Photography Courtesy Gooding & Company
Honestly, I can dream of blowing 3M on a car just as easily as blowing 1M.
Remember when a Ferrari F40 only cost a million bucks? We do–in fact, we wrote about the experience over at Classic Motorsports.
From that piece:
“When the driver steps on the gas I want him to shit his pants,” Enzo Ferrari is rumored to have said at a briefing on the car.
Our experience with the F40: not much turbo lag along huge forward thrust.
“The V8, quite colorless at idle, becomes brutal as the revs rise. Its metallic, sharp snap bellows loudly through the interior. Snap off the throttle, and the engine hisses through the waste-gate valves, only to pick straight up again should you desire to have another go. (And trust us, you will; the F40 is an addictive thing.)”
What about the old-school, non-ABS brakes? Just fine–and you can read the entire about the entire driving experience here.
Enjoying the F40 experience today? Well, Gooding & Company just sold one for nearly $3 million–$2,892,500 if you want to be accurate. It was a U.S.-spec model built for 1992, the final year of production, but did sport less than 2500 miles.
Le sigh.
So, if not an F40, what’s today’s go-to dream supercar?
Honestly, I can dream of blowing 3M on a car just as easily as blowing 1M.
Today's 911 Turbo is probably a better, and faster car for a lot less money, but it will never have what the F40 has. Even a current McLaren doesn't get the blood up like an F40.
It may not be the prettiest Ferrari, but it's still the stuff of dreams.
Car acquaintance has two of them that he picked up years ago in the mid 6 figures. I have had a ride in one and the only thing nice thing I can say about being in one on the street is that they are a very nicely assembled Italian kit car.
Does the F40 strike the right balance between yesterday and today, refined yet raw?
In reply to David S. Wallens :
When I finally bought my Black Jack Special there was a 58 Ferrari Testa Rossa project car for sale about the same time. Asking price was $6500.
Not long ago a similar car sold for 56 million. 3 million might seem cheap in the future.
I have recently had the opportunity to do a bit of work to one.
Compared to the Diablos and more "pedestrian" Ferraris I usually see the F40 is just different. It is very clearly a homologation car. A race car with only what was needed to be road legal tacked on.
Diablos are lurid, extravagant, unpleasant and distasteful. 328s, 360s and 488s are awesome but the F40 is a whole other level.
BTW, I couldn't get it up on that lift. the car sits too low and is too smooth underneath.
I also understand why an oil change is a several thousand dollar event with one of these.
After my experience with this I have an idea of what project Binky will be like to service. Everything is in the way of everything else.
I'd grab a 288 GTO first. It has the advantage of being gorgeous.
Sometime around '99-'01 there was a yellow F40 FS in NJ for $225k. IIRC, it was owned by a friend of the owner of The Ultimate Garage. There's still a pic on his site: https://www.ultimategarage.com/
EDIT: every time I visit Classic Coach in NJ, there's at least one partially taken apart. Love to look at them. Agree they don't look like fun to work on.
In reply to Keith Tanner :
I came in to say the same. Obviously you are a man of good taste.
If you want to "E36 M3 your pants" when hitting the accelerator, try a Mercrdes 300SD with a large truck barreling down on your position. 
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