I am looking for my next project car. Would like to start with "reasonably" priced F40 - bare frame / fire damaged / accident damaged / poor condition in need of restoration - and do a full nut and bolt rebuild into a custom LM / GTE style F40 with full adjustable suspension, LM brakes, wider bodywork, roll cage, 3.6L, custom cams, big turbos and intercoolers, uprated radiator, stripped out interior etc. If anybody has any leads or knows of something that could work please let me know!
There is a lovely blue one looking for an owner in the UK, all that is needed is a VIN to make it authentic again! There lies the problem, the titles are worth far more than the smoking remains of any damaged examples these days, so all will be rebuilt, suitable donor cars for your needs no longer exist and that wont change anytime soon. There are a lot of people in the same hunt, and such cars when they do go up in smoke simply trade under the radar. You would be looking at £200k plus just for a pool of melted alloy and a few twisted rusty tubes. There is an alternative option though waiting in the wings, which should make an appearance in the next 12 months, so keep your eyes peeled for such when it comes to market.
No, a parallel for the F40. Much like the service GTO offer with their version of the 250 SWB. There are a few out their working on such concepts at the moment, to early to go into detail though on any of them. Most want to wait until there is something worth seeing first.
In theory - the frame would be fairly easy to fabricate and parts are readily available (if expensive) but it wouldn’t be a “real” F40 then and you’d be in murky waters legally..
I understand you have now been invited to join the online group, so more will be revealed there in due course.
its going to be a bitsa no matter how you slice it..... so you could probably start with a 308 frame, modify it appropriately, and then hang all the aftermarket and non-oem parts on it as you described.... then you will have started with a real ferrari frame, and even have an original reg tag if you wanted it.....it would just be a little dated.
Yes I think that is entirely possible. So the car would be registered as a heavily modified 308 with an F40 body, engine, gearbox etc? Would that raise a few eyebrows? Another option could be to fabricate a frame from scratch and use that but again how would you register the finished car and would it be legal? My preferred route would be to try to find a F40 project car and begin with that if possible but these could be other options if nothing comes up...
if you start with the 308 frame then at least you get around the legality issues - as you say, you just have a heavily modified 308 - and that 308 frame is going to be completely customized anyway, its an idea; given that i dont think you are going to find that f40 frame.
There are F40 frames out there but as "spare parts" - i.e not with a VIN or title. Would be fine for a track car but more complex here in the UK as a road car
Or any engine parts . I’m looking to compete a 3.6 Ltr engine without having to disassemble my current motor.
Ouch!! Hard to see if there is much that is actually salvageable on that! Hopefully bottom end of the engine, and some of the gearbox internals. Is this for sale?
Maybe you should check out this thread https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/f40-bodied-f355.430339/
The mag case of the box always seems to open up in that same point above the gear cluster when they go up in flames.
Ha! just realised that link is to my old thread. Our long term side project is not an F40 or even a replica of one, its not what the OP is looking for, its simply a homage to the LM for our own fun. Quite a few people have similar on the go now, as well as nice 288s based on stretched 308s
Why did you end that thread? Took it to private group on Facebook? why? Did I miss something? Where does it stand today? Asking for a friend. .
The thread was just getting too leggy over time with little to update, and a group of guys got together on facebook to help each other out with similar projects. Its progressing still but very much a side project so not a lot more to see. I will do a retrospective build thread when its finally up and running.