buying an F40

Sounds like bag tanks (if fitted) & belts & tires to start - there's a very recent thread about mods & value - try to find it & read it

 

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/288gto-f40-f50-enzo-laferrari/460724-modifying-f40-reduces-its-value.html

 

You want a pristine car with no mods whatsoever if you are looking at top dollar and I am sure that is what the seller is demanding. There are no modifications that add value to the F40. There might be some which add to its drivability but the car is now a collector status vehicle and the rules change. With 2000 miles you have a collector not a driver.

If the car has really sat, hopefully not with the same fuel in it for 8 years!!! You are looking at a service bill that will likely range from $10k-50k- hopefully its to the lower side of that.

You should find an expert in your area to advise you on this- its worth paying for.

 

Continental Autosport would be the place I would take the F40 for a comprehensive PPI. They service a few F40s as well as Enzo, GTO,333SP, racing team.


What will you want to do with it? Drive it or simply own it?
The only mod I would do would be a Tubi as the US F40 is simply too quiet. It's easily replaced by the original item in case you want to Classiche the car or show it at cconcours.

Best of luck. By the way, tomorrow there is a Ferrari special car and coffee at Winnetka. There will be an F40 whose owner is super knowledgeable.

 

2000 miles is a conundrum. do you leave it to accumulate $ or do you break the seal and drive it?? or do you buy that one to keep as a garage queen, and find the most beat up high miler to drive around??

anyway, to answer your question, as long as the original parts are still with the car, i do not mind, and even recommend, putting the bigger brakes on, the tubi, lowering the suspension, and even adding some fire suppression systems. do not change the wheels imo. do not put on any LM mods. do not repaint at all or in a different color.

to make it roadworthy, i advise sending it somebody who is familiar with f40's. there is little upside in letting a mechanic experiment. and the f40's have their little peculiarities that are best seen to and sorted by a guy who has seen more than his fair share of them. ask joe sackey for a mechanic near you.

 

I consult on F40s occasionally Cars | Joe Sackey Classics and there are a couple pristine USA F40s that could be acquired via clients of mine privately.

 

If you're looking for a driver then try to find a car with over 10,000 miles.

Sorry to hear of your accident but it sounds like you are doing better now.

 

This does not add up, given that in your previous post http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/143412192-post6.html you said "The car of my interest is a US model".

The 211 Tipo USA F40s are all legal & register-able in any state in the USA, and will pass SMOG in California with the standard exhaust fitted.

There is no grey area. It is either a USA spec F40, or, it is a ROW/Eu F40.

In the case of the latter, they are not USA-legal, not California legal, will not pass California SMOG, and therefore are not California register-able. If the car is truly a USA spec car, you should have no problem registering it in California.

I would humbly suggest to you that the most basic thing to determine about an F40 (before you start worrying about miles, history etc) is to establish if you are looking at a USA spec F40 or not.

That will not only determine whether you can legally use the car here on the road in the USA, but it makes a big difference in terms of what you should pay!

Since you are seeking feedback, please post a chassis number and I can immediately tell you what status the car has. I am happy to do so without any involvement in your deal, simply to help you out.

 

And I along with Joe's offer will be happy to provide you with a service history and warranty start date etc from the Modis.

I don't think it gets better than Ferrarichat!

 

Glad you think I could help, but I apologize for harping on about this, because when you say "importation documents" that further baffles me!

Typically, no importation documents were given for the 211 USA cars. 'Importation' was handled was handled in-house by the authorized concessionaire, Ferrari North America the factory-assigned distributor. Typically the USA buyer received the Sales Invoice, window sticker (confirming its USA-legal status), a USA title, and all relevant books from the USA authorized Ferrari dealer of any given State.

That you have copies of importation documents sounds to me like this was a personal import of a ROW/Eu car. I am aware of at least 2 cars here in the USA that have been passed off as "USA-legal" but really aren't. Buyer beware.

Proof that the car is USA-legal is established by the physical disposition of the car, and the stickers upon it clarifying that the car is USA-legal. Furthermore it must be one of the 211 chassis numbers in the list.

Given the confusion that seems to surround the contradictory statements you've made about this car, I'm not convinced it is a USA car.

As has been offered to you by 2 people on this thread, please post a chassis number and we can clarify one way or another.

 

Sounds good.

 

Joe

Do 25 year old cars still have to meet CARB?

Cheers

 

Jim,

If it is a USA car (as he says it is) the oldest will be a 1990 which means 24 years, but it must be a USA-legal car and pass SMOG to be register-able in CA.

As I understand it, in CA, the car must be a 1975 or older production to not have to pass SMOG.

Best,

 

Thanks.

 

i am reading all this with some interest since i will be wanting to import my f40 when i return to the usa. the car will be 25 years old at that time. i hope that goes smoothly....gulp

 

Is it possible that the F40 you're contemplating was sold new in Dubai? I ask this because I know that in the case of Model Year 2003 Ferrari Enzos, the Ferrari concessionaire in Dubai opted for its Enzos to be 100% U.S.-spec (i.e. in terms of emissions, 50-State emissions labels in the engine compartment, safety and exterior lighting equipment, door jamb data plate containing both Month and Year of manufacture, and the Manufacturer's USA DOT compliance language, USA VIN sequence/markers et al).

Perhaps the same thing was done by the Dubai concessionaire back during the early-1990s with their allocated F40s?

 

Should be OK. As long as the car is at least 25 years old (to the month), it can be imported DOT-exempt. EPA has a rolling 21-years-or-older rule for granting an exemption on the emissions front.

However, as Joe states, this is only on the Federal level. If you would want to register it in a State such as California, it would not be emissions-exempt (i.e. California Air Resources Board -- CARB -- stipulated that in order for ANY vehicle to be emissions-exempt (i.e. U.S. and non-U.S. version alike), it must have been built in 1975 or before.

There is a mechanism/facility for a non-U.S. version Post-1975 vehicle to pass California emissions standards in effect for the Model Year of the vehicle. In such a case, the vehicle would have to go to a shop such as G & K in Santa Ana, California or Northern California Diagnostics Laboratory in Napa, California. In the past, these two shops have obtained certification from CARB to modify and emissions-test non-U.S. version cars. However, this requires being CURRENTLY certified in the Engine Family of the car in question. CARB requires that this Engine Family type-certification be renewed every few years.

Being as there's such a small volume of business to be done in this space, I seriously don't believe either of these shops (or anyone else in California for that matter) has CURRENT Engine Family Type-Certification for any post-1975 collectable car platform, especially in light of the not-insignificant cost of the California-mandated ongoing renewal, etc.

 

Terra, thx for that detail. I won't be going to California!