Are F40's this cheap in the USA?

Hi,

I'm a new member here. I've been reading this site for months, but have only just signed up. I've been considering buying my first Ferrari and am tempted by the F40.

I saw this

"The initial pricetag of this car was about 415,000 US dollars.....Today these cars can be bought used from about 56K and up. "

This is on http://www.ferrari-forsale.com/F40

Is that true, are F40's so cheap in the US? (I'm in England.)

Jas

 

Jas - if you're serious about an F40 look at the one mentioned by 44iou in the Australia thread http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43474 and/or http://www.ferrariownersclub.co.uk/sales/sales.asp

And no as far as I know they have never been below about UK£ 150 000 - or above £ 1 500 000 for that matter

 

The only way you will ever get an F40 in the US for $56k US is if it was in a fire or if its disassembled in boxes after an accident.

$256k is a lot more realistic as a low price

 

Hi Jas and firstly welcome to Fchat.

Repeat after me 'Never believe everything you read on the internet'!!

Next to the article you have correctly quoted is this ad:-



[size=+1]NIGEL MANSELL's 1989 Ferrari F40 - Paris, France[/size]

Chassis #80022

Without doubt a very important Ferrari showing... a prestigious history. This Ferrari was originally supplied as a present from Enzo Ferrari to Formula One world champion Nigel Mansell.

With Chassis #80022, this F40, is finished with the original paint "as new", in the timeless Rosso Corsa with tan leather seats (on the request of Nigel Mansell himself). Only 3 owners from new and superbly maintained. Coming with full service book, wallet and tools, 21,500 km ( Kilometer Converter ) on the clock fully serviced in November 2003 by Ferrari specialists including all engine upper part, cylinder head, valves, pumps, camblets, clutch, joints, 4 brand new Pirelli tires and fuel tanks replaced. Full documented history, Tubi Style exhaust system recently fitted. Located in Paris, France and immediately available for 245,000 EUR. All European taxes paid. We have several F40s and other Ferrari models in stock.

At FA Automobile, we can organize shipping worldwide at very competitive rates. In case you are from the USA, we can also provide all necessary contacts of the official registered importers.

Please contact Laurent Auxietre at FA Automobile for more information:

FA Automobile - SA
fa-automobile.com
70 Av. Kleber
75116 Paris - France



245,000.00 EUR = 168,229.26 GBP

 

Thanks for the info. Makes sense, as the article's 56k figure looked odd.

I'm serious about buying a Ferrari. The question is which one, and the F40 attracts me for its looks.

The question will be how it drives though. For reference I currently drive a very customised Lotus, and would keep that car alongside the Ferrari.

Jas

 

I've never heard of anyone buying an F40 just for its looks. Perhaps because it is the ultimate, raw, close as yer gonna get to a race car, must have, craziest modern Fcar. Perahps I'm being a bit hard here, but your post sounds a little naive. What sort of very customised Lotus do you have?
Oh and welcome to Fchat

 

The F40 looks great from the outside, Inside it looks VERY FIAT with some carbon fiber on the floors & doors, The headliner, dash, & center tunnel are nothing to write home about. The F50 interior is much nicer, then again so is the 512TR interior

 

My first Ferrari was an F40. I love it. I am about to finish up the new motor.....
Hey, you can never really have enough power

Rick

 

Rick, I'll be in Huntington Beach Monday 7th till Friday 11th to do a TV show. See if you can get in touch with me.970/231-3675
Roland
F40LM

 

"F40" and "cheap" do not belong in the same sentence together.

 

Yes, no doubt naive, but you've got to start somewhere. My initial thoughts on a first Ferrari are to go for the F40. Looks is one part of it, although I actually prefer the Enzo's looks. But, the Enzo is out of my price league

There are other reasons too. It's the rawness of the F40 that appeals. I don't want a soft Ferrari.

I drove the 355 when I chose the Lotus over it. I was singularly unimpressed by the F355's softness and lack of sensory feedback to the driver.

The 360, I simply find visually too plain so I've never even driven it. It looks like a jellymould.

Jas

 

Sorry, forgot to mention the Lotus.

It's a series 2 Elise, that was modified by the factory's Motorsport division and Turbo Technics.

It's had a *lot* of work done on it, but primarily revised suspension, brakes, wheels and tyres. The engine has been heavily modified too, with the addition of a supercharger, two oil coolers and an intercooler.

The end result is 330bhp per ton in a car geared for a top speed of 145mph.

Hence extremely rapid acceleration to max speed, and extremely high cornering capability.

I've spent almost the price of the car again, with the work done on it.

Jas

 

Interiors are not an issue. Weight reduction is everything, coming from the world of Lotus.

A Lotus is pretty bare inside too. (Not the American ones, but the initial British ones were bare, and were also 300-400Lb lighter than the American Elise.)

Jas

 

Good luck in your search. Glad you didn't take my post the wrong way.

 

Thanks Simon.

No problem at all about taking it the wrong way, as based on my brief posting it was perfectly fair comment.

Jas

 

By the way, here's a pic of my Lotus, at Rockingham, England

Jas
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Jas, buying an F40 is not like buying any other car. This is not only a very rare and very fast car, it's one of the motoring icons of the late 20th century.

Even if you have the cash to buy one, you have to be very careful. First of all you have to learn everything there is to know about this car. Read books, talk to experienced mechanics (try DK engineering - they are true F40 experts) and learn to understand every little detail about this car.

It is difficult to drive - several have been crashed because of its brutal, unfiltered handling (and forget the Elise experience - the F40 has twice as much torque and 150 BHP more than your tuned car, with only little more weight).

It is not very reliable if you thrash it on the racetrack regularly - ask our German Fchat friends about turbos blowing like confetti and often causing fires, cracked fuel tanks, plus lots of other mechanical details that MUST be checked before buying a car which will be 12 to 18 years old.

The engines can be tuned to over 700 BHP and several are - but don't expect them to last more than 5-6000Kms between rebuilds.

All this said, go around, talk to the experts and test drive a few F40s - but for heaven's sake don't jump in and buy one without having all the knowledge you need!

 

Many thanks, that's just the sort of advice I need to hear

Some of the reasons I want one are because of its rarity and history.

About weight, The F40 is actually significantly heavier than my Elise (730kg). The Elise is also "unfiltered" and raw, but I imagine a lot easier to drive than the F40. I plan to take it to an airfield if I buy one, to test its at the limit. Then on track.

Unreliability on track does concern me though

I will certainly do a lot more research before jumping in Thanks.

Jas

 

Not an unusual site. The last fire I saw (with Andrea) was caused by a faulty oil line to the Turbo. A leak quickly caused quite a large fire. The owner put it out and left the car to 'cool down' so to speak. At the end of the day he came back and guess what...he tried to start the engine again. Strangely after two minutes the car was engulfed in flames again.

 

I'm sorry, but I just have to put this out there. After driving your Elise, especially in modified trim, the F40's gonna feel kinda "soft" and pedestrian in comparison..

 

Not if he changes the suspension bushes, dampers and springs.

Standard upgrades if you want to track and F40 with any seriousness.

 

Thanks guys

I guess I won't really know until I get a chance to drive one and compare.

I should mention that even my rather extreme Lotus feels slightly tame in comparison with my last car: a Caterham Superlight R.

Soft, tame, cars don't really do it for me. It's not the turbo kick that defines rawness for me (I didn't really gel with the Noble for example), but the general sensory feedback to the driver: steering, ride, handling, braking and I guess sound.

Jas