It's been a lifelong dream of mine to drive the F40. It's the first real super car that I lusted after as a kid. Imagine my shock when the generous owner threw me the key and said "you're driving the F40" with a smile. I was in utter shock at that very moment because I thought I was going to follow him in my 997TT. Well, I definitely wasn't going to waste any time. I got in the F40 which was surprisingly hard. You'd have to be very nimble to squeeze your way in. It's probably built for someone of my stature so I'm not sure how a tall person would fit. Once in the car it was very comfortable with everything within reach. The one thing I had to remember was to pull back on the gear shift to get into first. The pedals are also very close together so you need to wear narrow shoes. I was wearing my fat shoes so that made it hard. I also noticed that I could feel the steering rod turn just beyond the reach of the brake pedal. It's an incredible machine. Very direct, very powerful and definitely DEMANDS your full attention when driving. You definitely need powerful legs/arms to modulate everything in this car. My 997TT felt "cushy" compared to the raw F40. They're worlds apart, that's for sure.

The hidden beast within


Lightning




Funny how my car stood out (IMHO) above his other red cars.


Immediately after driving the F40, I drove my 997TT and I was acutely aware of the differences offered by a car that was the pinnacle of technology 20 years ago vs a very capable modern car from today's time. Everything felt "soft" by comparison except the suspension of course. I was amazed how well the F40 rode especially for a car of its type. Not overly harsh like I thought it would be. Very compliant and in fact corners flat and inspires confidence in the corners. It's the powerband or rather its potential that I found to be a bit unnverving. Snap oversteer at any given moment is not something I want to experience. I also noticed that this car is not easy to drive slow. The clutch is heavy, the brake pedal squeals like crazy coupled with a heavy effort and even the gas pedal was heavy. The pedals were very closely spaced together and the gated shifter didn't make changing gears very easy.

As for the comments about the F40 being capable only under ideal conditions or in a straightline. I'm not sure I agree with those comments. I believe that under the right driver under ideal conditions, the F40 would be a much more capable car. You'd just have to work harder to get more out of it.

I said it once earlier and I'll say it again, this car DEMANDS respect!

After getting back into my own 997TT, I was reminded of how far automobile design has come since then F40

 

I'm sure the shifter was better than the 348 we had - it was god awful!

Nice write up mate, glad you got to experience driving your dream car.

 

Great thread!

 

Your photo skilz are fantastic Jason!
Great pics and write up as well.
Love the TA tips btw and Kuzi my friend, great garage

 

Badass, I'm jealous! I was fortunate enough to ride in my friend's F40.

Only on forums like this will you find multiple people tossing around F40 experiences like they were test driving a Honda Civic!

One of my absolute favorite automobiles in existence. Aren't they upwards of like $700,000+ nowadays? I know they appreciated exceptionally.

 

You are one lucky man. I have only been able to see one in person parked at a show.

 

Great write-up, great story!
And you guys have some amazing landscape up in the northwest.

 

Always fun to read these comparison threads.

Thanks, Jason.

 

Great write up and story man. That third shot of the F40 literally made my mouth drop.

 

Great story and pics....love that last one of just your car.
I guess your friend has a thing for Red Ferraris....wow.