F40 or CS????

don't know if you would want to put on 5,000 km in 7 months with an F40.....IMO. definitely not a daily driver.

 

I am insulted that anyone would even put the F40 and the CS in the same sentence!

 

Really? Interesting, because the price differential between a fully specced Stradale, and a 288GTO or an F40 is not that big here in the UK, so it's down to how you feel about the car (ie what's happening in your head) and how you think you're going to use it. Before I bought the Stradale, I thought long and hard about the alternatives, especially an F40. Bottom line, and why my choice is different from what most here think:
1) It's more likely to end up in a ditch or kill you. You need cojones of steel to drive it in the rain. Really big ones. Oh, and a hairdryer for when the water gets through those louvres into the electrics. You may poo-poo this, but I'd rather stay in one piece thanks all the same.
2) People were concerned about the cost liability of the CS brakes. There are several such liabilities on the F40.
3) I know several people who own F40s and none of them uses them very often, for reasons of practicality, residuals, weather etc. Typically it's 4-5 times a year. This would drive me nuts.
4) To my eye, they're starting to look dated, and the engineering particularly so (though that is an attraction to some).

Bottom line is that I'm pretty sure I'm having more *fun* in the Stradale. F50 on the other hand, is another matter altogether....

 

Kevin

I find it interesting that 360CS owners have this need to always justify the decision when comparing to an F40. A decent F40 here in the UK will cost upwards of £175k and going up and the CS's are running at around £135k and going down so there is quite a large gap.

F40's never need to be justified. It is pure, simple and THE supercar that everyone recognises. It is simply a car you buy from the Heart , and forget about the failings.

James

 

You've got me wrong James; I was explaining it, not justifying it. If I'd wanted an F40 I would have bought one. My CS runs out at £145k so the difference is not enough, in my opinion, to make the choice on purchase cost.

 

Hi Kevin

No problem , but thats exactly my point buying an F40 is an emotional decision , you look at it and your heart just tells you it is what you want.

You buy CS's for far more sensible (other than depreciation) reasons.

The CS is a great car but is never going to be what the F40 is to Ferrari.

James

 

Both of these prices include VAT. The CS prices range between 135-145k and F40 between 165 and 200k.

James

 

There is no contesting here. The F40 is a real Ferrari.

 

I'll admit that a F40 is sex on wheels and that I'd love to have one. However, I don't think that I'd drive it too much on the street. I'm not that good of a driver.

But if you want to experience this on the cheap, I have a suggestion for you. Take a late model liter bike out for a spin, literally. You can spin the rear in any gear at any speed. A bit too unnerving for me. The sad truth is that there are few of us who have the skill and expertise of someone like Roland Linder. The rest of us just wet our pants because we rapidly get out of control trying to drive 6/10s. As Enzo supposedly said, "Not all Ferrari owners are Ferrari drivers."

I say keep turbos on the track.

 

F40 all the way.

 

I'd personally go for the F40 . Apart from trackdays, there are still plenty of roads in the UK that you could use it on. The F40 is such an iconic car that I wouldn't be able to stop myself (even though running costs are high).... it would definitely be a heart over head decision, although in the past couple of years the depreciation on F40's has stopped and price wise they are heading north again. If you dont like it, I dont think it would take too long to sell it. Driving wise I know a couple of people who have had one, and they both said it takes around 1000 miles of driving to even get comfortable with the power delivery and handling etc, and as Kevin said earlier, its not the sort of car you want to go balls out in when its wet. I think the CS is a fantastic car, but even taking into account price, day to day driveability, practicality etc etc, if someone put a CS side by side with an F40 and asked me to pick one...well it wouldn't even take me a second to reply.....
But if you asked me again after a years ownership.....well that could be a different story altogether.

 

My 2 cents.

First, background: Owned a 360 from '99 to '03, putting 13,000 miles on it; drove an Enzo briefly; have driven an F355 spyder and a 550 Marnello; have driven a 360 challenge with slicks at Willow Springs; put 500+ miles on a euro-spec F40, including driving it on the Nurburgring Nordschliefe; currently own an '04 360 CS and have put about 900 miles on it.

Second, perspective: What do you want to do with it? Drive it a lot? Drive it on the track? Drive it only rarely (more of a collectors car)?

If it's as a collectors car, then the decision is easy: F40. It's a classic already, and, IMHO, is the best looking car ever made by man.

If it's to drive hard through the canyons and on the track... well, that would depend on maintenance issues as well as if this is a euro-spec F40 or american. The American, I do believe, was castrated and does not perform like the euro-spec.

I can attest to the fact that the euro-spec F40 I drove (and drove hard) seemed to be holding up good and had 25,000km+ on it. That said, it's an older car, so parts, etc. are going to be tougher than a 360 CS.

If I had to choose between the two, it would be tough, and one day I intend to own an F40 (though I'd drive it less than the CS). I have the CS because I do canyon drives and track days a lot and I need a reliable car. My inclination would be to drive the F40 hard, but less often.

I don't know, the more I think about it, the more I don't know if I can compare the two in terms of which one I'd rather have without a LOT more info, and I also keep coming back to the answer: BOTH, and for different reasons.

I can say that the F40, despite it's age, that I drove on the autobahn and on the Nordshliefe was simply incredible. It handled very well, the turbo lag was minimal, and it was damn fast. And it was pretty comfortable and easy to drive, contrary to the reviews I'd read beforehand. In a straight line I was able to punch it, running through the gears until at least 3rd, and easily able to keep it in a straight line without traction control, etc. Likewise, cornering hard on the Nurburgring or braking didn't seem to need ABS, etc.

That said, the 360 CS has simply exceeded my expectations. It is everything my older 360 was and that much more. For a new Ferrari, outside of the Enzo, it's the car to get.

 

LOL! Not much turbo lag, and the turbo is ALL of the pleasure of driving this car!

It's not a total pain. I drive it to the hardware store. I drive it to get milk. Heck - I drove it to church today.

 

You are, in the way a few of us use said term, a true rock star!

--Dan