GT SPORT: Why the F40 is Ferrari's greatest hero for seven decades?

Ask me anything about which is the best Ferrari ever made over their seven-decade history and my response should be like this, the immaculate Ferrari F40, the supercar that forever known as the founding father of the 200mph supercar club which inspires today's supercars reaching the magic number.



The F40 is one of the recent additions from the GT SPORT's Christmas update and since this is Ferrari's 70th anniversary after all as well as Gran Turismo's 20th anniversary, it would be the ideal time to take a jive out of the legend that started the institution of the world's fastest supercars.



Launched in 1987, the Ferrari F40 became the world's fastest production car with a top speed of 201mph. Not 200, 201 because that prime number at the end of it really is proof that Ferrari is number one when it comes to create a car that will trounce the high-tech Porsche 959. Built to celebrate Ferrari's 40th year, it 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.



Apart from the race-inspired exterior and the driver-focused interior has no conveniences whatsoever, the F40 is powered by  a 2.9L V6 twin-turbo engine that produces 478BHP and it can go 0-60mph in 3.7 seconds. Apart from the engine, the F40 is very light and it weighs about 1100kg thanks to the body that was composed of carbon-fiber and Kevlar.



Taking the bite out of the F40, I realized that because this car is stripped out to the core, driving this legend on the first try can be downright troublesome for me. I mean yes, the suspension's harsh, the brakes are intimidating, the ride's intimidating, everything's intimidating for me when it gets through all sorts of trouble but the more I try driving this thing, the better I realize that even the most brutal of attempts will not solve the F40's dynamic character and all I have to do is go with the flow. Having spent an hour driving the F40, now it's time for me to take a real challenge and to do that, I'm going to Brazil.



One piece of Brazil to be precise, Interlagos. It was based in Sao Paulo and it was one of the most technical racetracks in the Latin America. Don't get too distracted by the urban landscape because like I said, this track's technical in every corner and this will be the ideal time for me to see if the F40 lives up to its folklore. Time to roll the tape.



I did it in a 1:55.285 lap time, which isn't the quickest I've ever done in my whole life but still it was less than two minutes to spare, meaning that despite all the mishaps, the F40 really lives up to the legend it was set foot in Ferrari's fiery heritage.



Although what a troublesome experience I had, it's been an honor to try out the legendary Ferrari F40 in GT SPORT and man, what a way to celebrate seven decades of Ferrari and two decades of Gran Turismo by driving the legend in the latest installment courtesy of the Christmas update. Of course, there are many great Ferraris made over the last seven decades but rest assured, this legend holds a very special place in the Prancing Horse's history.

Forza Horizon 3: Legendary Supercar

Look what I got from this weekend's Forzathon event, it's the supercar that started it all. Yes, it's the Porsche 959 and it's a real legend, all right.

Launched in 1986, it 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 drivers can split the power between the front and the rear wheels for grip and cornering at the same pace. Notable people who had a 959 include Bill Gates, Don Johnson, Boris Becker, and a few others.

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.





I already heard the tale of the legendary 959 and how its reign as the speed king was short-lived by the Ferrari F40 a year later, but because storytelling about these two legendary supercars are a tad boring, let's give them another piece of history by battling themselves on the streets of Surfers Paradise and see who come out on top. This is going to be fun because the whole world are already familiar about these 80's supercar titans that inspired the likes of the fastest supercars of today and I'm here to witness it.



And now the results...

1987 Porsche 959* (450HP/369ft-lb/3,190lb/43%/2,849cc/A 763) - 2:26.113
1987 Ferrari F40 (478HP/424ft-lb/2,980lb/42%/2,936cc/A 776) - 2:20.374

These legends...they are always remembered for their greatness in the real world and when paced together, history is meant to be made. That's what these two are made for, establishing a new kind of war only the fastest will survive. The war we called the "speed wars" and it's been going on since the invention of the automobile. Some will win, some will lose. That's the rule all power-hungry carmakers are living right now and like they said, if you aren't speeding, you aren't living.

