Your ultimate spec F40?

Tough one to answer
If i had endless $ it would be an lm and a regular f40 also lol

I dont know how much you can spend so its hard to make judgment

Personally if you were to build something or modify I would only do so with intention to drive a lot and keep it a long time as i would not be sure on increase in value if that concerns you

 

many years ago, i looked at buying one of the few 360 challenge cars that had somehow gotten a road license.
i drove it briefly, and was absolutely thrilled, and horrified at the same time.
a car set up for racing is actually dangerous to have on a normal road.

that being said, if what you are suggesting is to create an easily driven car that just looks like an f40, then go ahead - its your money

your best bet is probably to just get an f40 driver, and making it as roadworthy and comfortable as possible without destroying or distorting it.

 

My ideal F40?

Pedals moved forward somehow and a different seat to create some much needed extra legroom so I could actually fit.
LM Rear wing
Tubi LM exhaust
18'' OZ wheels

 

the Mototechnique car looks beautiful imo, I see nothing wrong with modifying the car to suite your needs

however I think power upgrades aren't nessecery imo

 

I would look for a higher mileage F40 and make it as faithful as possible to a GTE or LM lookwise..i cant decide which one i prefer.
Under the body, i would upgrade the brakes, the AC and add some small sound system.
Id fit a Tubi LM or a custom exhaust but dont think i would bother with larger turbos etc. 500hp is more than enough for 1200 kgs on any open road.

 

Maybe paint it argento...

Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Agreed.

Not wanting to rain on the OP's parade, but:

A true F40 LM does not work well on the road at all, and a compromise will be a compromised road car and a compromised track car which does neither road or track particularly well.

You really have to decide if you want a car that can be used on the road effectively, and there is only one version which works well on the road - the one which Ferrari SpA's engineers spent years and millions of dollars designing developing & testing, the F40 in either European/ROW guise or Tipo USA guise.

People always feel they can do better than the factory engineers, but in my experience that's almost always not the case, the maker created the best version, period.

None of these mods are really necessary, the thing is, some people just like to mod, also, many of the proposed mods can only be effected by making permanent changes to the car's chassis, suspension, body etc, in other words, don't pay any attention to the modder's mantra that it's all "easily reversible", that's not true. Ask me how I know.

My professional advice as a specialist who deals in and owns these cars is, buy a standard F40 with some miles so you won't be too precious about enjoying it. If occasionally you wished it was an LM, just look at it and squint. Or close your eyes and imagine. There's your F40 LM.

 

Yes my sentiments come to you based on experience that is imparted with the hope that it serves you well.

But no, that's not what I'm saying at all, no panels, no wheels, I'm saying, if you cant afford a real LM, skip it and buy a standard F40 with some miles.

Of course I was joking when I said just look at it and squint or close your eyes and imagine and there's your F40 LM, but seriously, if you like the LM idea then get a standard F40 with plexi sliding windows and be done with it.

Heaven knows there are enough LM-lookalikes out there, and there are some really good reasons to skip modding your F40, besides the fact that IMHO Ferrari Supercars are too special to be used for modding, there are other much less valuable cars that can be used to fulfill the hot-rodder's every desire.

The reason's not to: Firstly, you'll save a considerable amount of money, secondly, you'll have a car that is actually worth more in unmodified form, thirdly (and it may take you years to come to this conclusion) there is a certain satisfaction in knowing you have something that is not a pseudo version of what Enzo's artisans created. There are more reasons, but these are the main ones.

 

i would defer to Joe on this in general.

however, i will add that i think some minor alterations can be useful and desirable.
i like my bigger turbos and higher power output - who doesnt like more power !
i like my lowered suspension, altho not as much in houston as in geneva, but oh well
i like my bigger brakes coz i like the stopping power - who wouldnt?
i like my tubi coz it keeps the engine bay less hot and makes better noises.
i like my fire suppression system for engine and passenger areas coz the possibility of a fire in even a well cared for f40 is omnipresent. so why not take some precautions?

from 10 ft out, nobody can tell my car from an absolutely stock model.

so to the OP my answer is if you want to make your f40 run better, there are many ways to do it without turning it into some gas monkey garage freak show or wannabe racer.

 

+1

and as long as the mods are easily reversible, what's the problem?

 

Fair comments all, subtle under-the-skin upgrades to standard F40s are quite common whilst resisting the urge to try to turn an F40 into an F40 LM clone of sorts.

The problem is that the mods to get an F40 to be an F40 LM-lookalike are not easily reversible, as I explained above.

 

Ah, to clarify I was more agreeing with Ross regarding the basic upgrades he posted rather than a full LM lookalike

 

I might improve the brakes if they can fit inside the standard wheels because mine got some shudder after 10 laps or so, but no fade. I might run more boost with the modern fuels available now, but unlikely.

Other than that, I wouldn't be touching it. They're marvellous as they are.

 

Brake shudder is caused by a number of things including damaged rotors, malfunctioning calipers, or new brake pads that have not been properly broken in after replacement, and it will also happen with bigger brakes if they are not operating optimally or subject to the above.

I was never able to duplicate any of the so-called F40 brake problems on any of all 3 of my F40s, including track time with one of them, IMHO the factory brakes are just fine, you simply need to make sure they are in optimum condition.

 

Well, that's what you say.

The car was new when I had it. It was under warranty. There was nothing wrong with it, but when the brakes got hot there was some shuddering.

Maybe I should call it pulsing that changed with speed. It was only when very hot, as I said. The brakes were properly bedded in.

Is it possible you run different pad material, or Ferrari changed materials during manufacture? Mine was 100% factory and one of the early euro cars.

The impressive thing though was that I never got fade.

 

Joe, sorry if this has been discussed elsewhere but what procedure would you recommend for breaking in new brake pads?

 

I believe you of course, however that should not have happened.

My own F40 track experience is underscored by that of a number of clients who track their F40 with standard brakes with no such complaints.

It's difficult to find an ideal place to do this, but my notes are:

4 or 5 aggressive stops from 60 mph down to 10 mph in quick succession without stopping, this is important as the rotors will be hot and holding down the brake pedal will allow the pad to create an imprint on the rotor, which will create judder.

Then do 4 or 5 moderate stops from 35 mph to 5 mph in quick succession without letting the brakes cool.

Then drive for 5 minutes or so without stopping to cool the brakes, this allows the heated resin in the brake pads to cool & cure.

I'm sure there are any number of variations of this theme.

 

Fair enough.

 

https://www.dkeng.co.uk/ferrari-sales/1291/blue_chip_competition_cars/ferrari_f40_lm.html

DK here in the UK have one in stock atm.

 

Ironically, one of the main reasons why F40LMs are not used often is because in reality their mechanical specification is not ideal for the road.

That said, having an F40 that you can enjoy and use often is a wonderful thing.

 

was called last week by a dealer in germany who had an F40 to sell.....less than 1000km, classiche, good provenance and history.
$2.6 mil.
i choked....and passed.
but tells you which way things are headed...