The forgotten racing history of the Ferrari F40

It's safe to say the Ferrari F40 isn’t remembered for on-track success.

If you’re a car fan of any level, chances are you know about the Ferrari F40. Known as one of the most exceptional Ferrari’s of all-time, most people have, at the bare minimum, seen a picture without knowing what it was.

Luckily for us, a 1992 Ferrari F40 was at the recent Cobble Beach Concourse d’Elegance, a luxury car show in Owen Sound, Ontario.

So why is it so special? For one, it was the last car personally approved by Enzo Ferrari himself. This alone makes the car superbly unique when compared to Ferrari’s that have followed it.

Powered by a twin-turbocharged V8, the Ferrari F40 was the perfect balance between raw engineering and the luxurious status that Ferrari has become associated with. It was also the first production road car to feature composite bodywork panels.

With loads of high-performance parts, you would think that the F40 would have dominated sportscar racing during its reign of road supremacy in the 1980s and 90s. You might be wrong.