Cough up $ 1.6m . . . before you get behind the wheel
It costs a staggering $ 1.6 million, but prospective new owners of a 1989 Ferrari won’t have the chance to test drive the world- famous car before signing on the dotted line. Auckland’s Continental Cars has an immaculate model of this beautiful 324km/ h beast for sale. But, you can forget about asking for a cheeky test drive around the city — this car is so rare no insurance company will cover you for just a day. “The risks are . . . no one will underwrite that. The only time it’s insured for us is when we’re doing work on the vehicle and then it’s under our public liability,” senior sales executive Robert Pegg said.
“You’re not buying it because it can go 200mph, you’re buying it because it’s a piece of history.”
Lauded by Jeremy Clarkson as the greatest supercar ever, petrolheads consider the Ferrari F40 the masterpiece by which all other cars are measured.
Capable of 324km/ h, this t winturbocharged, V8 icon is one of only 1315 models ever made. So soughtafter by collectors, it’s rare for one of these to ever be on the international market, let alone to be on sale in New Zealand.
“It is what dreams are made of. It would be the car most people say ‘ If I win the lottery, I’ll come back and get it’. That gets bandied around a lot in our showroom,” Pegg said. With just 20,300km on the clock, it’s one of the best examples of the vehicle anywhere, a road rocket which goes from 0- 100km/ h in 4.1 seconds.
Pegg is one of the lucky few to have driven an F40. And if you want to join that elite club, you’re going to have to buy it.
“I’ve driven it for a little bit. It’s pretty hard work. There’s no systems or anything — no power steering, no ABS, nothing like that. It’s not your average road car,” Pegg said. In fact, there’s no satellite navigation, airbags, carpets, stereo and certainly no cup holder. You wind the windows down by hand and the interior door “handle” is a piece of cable. But, who cares about that when you can be the envy of petrolheads all over the world? Pegg understands there’s only one other F40 in the country. Tauranga- based former AC/ DC drummer, Phil Rudd, is a known F40 owner.
“It’s an iconic piece of motoring history. That’s what you’re buying.
“When I was a kid it was the car, it was the one in magazines people would read about and go ‘ wow, that’s amazing’. I remember the first time I saw one, I had the same expression as if I’d just seen an alien. It was just ‘ oh my God’.
“Our doors are open to everyone, we welcome anyone to have a look. Come in and dream.”
According to records, the car was brought into New Zealand from the UK in September 2011 and is owned by Cdt Nordschleife. Trustees could not be contacted for comment.