ESTIMATE: EUR 400.000 - EUR 480.000
AUCTION RESULTS: Lot was Sold at a price of EUR 418.000

Exceptionally low mileage example commissioned by, and built for Gianni Agnelli
Coachwork:
Pininfarina
Specifications:
478bhp, 2,936cc double overhead camshaft, four valves per cylinder, twin turbocharged V-8 engine with Weber-Marelli engine management and fuel injection, five-speed gearbox with Valeo electronic clutch system, double wishbones, coil springs, dampers and anti-roll bar suspension front and rear, four-wheel ventilated disc brakes. Wheelbase: 2,450mm (96.5 in.)

Italian libretto
Ferrari Classiche Certification Package.

This lot is EC taxes paid and originates from Italy.

The Ferrari F40 was created to celebrate forty years since the first car Ferrari built. The F40 was conceived in 1986 and Ing. Ferrari is reported to have said, “Let’s make something special for next year’s celebrations in the way we used to do it.” He was ninety years old and, sadly, the F40 was the last car that he would see launched by the company he founded.
The name F40 was suggested by a friend of Ferrari, Gino Rancati, who received a silver plaque. On the left was a black Cavallino Rampante and on the right “4 June 1987”. It was inscribed “To Gino Rancanti for a brilliant idea.” An accompanying letter said, “Dear Rancati, with this plaque I want to commemorate our meeting on the 4th June when you kindly contributed to the choice of name for the GT car we presented at the Frankfurt motor show. Your contribution has produced excellent results – the ‘F 40, based on the idea of forty years of Ferrari cars, identifies and personalises the fastest Ferrari GT. Kindest regards. G.B. Razelli.” Next to this in slightly shaky script in violet ink was, “To Signor Gino, Ferrari.”
In true Ferrari tradition, the F40 bridged the gap between road car and racing car. Utilising Formula 1 technology, the F40 created a huge stir when it was launched, its aggressive, purposeful looks making it a car of great beauty with unmatched performance.
The twin-turbo road-racer weighs just 1,100 kg and is blindingly quick. Fast Lane magazine road tested the F40 in the late eighties and recorded zero to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds, zero to 100 mph in 7.8 seconds and zero to 225 km/h (140 mph) in 14 seconds even. Other independent tests clocked it a couple of tenths quicker to 100 km/h and 100 mph; either way the F40 was the fastest road car ever produced and quite staggering in every way.
The Ferrari F40 presented here is the unique F40 Valeo commissioned by Gianni Agnelli, the late head of the Fiat empire. Agnelli was a huge Ferrari lover and he owned many special cars over a period of nearly 40 years. These included a special 375 America, one of the two 365 P “Tre Posti” and a one-off Testarossa Spyder. This car, chassis number 79883 is another “Agnelli Speciale” and is fitted with a Valeo electronic clutch system which had been developed and proven in the Lancia Delta Integrale rally cars, as well as a few Mondial cabriolets and coupes. Agnelli’s left leg had been weakened in a road accident and the system takes away the need for a clutch pedal. Valeo uses the normal gear lever which, when moved, sends signals to a master control unit and then to the clutch actuator motor which engages or disengages the clutch in less than 100 milliseconds. Built-in safety features stop the car being started in gear and prevent the driver selecting too high a gear or too low.
Other personal touches to this Agnelli F40 are the spun aluminium gear knob, a cigarette lighter and the owner’s leather document pouch, which is embossed with the initials “G.A.” Inside, the seats are trimmed with black cloth, with a red lumbar support on the driver’s seat. The master control unit of the Valeo system is mounted on the firewall behind the passenger seat above the Ferrari engine management unit. Long a rumour, the existence of this car was made public in an article by Keith Bluemel in Cavallino magazine.
This unique F40 Valeo is offered for sale today by its second owner, having purchased the car from Avv. Agnelli via the Ferrari dealer in Torino, when the car had approximately 600 km on the odometer.
Racing driver and motoring journalist Mark Hales tested an F40 for Octane Magazine. He wrote - “I’ve driven a fair few miles in the early example owned by Nick Mason and, on a dry road, it was always massively, hugely exciting, a raw and brutally visceral experience, intoxicating for its sheer energy and the more so because it remained unpredictable. It became a huge favourite as much for its capacity to thrill as the fact that it never pretended to be anything it wasn’t.”
Ferrari’s 40th anniversary would be the last major celebration that Enzo Ferrari would ever see. He could look back on the achievements of the company with great pride. Eight Formula 1 Manufacturer’s Championships, ten Driver’s Championships, close to 100 Grand Prix wins, nine victories at Le Mans and thousands of other significant wins. Enzo Ferrari prounounced the car to be uncompromisingly stunning. In his own words he called it: “The best Ferrari ever!”