Taken at Dino Cognolato's shop in Vigonza near Padova. Here's another one I took May 1987. Marcel Massini Image Unavailable, Please Login
An interesting detail from Joe's pictures of the composite bodywork is only FOUR rear fender vents initially. The regular prototypes built would be modified with FIVE fender vents. Then someone decided to go back with the original FOUR vents for the regular production series. There was a batch of the FIVE vent rear fender clips shown beside the F40 prototypes being built in a French magazine article years ago. Maybe Alberto can find the answer as to why Ferrari kept changing the number of rear fender vents for the F40...
I imagine it was the base from which all the moulds were taken for the composite production panels. You always return to the base buck for replacement moulds in order to prevent errors being transferred over the production cycle, a bit like chinese whispers otherwise . Typically you can get upto 20 panels out of a mould before its scrap, you then return to the base buck to make a fresh set.
Very important details for everybody fond of F40 development story ciao Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Clearly one can see the 288GTO Evo F40 in the drawing. To my knowledge the first F40 prototype (which may not have a VIN) was based on a 288 GTO Evo chassis. Or this “car” “mock-up” was dismantled or turned into a driveable F40 prototype.
Congrats for your knowledge, but I wanted to focus on something else that is missing on the F40 in one circle and one that you can see in the other circle that will disappear on the F40. Ciao
One other detail that seems to have escaped attention is the dark tint on the light covers compared to later production F40 models. Cavallino cover car 73015 shows the dark tint clearly in the image below. Image Unavailable, Please Login
By indent you are referring to the body divide line, or the air intake vent properly referred to as the NACA duct? In any case, if I am understanding you correctly, neither of those items is deleted on the LM, and in fact an extra NACA duct is added in the LM's side sill Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I've noted GTE's with a third NACA duct added behind the main air vent Image Unavailable, Please Login
I've always noticed this, I think it looks cool, the dark tint makes the front-end look more menacing, sort of like the F40 LM IMSA cars Image Unavailable, Please Login
I think I have a period video of this car testing at Fiorano, or at least of another 1989 F40 LM: it had the big air outlet in the front bonnet painted in black. ciao
Yes, the display car doesn't have the Pininfarina badge (and doesn't have that "dome" that is shown in the draw, that Michelotto called "a thing like there was on KITT car that was in Supercar TV series"). I was told all the story by mr. Michelotto himself and that's a story that can touch you. Mr. Michelotto reminds me a lot of the character performed by Clint Eastwood in his early Westerns: a low words man of honor who gave his word to mr. Ferrari, and who cares if you lose something to mantain your promise. ciao
an original 1988 video featuring an F40 driven by official Ferrari test driver Giuseppe Montorsi on an Italian motorway. It has a sticker with the number "8" on the side. I didn't ask the test driver if it's a prototype or (more likely) a press car/preproduction car: I'm sure that several here already know the VIN and so on of the car. ciao
The indent I was referring to was the recess into which the Pininfarina badge sits, this area is flush on the LM side panels. Depending on the chassis, a number of LMs sprouted all manner of additional NACA ducts over the period they raced.
Its a good way to quickly spot an original LM from a converted road car, as most conversions keep the original production spec side panels and just swap the clams.
I asked the tester: that car was called by all the operators at the time as "P8". Does anybody here know if it could it stand for "prototype number 8"? It was the car that did the official top speed homologation tests. Paul, I'm new of this forum section, but you look to know a lot about Michelotto and the F40 LM that he developed and raced with: may I ask if your knowledge comes from personal search and books reading or does it come from a direct working/racing experience or anything else? Congrats and thank you in advance ciao
Alberto a very interesting F40 test drive video. I think this car on PROVA MO 90 is the #1 car 73015 with a new front and rear clip (upper body work and rear spoiler bodywork plus production rear window with the later louvre opening pattern) installed. Since this was eventually the 'crash test' car perhaps the prototype front and rear clip were replaced with production parts that were a thicker heaver material than used on the early prototype builds. Marcel's very informative list has the prototype serial numbers and in some cases the yellow car number decal noted. However the yellow number was not issued in sequence (order) that the cars were given their serial number. The yellow decal may have been a convenient way to keep track of which car was being used for a particular part of the F40's development programs.
There were at least 9 (nine) vetture esperienza of the F40, for both EU and USA version, in total. Marcel Massini