FERRARI F40

‘The comments of owners and specialists all add to this extensive review, along with test quotes presented with magazine covers’

Be warned: if you buy this in-depth focus on the sensational Ferrari F40, any yearning you may have to drive one will be amplified. Chapter five focuses on the experiences of lucky owners, headed by Nick Mason, who collected his car from the factory in 1988. “Of all the road cars I have driven, including the Ferrari 250GTO and Mclaren F1 GTR, I still find it the most exciting because it is so raw,” concludes the Pink Floyd drummer. Those views echo throughout this 240-page, largeformat book by Ferrari authority Keith Bluemel.

The main story opens with an extensive interview with Nicola Materazzi, the key engineer behind the F40’s design. His automotive career began at Lancia working under Francesco De Virgilio. Materazzi recalls the development of the 288GTO Evoluzione for Group B, the termination of that project leading to the idea of a new turbocharged road car. “I was reluctant about the F40 proposal, but only accepted it because Enzo allowed me to progress on my own without wasting time in meetings,” recalls the project manager. At the end of the first discussion Enzo wrote in his diary: ‘Materrazzi; no pain in the ass.’ The F40’s sign-off was one of the last decisions directly taken by the frail Il Commendatore.

The book covers the Michelotto-built prototypes and modifications made by Dino Cognolato’s body shop in Vigonza, which caused problems with stylist Pininfarina who demanded body badges be removed during testing.

There’s also an exhaustive review of the F40’s racing history, including LM and GTE versions, and the appendix includes a 40-page list of results, from Jean Alesi’s 1989 IMSA debut at Laguna Seca to the 2006 Britcar Championship. Also featured is Amir Rosenbaum’s 2006 Bonneville record attempt, which at 221mph just fell short of the Blown Modified Grand Touring Sports record.

The comments of owners and specialists, including Bob Houghton, Ian Barkaway and James Cottingham, all add to this extensive review. Other neat touches are magazine road test quotes presented in a section with contemporary covers.

‘We recommend first-gear blasts in an F40 as the drug of choice for the 1990s,’ said Car & Driver. ‘It’s certainly expensive enough,’ Mel Nichols wrote in his ’88 scoop test at Fiorano for Autocar, while Sport Auto summed up the supercar icon: ‘The F40 is the anti-959 par excellence.’

The layout, by C&SC contributor Martin Port, makes dramatic use of the wealth of 400-plus photos. With fascinating production-line shots and technical illustrations, every aspect is vividly presented. Marque specialist DK Engineering has recently set impressive standards with in-house photography and Bluemel cleverly taps into its promotional work for special F40s, including the matt-grey chassis 91283, one of eight bought by the Brunei Royal Family.

This well-priced book is the ideal celebration of an iconic Maranello supercar. MW

£69 Keith Bluemel, Porter Press International. ISBN 9781913089429