On March 8, Broad Arrow Auctions will bring down the hammer on one of the most coveted automotive treasures of recent decades: a 1990 Ferrari F40 in nearly immaculate condition. Pre-auction estimates range between 3.8 and 4.2 million dollars, figures that reflect the vertiginous surge that the F40 market has experienced in recent times.
A nearly new Ferrari F40 to auction at Amelia Island
This particular Ferrari boasts characteristics that make it an extraordinary specimen even among F40s. With just 1,248 miles traveled in 34 years of existence, it is practically new. Complete with Ferrari Classiche Certification attesting to the originality of the engine, transmission, chassis, and bodywork, and fresh winner of the prestigious Platinum Award at the 2024 Ferrari Club of America gathering, this F40 represents the pinnacle of Ferrari collecting.
Despite the US specification, less appreciated aesthetically due to the impact protections and supplementary lights imposed by American regulations, this example (chassis ZFFMN34A0L0086620) is one of only 213 delivered to the United States and boasts an impeccable documented history.
Its story begins in Fort Lauderdale, at the Shelton Ferrari dealership. The first owner accumulated just 735 miles before selling it in 1992 to European Auto Sales in Costa Mesa, California. It then passed into the hands of a well-known California collector who kept it for twenty years, adding only 221 miles to the odometer. In 2012, it changed owners again, even being exhibited at Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi between 2013 and 2014, before returning to the USA where it obtained Classiche certification. Since 2023, it has been part of a collection in Florida, whose owner has now decided to put it up for auction.
The F40, presented on July 21, 1987, in Maranello, was the last Ferrari born when Enzo Ferrari was still alive. During the presentation, Enzo let himself go with a comment of pure admiration, inadvertently captured by a microphone that remained on, an unusual fact for someone who always tried not to let his emotions show. “I expressed a wish to the engineers. Build a car that is the best in the world. Now that car is here,” Enzo Ferrari said on that occasion.
With its 2.9-liter twin-turbo V8 capable of 478 horsepower on just 1,100 kg of weight, the F40 reached 324 km/h and covered a kilometer from a standstill in 21 seconds, but it was the driving sensations that made it truly unique: adrenaline rushes that enter a photonic dimension, unknown to the powerful hypercars of the modern era, especially if electric.
Originally planned for 400 units, the F40 ended up being produced in 1,311 units to satisfy the enormous demand. Today, its continuously rising valuation confirms that the charm of this legend knows no time, and the next owner of the specimen at the Amelia Island auction will acquire much more than an automobile: they will take home a piece of the history of Italian excellence.