[ATTACH]
Do it! Can't go wrong with having two V8TTs in the garage. The Pista you spec'd is fantastic and would go great with the analog F40.
I’ve reached out to Joe for a possible late summer purchase but I need to educate myself better on them. One question I have being a Dallas resident....is the air conditioner worth anything? If not is there an upgrade? I hate boiling hot drives!
Funny you mention that. I was thinking of commenting on the F40's ac being we were in FL. It was the best ac of any car I can recall. It was ice cold. I think some black foam material part of the dash that was old would throw some small bits with the fan high. Might need to ask Simon about that in case my memory faded on that and I'm confusing it with another old car. I do recall the headliner sagging due to age but that's an easy fix.
the ac in the f40 has sometimes been described as being as efficient as two hamsters chewing on ice cubes and blowing air through straws at you. its terrible. however, it can probably be improved, especially if you dont mind never going through classiche - i certainly dont. but joe will know more about this. the other thing i find annoying about the car is that i think exhaust fumes can get into the cabin. i may be wrong about this, but it sure seems like it. whenever i have driven it on a trip for several hours, i start to feel odd. but that may be because of the noise, the heat, the odd seating and steering wheel angles, the racing straps pinning me to the seat as well. not trying to put you off the car, but it is not a casual ride.
Lol that's funny being it's the opposite of my experience. However I have only ever been in that particular F40 and only a handful of times vs countless for you as an owner. I do wonder if there is a difference in ac systems for US cars vs Euro though. Hope someone can answer that. The electric seat belts were kinda funny.
yes i noticed our contradictory experiences ! well it is entirely possible that my ac needs to be worked on - i will most likely find that out very soon since it is due to arrive in houston July 2......not exactly a cool period in the lone star state. what i prefer about my euro f40, (and my euro 512tr), is that i dont have those stupid mousebelt things. i swapped out the regular belts on the f40 for a willans harness tho, so those keep you pinned down pretty snugly.
Hey Mark, whenever you are ready, I've got you covered with multiple choices, owning an F40 will be very special, there may be faster and more expensive cars nowadays, but nothing compares to the acceleration experience of the F40, except for, well, nothing. The first time you go full-boost in your own F40 will be a religious experience. No need for an upgrade if it's a USA F40, the AC is stellar in that variant. Correct, the AC in a USA F40 is really good, the proviso being that it is working correctly and is fully-charged. The AC in the Eu/ROW F40 does not appear to be as good, I don't know why, but properly maintained it can be made to work reasonably well, that said I would stay away from any upgrade attempts, lots of time & money and the net result is a marginal gain IMO, just make your AC work as best as it can.
is the USA model ac completely different? can i just get the usa equipment and have it installed? is it a unit that was made for some other car so that i dont have to pay stupid horsey prices for it?
As I said above, I don't know (someone has to research this) but I do know from having owned 3 different USA F40s over the past few decades and driven in innumerable others that the USA F40's AC is ice cold, when working. That said, I have heard others complain about the ROW/Euro F40's AC, so I'm assuming the USA car's unit is better.
Very interesting information, pushes me definitely towards a USA spec if it holds true. Is the cabin fan stronger in the US car maybe? Larger compressor? Ross, do you have the original exhaust and if so could that be the possible source of your cabin leaks? I certainly HOPE it’s not a casual ride lol! The seat belt mouse track I’m used to as I have one in my 512TR...but i like Ross’s setup better for sure, oh well you can’t have everything. I keep seeing the “adjustable vs non adjustable” descriptors come up. What is this? In the real world how does this affect the cars driveailibty? I assume the cars that were US spec all came with cats? Thanks guys!
The USA F40 keeps it simple for you - they all came from the factory as non-adjustable suspension, so you don't have to worry abut this. USA F40s came with cats, but as many have done, these are easily eliminated and replaced with connecting pipes to which a sports exhaust (Tubi) can be added - hello flames.
i do not have the original exhaust (wish i did). it is fitted with a tubi - which makes it sound much better. mine is a 90, so i think it is non-cat, non adjust. you dont want the adjustable suspension because it never worked well anyway.
Thanks Ross. I have seen some YouTube videos with the Tubi exhaust, and agree it sounds much much better, so that would be my path as well. Joe, can you send me some possible prospects along through PM without revealing where they are so I can get a handle on options and pricing? Thanks guys, super stoked about this (even more than the Pista if that’s possible).
we have hijacked this thread, so i will get it back on track with this.......a photo of my f40 luggage when i received it (and you guys take your discussion to email or another thread ) Image Unavailable, Please Login
I wondered about the AC comment as well. Looking at the parts catalogue, the mechanicals are identical between USA and non-USA. The only USA specific parts are cosmetic ones the fascia. https://www.ferrariparts.co.uk/PagesExternal/ViewExploded.aspx?PageID=4197 Re adjustable vs non-adjustable, these refer to the suspension lifter, available as an option on the later cars (1992). I have had both versions, and I would say that in pothole and speed hump laden UK, the adjustable is very useful. Without it I would have to the scout the route in advance. Really depends on the area you live in /use the car. There is much written about the lack of reliability of the adjustable suspension. My experience is that once you get it properly working and use it correctly, it works well as mine did for the 7 years I owned it. So best to check for proper operation before buying. Finally, I have never felt a handling difference between the two version, either on the road or on the track, even at the limit. I now have a non-adjust car and it gets used on more carefully planned trips. I find ferry ramps, driveways etc manageable if taken at the correct angle, but still occasionally bottom out on unexpected bumps on smaller roads at speed. Can be quite unpleasant.
I suspected this may be the case, perhaps the significant number USA cars I've been exposed to were well-maintained F40s which have all had ACs that work well, so this means the Eu/ROW cars have ACs that can be made to work as well.
As Ross says, let's get back to the photos. Here's one from our recent tour with 6 cars in Italy. Passing trucks on winding mountain roads requires some thought as it is never a great idea to wake the turbos mid manoeuvre. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Sorry for the crappy quality. These are old scans of photos I took about 20 years ago. The LM photos are from Thanksgiving weekend 1999 at the Orlando Convention Center for their annual car show for manufacturers to display cars. FoCF had that out there. I can't read the s/n on the white board next to it due to quality, but does anyone know if it is one of the actual 19 Michelotto LMs or some other LM-like car? They had an F50 too one year if not that one (euro one). I need to try to find that photo. Bottom scanned photograph is of 88451. I only know the s/n as I saved other photos that are not mine when it was up for auction...repo auction or something. I took that photo in Mt.Dora, FL I think in 1999 as well. Gerd Petrik had his F50 there the same year or following one along with his 911 GT1, CLK GTR, and XJ220. I have those photos in storage. I went to the Mt. Dora festival of exotic cars only 2 years and then a few years later when it was in Celebration...I assume it's the same event as the name was identical. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Not my photo, but it's my dream Fcar garage. F40 LM, F50 GT, and 288 Evo (behind the LM). Oh yeah, and throw in the 1 of 1 CLK LM street car too next to the F50 GT. Collection is now broken apart and scattered all over the world. Image Unavailable, Please Login
