The Ferrari F40 is a rock star among the world’s supercars, and the one offered at Auction America’s California sale also has the provenance of being owned by an actual rock star.
The 1990 F40 is known in California collector-car circles as the “Rod Stewart Car” because of its former ownership by the legendary rock ‘n roll singer and car enthusiast, who had the groundbreaking Ferrari among his collection.
With just 7,900 miles on its odometer, the F40 is being offered at Auction America’s sale in Burbank with an estimate value of $1 million to $1.3 million. That puts it in the value range reported in Sports Car Market’s current price guide, so the auction company might not be expecting much of a bump from the Rod Stewart connection.
But with prices leaping in recent years for special Ferraris, as well as those of collector cars with celebrity connections, anything’s possible.
The F40, first produced in 1987, was designed to compete with Lamborghini’s radical Countach and Porsche’s powerful 959. It was the final Ferrari designed under the leadership of Enzo Ferrari before his death in 1988, and with the expressed goal of beating the supercar competition in style and performance.
With a twin-turbo V8 that produced a reported 478 horsepower and a curb weight for the carbon-fiber missile of just 2,400 pounds, the F40 became the first production car to break the 200 mph barrier, recording an official top speed of 201.4 mph.
The car’s aggressively aerodynamic styling became an iconic expression of mid-engine supercar design.
Total production of the F40 was 1,311 cars, more than three times the original goal because of strong demand, with just 213 of them imported to the United States. The original price tag was a stunning $400,000.
The “Rod Stewart Car” is chassis number 86746 and was the 60th of the cars with U.S. specification.
The F40 has been fully serviced with all factory maintenance, including a timing-belt change, according to Auctions America, and is ready to be put back on the road. The Ferrari comes complete with its original factory F40 luggage set, all books and manuals, factory tool roll, tire inflator and car cover.
The California Auction will be held July 31-August 2 at the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport hotel.
I’m confused. I know that Rod Stewart had a yellow F40. And “American Spec”? Was this Rod’s other F40 he kept in L.A? Then it would be “a Rod Stewart F40”, not “”THE” Rod Stewart F40″. If he had two F40’s, this is the lesser of the two.
Thanks for your comment, Johnny. This car is simply referred to locally as “The Rod Stewart Car.” No one is claiming that it is his only Ferrari
. And yes, American specifications.