the MPH range like 60 - 90 (can't remember) it is STILL quicker than the McLaren F1.....
Someone I know has "police camera action" style footage of being tailed from an unmarked cop car (F40 driver didn't know he was being followed at the time) - the cop car's speedo reads 150mph and is wrung out... last reading they get of the F40 is 172mph as it absolutely leaves the cops for dust flying into the distance.
Only reason I couldn't consider one is because I don't fancy spending £40K on a new hood in the even of a prang.

 

The Public demands this video for national security reasons !!!!We need it !!

 

So does anyone on here actually own one?

 

My quote from this thread :-

http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?p=134660267#post134660267

And his profile with pic of the gorgeous beast:-

http://ferrarichat.com/forum/member.php?userid=1740

 

Looking at that sends me all tingly and confuses my endorphines

Thanks for posting the link

 

I just crashed mine this Friday, I think it will cost me some big bucks, the car was cold and the brakes just didn't do it.

F40 is not made for a quick run, I learned it the hard way.

 

Manny,
that's awful Were you on the road or track?
Tony

 

I thought you did ?

 

Ouch, hope you got out Ok

 

Sad to hear that mate.

But look at the bright side, nows the time for that upgrade you've always promised yourself

2 weeks after that post, i did