It could reach a top speed of 324 km/h (201 mph), going from 0-200 km/h in 12 seconds. Its chic red chassis was featured in films such as Gone in 60 Seconds, The Taking of Beverly Hills and even Jamiroquai's video Cosmic Girl.
Al Pacino may have snubbed the car in Scent of a Woman, but enthusiasts are celebrating 30 years since it was launched onto the market.
The F40's nearly 3000 cc engine reached potential horsepower of 478. Kevlar panels, plastic windows and a host of other unique features meant the vehicle was a pioneer in the field of luxury sports cars at the time.
"I have never experienced a presentation like that of the F40," Ermanno Bonfiglioli, who at the time was in charge of special projects and thus the F40s unprecedented engine, recalls in Corriere dello Sport.
"When the cloth was removed from the car, the room was percolated by a gentle buzz, followed by a thunderous applause. No one, if not the close collaborators of Enzo Ferrari, had yet seen the car," adds Bonfiglioli.
If the car's 20th birthday at Silverstone are anything to go by, the celebrations for its 30th could be big. In 2007 40 F40s marked the car's birthday at the Silverstone Classic, at Silverstone motor racing course in the UK.
Only 1337 F40s have been produced in total, according to Repubblica, since 1987. A 1989 F40 sold at auction at Sotheby's in 2016 for more than €1 million.
The F40 was succeeded by the F50, which was released to mark 50 years since the birth of Ferrari. The 125S was the first-ever Ferrari released onto the market by Enzo Ferrari and his team in 1947.
For all the F40s charm, its technological strengths were surpassed by subsequent models. As Ferrari's founder once said: "The best Ferrari is the one that has yet to be built."
Download the brochure for the F40 in Italian, English French and German here or see Ferrari's current profile here. The Ferrari Museum, on the former Ferrari construction site at Maranello, also has more information on the F40 and the legendary sports car makers.
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