Stunning Ferrari F40 With Nearly 1,000 HP Offered In Rare Private Sale

Aug. 09, 2022 7:31 PM ET by Dave Pankew Classic Cars / 14 Comments

This Ferrari F40 Competizione conversion is as perfect as a street-legal race car gets.

We all have that dream car garage. There are the cars that will forever occupy a permanent garage space and then there are modern aspirational cars that are removed immediately in favor of a more desirable classic. This 1989 Ferrari F40 Competizione is one such supercar, that would instantly replace the more modern Ferrari SF90 Stradale after it surfaced for sale with RM Sotheby's.

RM Sotheby's flagship auction is taking place during Monterey Car Week in just over a week from now where another outstanding F40 with low mileage will cross the block. But this sinister grey Competizione with a street-legal VIN is being sold under its Private Sales division that offers a more discreet service.

The RM Sotheby's description is very telling as to what a buyer can expect of chassis #80782 highlighting this "one-off example which represents potentially the most radical road-going F40 ever created. Possibly the fastest F40 ever constructed with final horsepower output available between 700 and near 1,000 hp based on the setup."

Since this Ferrari F40 was built as a street-legal car originally delivered to a Dutch Ferrari dealer Kroymans, all of the 'Competizione' items you see were added. The professional conversion to Competizione-spec was done by Cavallino Tuning in 1993 before further modifications were made by G-Tex in the UK. The Michelotta Group then performed further racing modifications as the F40 continued its campaign in gentleman's races and Ferrari Challenge events.

Michelotta Group has modified nineteen F4 racers that became F40 LM Le Mans-spec cars along with seven for F40 GT cars and finally the F40 GTE for global GT racing use. This particular F40 Competizione has seen many modifications over the years including racing suspension, Lexan windows, larger brakes, racing aero, and a racing-centric interior. The car was raced under different ownership throughout the 1990s and periodically in the 2000s up to 2009. After a break from the circuit, an intense restoration was undertaken by the current owner at the famed Zanasi Group of Maranello, Italy.

A complete body restoration saw the F40 stripped down to the chassis and restored with three coats of Grigio Nardo paint versus the traditional Rosso Corsa (or the yellow it once was in the 90s). Then the mechanical work began because this car is made for the street and no rule books or restrictions apply to driving fast. Zanasi Group got to work on the 2.9-liter twin-turbo V8 mill and the net result is 700-1000 horsepower depending on tuning set-up. The final bill for the recently completed work was approximately $125,000 USD but potential buyers can expect to pay over 15 times that amount to own it.