Well-appointed custom Ferrari F40 set to sell for nearly $10M

Out of over 1,300 Ferrari F40 supercars made, only 19 were built to the track-only LM spec (see video). This production batch was supervised by legendary motorsports engineer Giuliano Michelotto. RM Sotheby’s will be offering the car number 14 from this batch for sale at Monterey in mid-August. It left the factory in 1993 and is poised to bring the seller between $8.5 and 9.5 million.

The listing attributes the idea of creating an endurance racer out of the F40 to Daniel Marin, one of the largest French importers of Ferrari vehicles back at the time. Michelotto, who had taken part in many race car conversion projects, proposed a set of modifications to the car that the Italian automaker later approved.

The biggest changes occurred in the engine department. The stock 2.9-liter V8 of the mass-produced F40 model churned out 478 PS (471 hp / 352 kW), but Michelotto decided it needed a lot more. The IMSA racing variant ended up with 720 PS (710 hp / 530 kW), while the Le Mans car was originally envisioned with 760 PS (750 hp / 560 kW) under the hood. The car on sale has that exact V8 installed, and is considered the most powerful F40 ever sanctioned by Ferrari.

In addition to the powertrain overhaul, Michelotto tuned the suspension to reduce the road clearance and upgraded the brakes. He also devised a whole new aero kit for the model, landing it with a lightweight hood and a large rear wing, among other things. The interior was reworked for compliance with the regulations.

This particular car had taken part in many races and changed owners multiple times, but the listing fails to mention any notable victories. Ferrari issued it a Classiche certificate of authenticity back in 2009. Earlier this year, it underwent large-scale maintenance that cost the owner around $67,000.