Rare Stuff Part 3

Holy sh*t factor in full effect for this one!  A genuine Ferrari F40 LM Edition.  Ferrari built exactly 19 of these…ever!  Of those 19, only 2 were made to the specs of this particular one.  These were made as a joint venture between the Maranello factory and Charles Pozzi SA, a Ferrari importer in France at the famous Michelotto Center, that had previously been responsible for several well known, competition level Ferrari’s.  This particular model was raced in the US in 1990 by several well known drivers of the day, and had a few podium finishes as well. 

Features include:  titanium connecting rods and 9:1 compression ratio pistons giving its twin turbocharged, intercooled engine a breathtaking 850 horsepower at 7,500 rpm. That translates into a top speed of 367 km per hour (228 mph).   Yours for only P.O.R.  P.O.R. is an achronym for the famous saying, “If you have to ask, you can’t afford it”!

Ferrari F40 LM

Ferrari F40 LM

Ferrari F40 LM

Ferrari F40 LM

Ferrari F40 LM Engine

This is the stuff I absolutely love – the truly rare vehicles.    My office at home (hell, my home in general!) is filled with posters, pictures, and memorabilia of cars and races that get me excited.  Stuff like the above F40 LM is what made me fall in love with cars when I was a toddler, and why I love the hobby today, and will love it till the day I die.   What’s more, I find it interesting,  how ahead of it’s time a car like this was.  If you posted a car today on any popular message board with titanium connecting rods, full carbon body, and 850 hp at 7500 rpm  , you would find guys oohing and ahhing for weeks.  Here we have a car that did it 19 years ago.  Not only that, but it still looks fresh, unique, and special today.  Sure, I understand that the cars we’re playing around with today didn’t start life as quarter million dollar dream machines, nor do we have hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of dollars available to mod them, but so what.  The forsight, dedication, and intelligence that it took to produce this machine then, is the same that drives us today.   I can’t help but think that the minds who conceived, built, and raced a car like the ones I posted today, are exactly like you and I.  They have a true passion for cars, that runs deep.  These are guys who built it because they could, and because deep down inside, they wanted the challenge.  They didn’t build it to brag to their friends about it – they built it because that is what they were put on the earth to do.  From the ownership perspective, I suspect alot of those who can afford to consider a car like these also has alot in common with those who read this blog.  They want to own something that transcends just being a car.  To them, and me, and hopefully to you,  something like this F40 LM is truly a work of art.  The man hours that went into R&D, production and assembly of the parts that make these even more special than a “standard” F40 is mind blowing to me.  That’s what attracted me to the car hobby all those years ago, and what continues to inspire me today.  I look at a car like this, and however briefly sad I might be that I can’t afford even one of the carbon body panels,  the anticipation and and inspiration to spend the winter months with my own projects, making them as good as my talent and wallet will allow is undeniable.

Hopefully you’re like me, and seeing cars like this one, or the Porsche’s and Ferrari’s I posted yesterday and today, is an inspiration to jump in the water with both feet.  Don’t spend the dreary winter wishing you could make your dream car happen – make it happen!

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