the queen of prancing horse supercars on sale at Retromobile 2022

Zapping Autonews story Tatra at Rétromobile 2020: small manufacturer, big reputation

The world of vintage cars is in turmoil, with ever more spectacular sale prices for the most sought-after models. On February 2, part of Marcel Petitjean’s collection was thus dispersed during a high-end auction organized by RM Sotheby’s. Among the models auctioned that day, a Ferrari 288 GTO broke all records, reaching €3,464,375 when the hammer fell, for an initial estimate of between €2.4 and 2.6 million. This 400 hp super sports car, proudly displaying the prancing horse, is one of the brand’s rare cars to bear the three magic letters GTO, after the sublime 250.

But if there is one that remains even better known to the general public, it is the F40, which is directly in line with the 288 GTO. The F40 is considered the very last masterpiece of the Italian brand produced under the direction of the Commendatore, Enzo Ferrari himself. The latter died only a year after the presentation of the supercar, in 1988, at the age of 90. This helped to engrave the legend of the F40, in addition to its recognizable look among a thousand and its first-rate technical characteristics. The car also came to celebrate Ferrari’s 40 years as a road car manufacturer.

An F40 in incredible condition

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Ferrari F40 | our photos of the supercar+10

Ferrari F40 (1989)Credit Photo – Autonews

The F40 presented to you here is from Monaco, like the other three Ferraris in the selection. It comes from the Léandri collection, named after its owner, the defense lawyer at the Monaco Bar, Maître Étienne Léandri (1916 – 1995), sometimes nicknamed “the Ferrari lawyer” during his lifetime. The lawman not only had plenty of them, but he was also given priority in buying the brand’s latest supercars whenever one appeared. Like most of Léandri’s Ferraris, his F40 chassis number 80 761 is painted red (the famous Rossa Corsa FER 300 9) and also has an interior in the same colour. Preserved with the greatest attention and used “scrupulously”, Léandri’s F40 has only 13,284 km on the odometer and can boast of monitoring carried out exclusively by the Italian manufacturer.

If it is still useful to remember for some, the Ferrari F40 is a 478 hp twin-turbo V8 placed in the rear center position screaming up to more than 7,000 rpm. In 1987, the supercar had a special status, it was part of the crème de la crème, with a top speed of 324 km/h and a standing start kilometer shot in just 21 seconds. Its carbon fiber shell and bucket seats molded in the same material make it possible to contain its total mass while its Cx of 0.34 is combined with a large fixed rear wing. This makes it possible to flatten the huge flanges on the rear drive wheels (335 mm wide) to the ground. Customers had the choice at the time between a classic 5-speed gearbox or a dog gearbox. The F40’s ground clearance is also variable, with three suspension positions (high, normal and high speed), the lowest of which activates from 120 km/h. If 400 copies of the F40 were planned at the start, its success was such that no less than 1,337 were produced in total. In view of the general condition of the copy that interests us here, the estimate proposed by Artcurial at Rétromobile 2022 is between 1.3 and 1.6 million euros.

In short

On the occasion of the sale of Rétromobile 2022, Artcurial Motorcars has released heavy, even very heavy, to put it vulgarly… Buyers will have the opportunity to buy one or more of the most spectacular supercars from a famous Italian manufacturer. of sports cars, Ferrari. Among this exceptional selection of vehicles from the collection of a well-known Monegasque lawyer, there is an F40 in perfect condition. Historically very important, this vehicle is the latest achievement of the prancing horse brand under the direction of Enzo Ferrari himself.