Car Of The Day: January 4, 2012

Today's car of the day is Majorette Deluxe's 1989 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 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, 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

Majorette's Deluxe series was the beginning of the trend of higher-priced diecast offerings.  Although these failed in the marketplace competitors like Matchbox's World Class and Premiere series' thrived, and new competitors (such as Johnny Lightning and 100% Hot Wheels) soon joined them in the diecast aisles.  Unfortunately this car looks much better in person than it does here in these pictures.  Part of that is the plastic body- while it allows for a higher level of detail it really doesn't photograph as nicely as metal.  Jeweled lights, and opening doors and hood to reveal that beautiful Ferrari motor put this one into the win category.

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;[citation needed] 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 Enzo had predicted it would be, the F40 was the last car to be commissioned by him before his death.

The F40 was designed with aerodynamics in mind. For speed the car relied more on its shape than its power. Frontal area was reduced, and airflow greatly smoothed, but stability rather than terminal velocity was a primary concern. So too was cooling as the forced induction engine generated a great deal of heat. In consequence, the car was somewhat like an open-wheel racing car with a body. It had a partial undertray to smooth airflow beneath the radiator, front section, and the cabin, and a second one with diffusers behind the motor, but the engine bay was not sealed. Nonetheless, the F40 had an impressively low Cd of 0.34 with lift controlled by its spoilers and wing.