1980's Supercar Nirvana

The ultimate showdown between the 959 and the F40!

It was the late 1980's. The Porsche 959 and the Ferrari F40 became the ultimate supercars that reached above or beyond the 200mph mark. These two were Richard Hammond's boyhood dream and on the Series 16 finale of Top Gear, he got a chance to drive his dream cars. I can't recall seeing the two of them being together as fierce rivals but to find out, let's talk about these two; beginning with the one that was from 1987...

This 959 has a lot of gizmos....

Launched in 1986, the 959 is known to be the most advanced and technological sports car Porsche has ever made. For instance; it comes with the adjustable suspension and a complex 4WD system that you can split the power between the front and the rear wheels not just according to the grip but how you can cornering.

Thanks to the 2.9L twin turbo B6 engine that produces 331 kW (444 hp) of power, the top speed is 197mph, which in 1986 made it the fastest production car in the world.

A year later, its reign as the speed king was been short-lived thanks to this....

It's the one that gets me! Not 200 but 201!

The Ferrari F40. This car was launched in 1987 but it's more than just celebrating Ferrari's 40th anniversary. This is the car that defeated the Porsche 959 in terms of top speed because thanks to its 2.9L V6 twin-turbo engine that produces 478BHP of power, it achieved a top speed of 201mph. Another reason is because this is the first car to be ever made of carbon fiber. 

This was the last car to be commissioned by the founder, Enzo Ferrari, before his death. Originally it was made for a limited run of 400 units but because this car is a whopper, about 1,315 models were produced, with the last one being produced in the year 1992.

Both these cars have 2.9 liters. Both have the identical power. Both have twin turbos. But with these top speed differences, it can be quite challenging to figure out which of these two are the best. As observed on the 1980s Supercar Powertest episode from Top Gear...

ENZO WOULD NOT LIKE THAT RESULT!

It appears that the 959 defeated the F40 but as Hammond says, if his gear changes is better, these two were neck and neck. Despite that, it appears that these two never lapped round the Top Gear Test Track because of their problems. The F40 failed to start, therefore resulted a DNS or DID NOT START. Then, the Porsche 959 ended in a DNF or DID NOT FINISH because the turbos seem to be broken.

Despite these two failed to lap round the track; both the Porsche 959 and the Ferrari F40 played an important role in the supercar world. Surely the 959 is all about luxury and technology but the F40 is more of a stripped-out hyper go-kart with absolutely no luxury at all. I can see why the world's finest supercars like the McLaren F1 and the Bugatti Veyron draw some inspiration from these two.

If the 959 and the F40 didn't made, maybe the supercar realm wasn't even existed and there was no car that can go beyond the 200mph mark. Guess we have to owe them their thanks...