After 2 hours with my new F40

Your car is awesome! I love it. But according to the Ferrari guys here they wont be impressed with the car being fast, or that it gets alot of attention. According to them, thats not what Ferraris are all about.

According to me... it is!

Awesome car! Post pics.

 

Sounds like an absolute blast!

Since the rearview is such a pain you can grab some of those small blind spot mirrors to add to your sideviews for about $15.

As for being inconspicuous, I guess those days are over!

Enjoy

 

Im incredibly jealous. I will probally never get to have your experience.

 

Great post Steve. Don't know about #6, though. They're all chick magnets...admittedly, some more than others. You've probably got one of the more potent Ferrari aphrodisiacs.

 

F40 is a real nice machine been my favorite for years. Whats wrong with the brakes. ? I hear the Brembos on the F40 are really nice.

 

Yes, it DOES make wicked cool noises. I have spent alot of co-piloti time in a friend's F40 down here in Cali. I had the same feelings you describe when I drove it, particularly how it seems VERY difficult to drive smoothly (razor thin clutch) and how humbling it can make one who normally feels very "at home" in exotics.
What an absolute delight for the ears though. A violent symphony!

My friend's car had no cats running into a TUBI and it was AWESOME.

Enjoy Steve! Well done.

 

Steve

Congrats on the car!

However I am more impressed with the house the TR is parked in front of! That is a Palace! My year I spent in WA, I never SAW anything like that!!!

 

Congrats!

In responce to a few of your concerns, I beleive the fuel tank was 120 liters, (around 26 gallons) 10 gallon's doesn't sound right, you sure it was empty, and sure you filled it? Perhaps the fuel gauge, is not working properly on one end.
As for driving smoothly, the car pretty much has well matched turbos and gearing, so it's either treat your right foot like your life, or try to keep the load off the turbo's by driving like your 80 years old. A light foot will take you a long way. Remember, the real acceleration is always just a downshift away.
Lastly, of course the noise. The turbo's themselves muffle the vibrations and pulses from the exhaust (basically the noise). If your state won't notice, removing cats and mufflers will be your best source of noise, yet will remain fairly quiet when you aren't pounding on the throttle. Turbo's are great aren't they? I think Jeremy Clarkson summed it up pretty nicely in his test drive of the Noble M12 (another rear engined twin turbo sportscar), "It's like having Darth Vader in the boot".
Take care and don't run with scissors,
CS

 

the F40 is my favoriate car, i just love how raw and unhindered it is, unlike something like the enzo. its definately a car that you will get noticed in and take care driving it...im so envious right now


oh yea, and make sure that you drive it a lot and enjoy it when you have it, unlike that F40 LM thats for sale with 60 miles...

 

NOW THAT IS A FERRARI!!!!

Congrats on your purchase and enjoy it!! man I wish I was in your shoes to be able to afford such an awsome car. To bad they anit street legal here in Canada for another couple of years,

 

Congrats Steve,

You must be bery happy and thrilled to have an F40 now. It's one of my dream cars yet to come. I hope to see you out driving sometime... I've yet to see an F40 on the road here, only an F50 being put into Park Place LTD's showroom while the guy was having his house remodeled.

I'm out here on Tiger Mountain, I think I have an idea of the area you live although I won't mention for privacy reasons. If you're by my way give a holler, I'd love to see her :]

Any plans to take her out to some local tracks like PIR? Also, post some pics of her! An F40 is never an old face!

 

Congratulations!!
F40 is purest, rawest, and most amazing non-12 Ferrari ever. Really still knocks me out, where F50, Enzo are just nice cars. Lots of brake upgrades out there, tires too. I always wanted to put 5valve heads on a 3.6 and stuff it back there, but I need to scare myself $hitty with a stock one first. And I'd have to go non-red, 'cuz I'd be arrested in a red one
Enjoy it. Pics when you get 'em
FWIW
Lee

 

Congrats! and great post...put a smile on my face just to read it.

 

Steve,

It's great to have you on this site! Congrats on the new purchase!

You really need to come out and drive with us club regulars sometimes.

Willis

 

just reading your review put a smile on my face. that's an awesome car to own. great purchase.

 

FOFLMAO!!!!

#1 Yep. Cruise down the interstate in 4th gear at 70mph. Push the pedal on the right 3/4 to the floor. Hang on. When your hear the whrrrrrr , look down at the speedo, should be about 150........ Enjoy

#2 The LM brakes will put you into the windshield

#3 The side mirors work fine. Adjust them out so you can't see the sides of the car. BEWARE of people following you in your blind spot on the right!!

#4 Interesting. I drove mine from Washington to So Cal. and everyone in Washington wanted a piece of it. Girls posed by it and had their pictures taken when we stopped for gas. Oregon was kinda dead. One guy thought it was a Pantera. Every adolesent boy will hang out of the car they are in to tell you "You rock!" One guy yelled across his girlfriend to tell me he loved me.....

#5 It will show about empty when it is down 10 gallons. It holds 32. When the light on the gauge comes on you have 5 gallons left.

#6 I pulled up to a stop sign here in Newport and a 20 something Girl in a BMW's tongue fell out. Really. Cracked me up.

#7 As soon as you hear the turbos, 4500, shift.

#8 Not sure about getting behind. At least you have the 18" wheels so you can upgrade to the LM's. The stock brakes shouldn't be that bad. If the pedal is not firm, You might try and bleed them.

#9 I would think Tubis with Cats should be just about right.....

#10 Laguna sound like fun. You REALLY need a track with lots of run off... When the boost comes on in a corner, start driving!!!!

Rick

 

I have to say the same. Thanks mucho for your personal impressions. Those are the kind that I like to hear!

 

Lee,
Have you ever looked into what it would take to do this? Will the trans bolt up to the block, etc?

Rick

 

Michelotto has the bits, Rick, based on the info I have. Keep orig motor and build a play motor? Naaaaah

 

Im with you!!! Just give me some dates. I will cover gas

 

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

 

Cool Steve! Look forward to seeing the F40 on the road around here this summer. When we get a few nice days in a row, bring it up to the Redhook Brewery and I'll buy you lunch there. I've always wanted to look under the bonnet of an F40.

 

The brakes on F40's are very, very good, once you get them up to temperature. If it still has stock pads, it will take a lot of pedal pressure to stop the car for the first few stops. Once the brakes are warm, get it up to 100mph or so and then stand on the brakes, I think that you will be impressed with the braking power. The stock pads also tend to squeal under light brake application.
I have had good luck using Porterfield replacement pads, for street use I would recommend the R4-S compound, they stop much better cold and don't squeal as much as stock. I am sure other people on this forum have other good alternative suggestions (Ferodo, etc).

F40's are a blast, you feel like you are driving a giant slot car.
Have fun!

Brian Brown
Patrick Ottis Company
Berkeley, CA

 

Steve,

Congratulation & a wonderful post!
After a long while this is (to me) the first ferrarichat.com post which makes me smile. I wish I could read more of this post.