MikeyFIN
Competitor
Before we screw up the Apache threads with offtopic I thought this would be a proper topic and start of a thread here instead.
Fact is F40 was never intended to be a racecar per factory as the Rally B group got axed (because of Henri Toivonen and Italo-American Sergio Crestos death at Corsica) and sportscars was on the demise in road racing in general.
It was "just" a tribute to Enzo of his 40 yrs in the car biz and a opposite contender to Porsches 959 Hitech wonder.
It was not until the mid 90´s that privateers started asking about Factory support and firstly the Factory turned their backs because that car is a tube frame car wrapped in carbon sheets.
IMO If Ferrari would´ve gone the racecar route from day one it woulda been a Carbon monocoque. Just like (earlier) Alfa Romeo with their 33 TT12 made instead of a tube chassis a cast magnesium monocoque (safe???) provided by Campagnolo.
F40 was considered to be a Rally car, what a bastard idea in itself as they are 2wd´s and have no chance against the Porsche 959, Audi S1 or Lancia S4´s.
Even in LeMans the Porsche 959 put F40 on the backburner, still I like the F40 more than a 959 and have witnessed it on a racetrack but mustered only times a homemade C3 smallblock Vette could do... although the CSBin
question RPM´s more than the F40 and sports a Guldstrand upgrade plus a T-56 and some minor mod´s only (*minor in my eyes...).
But seeing it take of in full force on the Street was astonishing although I´ve been personally even in faster 4 door Malibus...or ElCaminos.
So the question of Ferrari asking Michelotto didn´t come from the request of Ferrari but the owners of F40´s who wanted to race and be competitive and especially after the production of F40 had ended.
A F40 had no chance against an McLaren. The 1995 LeMans just proves it when the F40 program was in full force and led by late Olofsson
and Della Noce.
One JJ Lehto made the fastest laps of the race at night...and F40 drivers faced a brick wall.
Some race results from the F40 years.
http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Downs/1403/90s.htm
And a F40 registry with race info
http://www.qv500.com/ferrarif40p7.php
Therefore IMO the F40 is one of the perfect 80´s icons...they´ve had more show than go.
MikeyFIN
Fact is F40 was never intended to be a racecar per factory as the Rally B group got axed (because of Henri Toivonen and Italo-American Sergio Crestos death at Corsica) and sportscars was on the demise in road racing in general.
It was "just" a tribute to Enzo of his 40 yrs in the car biz and a opposite contender to Porsches 959 Hitech wonder.
It was not until the mid 90´s that privateers started asking about Factory support and firstly the Factory turned their backs because that car is a tube frame car wrapped in carbon sheets.
IMO If Ferrari would´ve gone the racecar route from day one it woulda been a Carbon monocoque. Just like (earlier) Alfa Romeo with their 33 TT12 made instead of a tube chassis a cast magnesium monocoque (safe???) provided by Campagnolo.
F40 was considered to be a Rally car, what a bastard idea in itself as they are 2wd´s and have no chance against the Porsche 959, Audi S1 or Lancia S4´s.
Even in LeMans the Porsche 959 put F40 on the backburner, still I like the F40 more than a 959 and have witnessed it on a racetrack but mustered only times a homemade C3 smallblock Vette could do... although the CSBin
question RPM´s more than the F40 and sports a Guldstrand upgrade plus a T-56 and some minor mod´s only (*minor in my eyes...).
But seeing it take of in full force on the Street was astonishing although I´ve been personally even in faster 4 door Malibus...or ElCaminos.
So the question of Ferrari asking Michelotto didn´t come from the request of Ferrari but the owners of F40´s who wanted to race and be competitive and especially after the production of F40 had ended.
A F40 had no chance against an McLaren. The 1995 LeMans just proves it when the F40 program was in full force and led by late Olofsson
and Della Noce.
One JJ Lehto made the fastest laps of the race at night...and F40 drivers faced a brick wall.
Some race results from the F40 years.
http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Downs/1403/90s.htm
And a F40 registry with race info
http://www.qv500.com/ferrarif40p7.php
Therefore IMO the F40 is one of the perfect 80´s icons...they´ve had more show than go.
MikeyFIN
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