Forza Motorsport 5: Spirit of LaFerrari

This is the ultimate Ferrari even built, the LaFerrari. Don't let that funny name fool you because this is the Ferrari to end all Ferraris in the history of Ferrari. With the LaFerrari Car Pack, the first DLC pack offered on Forza Motorsport 5, players now had the chance to try out Ferrari's ultimate weapon of mass awesomeness. When I said awesomeness, what I mean, of course, is the high power output provided by the V12 engine and the HY-KERS that made this hybrid hypercar the king of Ferraris.



Supercars are like idols and idols need to be focused on three key concepts; Visual, Vocal, and Dance. In automotive terms, it's the way how it looks, how it sounds, and how it does. Let's start at the Visual department and by the looks of it, it seems that Ferrari didn't seek help to its longtime friend, Pininfarina, for the first time to design the hypercar's beauty from the bare essentials. Even though the name sounds too ridiculous for a petrolhead, the design penned by Ferrari themselves truly shows that it this car really is the alpha of the lineup, despite the fact that it's limited to 499 units, each costing a million euros.



On the Vocal department, despite the hybrid powetrain like you get from the McLaren P1, the LaFerrari sounds like an old F1 car...but only just. In Forza 5, not every exhaust note is textbook but trust me, the vocals that came from the exhaust is as close to the real one as you can get.

In the Dance department, now this is how it gets interesting...



To find out just how good is the LaFerrari is, I went to the Top Gear Test Track and meet up with some old friends from Modena...



What we have here is some of LaFerrari's ancestors through the years. There's the F40 which is known to be the first to break the 200mph mark. Then, there's the F50 which some say it has the V12 engine derived from an F1 car but in reality, the V12 engine shares nothing in common with the one from a F1 car. And finally, the Enzo, it's one of my favorite cars of all time and it's a honorable one because this supercar was named after the founder of Ferrari.

These four Ferrari special machines are now dancing through the Top Gear Track like a swords dance but there can only be one winner but first, let's talk about how they dance at the track.

In the F40, it feels more like a oversized go-kart because of its massive wing on the back but this aerodynamic party piece really get the job done with its clinical precision.



As for the F50 though, one of my least-favorite Ferrari feels more like an F1 car rather than a GT car. It handles like if a boy rushes back home for tea.



Even though Michael Schumacher contributed to this car, the Enzo Ferrari feels more dramatic and as precise like a F1 car which Ferrari draws their inspiration from. I still enjoy driving in one of these because it has some bittersweet memories with it, something that boggles my mind and my heart and I just can't forget how did the Enzo performs on the road ahead.


Now, on the LaFerrari though, the sleek aerodynamic design, the 7-speed double clutch gearbox, the V12 engine from the Ferrari F12, and the HY-KERS really worked its magic. It maybe messy at start but when things starting to come unraveled, the LaFerrari really lives up to the state as the king of Ferraris. When you unleash the full majesty of Ferrari's first-ever hybrid hypercar, you can really let this car do the talking for you.



After a whole session down at the TG Track, I have the results...

F40 - 1:19.692
F50 - 1:19.253
Enzo - 1:18:513
LaFerrari - 1:14.989

So, there you go, folks. The LaFerrari really is the King of Ferraris after all and when it comes to competition, looks like the P1 and the LaFerrari will surely want to bash against each other to see which hybrid supercar reign supreme in the world of Forza Motorsport 5.

Go ahead, give these hybrid hypercars a spin and when you hear the roar of the powerful engines combined with hum of the electric motor, you will surely never regret that both the P1 and LaFerrari really are the Big Bang Theory of motoring because even though they are classified are hybrids, you'll be dying to drive these two rival hypercars!

Forza 4 Head To Head: Track-day Ferrari ballers

Track-day Ferrari racers

I've already tested the F40, F50, and the Enzo Ferrari and I have to say that these hyper Ferraris really are nothing more than horses bolted with some blasters at their backs and they came faster than the announcer would speak who would have won the bet. What about these track-only versions?

The F40 Competizione, F50 GT, and the FXX, those three track-only stallions that you can't use it on the road and you can't race it on a particular race series? Those million dollar toys are hyper when it comes to speed and extremely brutal when you hear their exhaust notes. For me, I think it was the F50 GT because that noise really is the same as a baby crying uncontrollably. It reminded us like the baby we have in our home. E he he he....

Anyway, which one is the best? Let's start with the F40 Competizione.

