Monday, March 7, 2011

Car Of The Day: March 7, 2011


Today's car of the day is Hot Wheels' 1988 Ferrari F40.



The Ferrari F40 is a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive, two-door coupé sports car produced by Ferrari from 1987 to 1992 as the successor to the Ferrari 288 GTO. From 1987 to 1989 it held the title as the world's fastest street-legal production car, and during its years of production, was Ferrari's fastest, most powerful, and most expensive car. The car had no traction control, and was one of the few to utilize turbochargers.

The car debuted with a factory suggested retail price of approximately US$400,000,[citation needed] although some buyers were reported to have paid as much as US$1.6 million. A total of 1,315 F40s were produced.



For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Ferrari F40



One of the most influential supercars when I was growing up.  The towering rear spoiler, in particular, really made an impression on me.  I always preferred this casting over the Matchbox because it was smaller and not as fat.  And the opening hood didn't hurt, either!



Ostensibly, the F40 was conceived as the successor to the 288 GTO and designed to compete with vehicles such as the Porsche 959 and Lamborghini Countach; for Ferrari management, the vehicle was a major statement piece. Over a period of several years prior to the F40's conception, the company's dominance in racing had waned significantly, and even in Formula One, an arena they had once dominated, victories had become sparse. Enzo Ferrari had recently turned 90 years old, and was keenly aware that time was not on his side. He wanted his new sports car to serve as his final statement-maker, a vehicle encompassing the best in track-developed technology and capable of being a showcase for what the Ferrari engineers were capable of creating. The company's upcoming 40th anniversary provided just the right occasion for the car to debut.

As he had predicted it would be, the F40 was the last car to be commissioned by Enzo before his death.





No comments:

Post a Comment