The Ferrari F40 was built to celebrate Ferrari’s 40th anniversary.
Unveiled in 1987, the F40 marked four decades since Enzo Ferrari founded the company in 1947. It was conceived as a lightweight, uncompromising successor to the Ferrari 288 GTO, with engineering led by Nicola Materazzi and bodywork styled by Pininfarina. The F40 became Ferrari’s final road car personally approved by Enzo Ferrari before his death in 1988.
Its design focused heavily on performance and low mass. The mid-mounted 2.9-litre twin-turbocharged V8 drove the rear wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox. Lightweight materials, minimal interior trim, and extensive aerodynamic treatment gave the F40 a distinctly competition-inspired character.
The F50 followed it as Ferrari’s next flagship, but it was not the anniversary model. “F70” was an early project designation associated with the LaFerrari, while “F60” is commonly used informally for other Ferrari references. The F40 name itself directly encodes the anniversary it commemorated.