08/30/2021 4:57 PM
Clarín.com
Cars
Updated 08/30/2021 4:57 PM
The Ferrari F40 is among the 7 most iconic models from the Maranello house.
Its launch in 1987 caused such a sensation among fans of the brand that a waiting list had to be drawn up.
It was a very special sports car for Ferrari, although very few know of the existence of a version of the
F40 with an automatic transmission
as standard.
The Ferrari F40 was conceived to celebrate 40 years of the
Prancing Horse
and was the model with which
Don Enzo Ferrari
said goodbye to his sports car empire.
Between 1987 and 1992,
1,311 units
of the F40 were produced.
It was a model that enhanced all the attributes of a Ferrari.
It had a 2.9-liter V8 engine with 478 horsepower
that allowed it to reach
324 km / h
of maximum speed and accelerate from 0 to 100 km / h in just 4 seconds.
Official presentation of the Ferrari F40, on July 21, 1987, in Maranello, Italy.
A different specimen, but not the only one
The Ferrari F40 is one of the models most sought after by sports car lovers.
In fact, there were units that were auctioned for
more than
1.5 million dollars
, including one that belonged to former Formula 1 driver Gerhard Berger.
Despite this he had two unique specimens;
on the one hand, a black one commissioned by Diego Maradona;
and on the other, one with an automatic gearbox
owned by Giovanni Agnelli
, former Fiat boss between 1966 and 1996.
Christened the
Ferrari F40 Valeo
, this clutch pedal-free model rolled off the production line in 1989 at the special request of Agnelli, better known as
l'Avvocato
.
Ferrari F40 automatic, without the clutch pedal.
And although at that time 50% of Ferrari already belonged to Fiat, the order was not by a whim of Agnelli, but by a necessity caused as a result of a car accident that made it impossible for him to press the clutch pedal hard.
For this special order, Ferrari turned to the French company
Valeo
to work on the adaptation of the automatic transmission.
The funny thing is that at first glance there was no change whatsoever.
The selector was the same as any other 5-speed F40, but not its operation since Valeo
replaced the conventional clutch with an electronic one
.
This mechanical solution that
completely eliminated the third pedal
was equipped with a control unit that engaged and disengaged the clutch in less than 100 milliseconds.
They were not the only changes.
The Agnelli F40 was also characterized by having
black leather upholstery
, replacing the traditional red ones.
Giovanni Agnelli sold this unique specimen with only 600 kilometers on its odometer.
Another curiosity was that when he sold it, the F40 had traveled no more than
600 kilometers
.
In its 32 years it only had three owners: Giovanni Agnelli himself, a second who bought it at a dealer in Turin and the current one, who acquired it 13 years ago.
The question is, knowing that it is a very difficult figurine to obtain and that collectors are willing to pay fortunes for any standard model, what would its auction price be?
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