The Competizione is a race-spec version of the F40, which only 10 units were made while the first two are dubbed as "F40 LM" and the remaining 8 being F40 Competizione. It was developed out of the Maranello car company's GTO Evoluzione project and it should theoretically have been suitable for a wide range of racing series. However, with the demise of Group B and sports car racing in crisis during the late 1980s, Ferrari customers were left with very few options for their cars. A lone F40 Competizione was on display at the Automobile Museum in Turin.

Across the line in 1:13.152.

Now, the F50 GT...

The GT version is a race-spec version of the F50 that should have been intended to use in the BPR Global GT Series but sadly, they didn't put it to production and only three cars were sold to the public; the prototype and two assembled specially for prominent customers. The 4.7 V12 engine produces about 750bhp of power and 519Nm of torque. It can go 0-60mph in 2.9 seconds and a top speed of 235mph.




The F50 GT crossed the line in 1:10.8.

And now, the FXX.


Based on the Enzo Ferrari, the FXX is a racing-spec version of the said car that has some of the new developments from Ferrari and its suppliers. Priced at $1.8 million, this car is allowed for special track-day use and after that, the owners are entitled to be briefed by Ferrari on the car's performance. Ferrari's sister company, Maserati, has developed a similar car, the MC12 Corsa.

It uses the same V12 as the Enzo but with increased size to 6.3L so it produces 800PS of power and 686Nm of torque. It also comes with other technological features such as traction control, anti-lock brakes, and a rear view camera in place of the rear view mirror because of the lack of the rear window.





In the Series 13 opener of Top Gear, Michael Schumacher, in The Stig's outfit, drove his special FXX (black without a stripe, having red trimmed wheels, matte rather than chrome exhaust tips, and his personal logo stitched on the racing seats) and lapped the Top Gear Test Track in 1:10.7, therefore resulting him to show himself in front of the audience and to Jeremy Clarkson.

Weird...it appears it did it in 1:13.315, less than the time set by Schumacher....Hmmmm....Is it because his FXX's different than the other FXX's?! Never mind...

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...

The most primeval supercar of all time

If you think that the Bugatti Veyron and the McLaren F1 are the ones to be remember for because of their top speed, well, sorry to disappoint but there is something way before these two were born.

Not quite good at the streets of London

This car is the genesis of the supercar marketing ploy, but in truth this is the world's fastest production car when it was launched in 1987 with a top speed of 201mph. Not 200mph but 201. 2-0-1 because the 1 is a very significant to command a certain German automaker that overtook Ferrari with the words "Get back in your box, know your place". The Ferrari F40 is as simple as a Bugatti Veyron but it's complexed. It is also the essence of the Ferrari petulance and passion. The Ferrari F40 was launched in 1987, as part of celebrating the brand's 40th anniversary and this is 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.

On the open roads, it's an epic long distance cruiser

The Ferrari F40 has it's own problems. The car's a bit too wide, the suspension's too hard, it clunks, the engine's too noisy, it causes much heat, the gearbox's too stiff, and the steering wheel's too sticky. Yes, it would be very problematic to drive the F40 at the urban roads (especially at the City Courses at Gran Turismo 5) but on the open road however, the Ferrari F40's starting to come alive. This F40 comes with a 2.9L V6 twin-turbo engine that produces 478BHP and it can go 0-60mph in 3.7 seconds. It may not sounds convincing in today's standards but the F40 is very light and it weighs about 1100kg thanks to the body that was composed of carbon-fiber and Kevlar. For such lightness comes with a price. There's no standard equipment on the F40! No carpets, no glovebox, only basic instruments, wind-up windows, piece of string for the door handles, and the only comfort are the air-condition and in the 1980's Italian air-conditioning doesn't work. This car is the genesis of the supercar marketing ploy. Take out everything and it costs more.

The most memorable Ferrari ever made...

This car is worth over 300,000 British Pounds Sterling when it came out in 1987 and this is made to be the most memorable sportscar adorned by most Ferrari fans but this became the template of the world's fastest sportscars such as the McLaren F1 in the 1990's and the Bugatti Veyron in the mid-2000's.

"Before the bomb went off, this car was worth over 300,000 Pounds. But now, it's a piece of roadside litter. Good though. No regrets. That was the right choice..." - James May, Top Gear