One and only 1989 Ferrari F40 "Competizione" for sale.
Ferrari has raced many road cars, but the F40 was not one of them; the iconic F40 of the 1980s was never raced out of the factory, but this 1989 Ferrari being offered for private sale through RM Sotheby's F40 "Competition" is an example of the many privateer F40 race cars that have appeared over the years.
The car (chassis number 80782) left the Ferrari factory as a road car in November 1989 and, according to the auction listing, was shipped to Kroymans BV, Ferrari's authorized importer in the Netherlands; three years later, Kroymans BV's s racing division, Cavallino Tuning, converted it into a race car by Peter van Erp.
This marked the beginning of a career in competition that lasted until 2009, and the F40 steadily built up its modifications. It began with Intrax racing shocks, stacked instruments, new brakes, and bodywork modifications; roll hoops and air jacks were added in 1995.
The 2.9-liter V-8 twin-turbo engine was initially left stock, but at some point was upgraded. According to the listing, it now produces between 700 and 1,000 hp (depending on setup), a significant increase from the stock 471 hp. Even in stock form, it was good enough to hit 200 mph, and when it debuted in 1987, it was the fastest production car in the world.
Despite a lifetime on the track, this F40 looks pretty fresh. The previous owner commissioned a mechanical service in 2019 that included a suspension crack test and the installation of a new fire extinguisher and fuel tank. The current owner recently performed a cosmetic restoration on the car, which included a complete disassembly and repainting to its current Grigio Nardo (gray) color.
RM Sotheby's has not released a pre-auction estimate, but don't expect this F40's modified condition to affect the hammer price; a wrecked F40 rebuilt and modified on Discover Channel's "Fast N' Loud" show sold for $742,500 in 2014, and this example has a real racing pedigree that justifies its modifications.
