FERRARI

Rare model of the brand valued at 370,000 thousand Euros turns to ashes

It is always with sadness, especially for fans of super sports cars with a history, that a preciousness like the Ferrari F40 fades into smoke. Only 1315 units were manufactured (some say 1311), few, but much more than the 400 initially planned - such is the popularity of the model -, which explains why a specimen in good condition may be worth around 1.2 million today euros, a price much higher than what was required in new (around 370,000 euros). And it was exactly 1.2 million that the proud driver of an F40 has seen disappear in the streets of Monaco.
Part of the success of the F40 is due to the fact that we are facing an approved competition car for driving on public roads. Manufactured between 1987 and 1992, the body in carbon fiber, kevlar and aluminum allowed it to gain weight and give it an air (and not only) of a race car. The front hood opens like a racing car, as does the rear, where Ferrari houses the mechanics. This is made up of an impressive 2.9 V8 with double turbocharger, placed in the rear central position. Capable of delivering 478 hp, which responds to the accelerator's demands in a harsh, if not brutal, way, the supercharged V8 is coupled to a five-speed manual gearbox, also an example of precision and race.
The F40 was driving through the streets of Monaco, close to the tunnel entrance to the Formula 1 circuit, when the Ferrari driver would have been surprised by the flames and smoke coming from the rear hood, where the V8 is. The causes of the accident are not known, but in an “old man” car with two turbos, an oil or gas leak, which falls on the exhaust pipes - extremely hot and short, as the engine is back there, is enough for everything to change on a gigantic (and expensive) barbecue.
When he saw a sports car of this type disappear in minutes, one of the residents of the building next to which the Ferrari gave his soul to the creator tried to counter the violence of the flames. The man, on the balcony of the 1st floor, still tried to extinguish the flames with a garden hose, with a small flow of water. But without success.
There are two videos, separated by a matter of minutes, impressing the evolution of the flames between one and the other. Despite the loss, which leads the one who appears to be the driver of the Ferrari (and potentially the owner) to raise his arms in despair, this sad case reminds us that not only electric cars burn for no apparent reason, with experts pointing out that cases involving models with a gasoline engine are even more frequent.

Autonews