Monday marked the first day of a new chapter for Formula 1’s seven-time world champion driver, Lewis Hamilton. Though word of Lewis’ movement to Maranello is old news at this point, his arrival at Ferrari’s headquarters at Via Enzo Ferrari 27 is definitely noteworthy. And, the official photo from Scuderia Ferrari HP shows a finely tailored Lewis standing next to an equally fine Ferrari F40 that is reportedly Hamilton’s favorite Ferrari. Nice flex.
At Ferrari, the “First Day” practice for new drivers is a bit of a tradition, seeing Hamilton head to the Fiorano house and pit garage, Enzo Ferrari’s historic office, a meeting with team management and Piero Ferrari, not to mention all the departments of the team. Technical meetings and briefings begin tomorrow. Undoubtedly, Ferrari is a marque steeped in heritage, and these traditions are part of the experience.
“There are some days that you know you’ll remember forever and today, my first as a Scuderia Ferrari HP driver, is one of those days. I’ve been lucky enough to have achieved things in my career I never thought possible, but part of me has always held on to that dream of racing in red. I couldn’t be happier to realise that dream today,” says Hamilton. “Today we start a new chapter in the history of this iconic team, and I can’t wait to see what story we will write together.“
Ultimately, we’re curious if Hamilton follows another Ferrari tradition. Last week we reported on a very special car that was the first company car for the only other seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher. Ahead of Schumacher’s first season with Ferrari, he’d ordered a very special 355 GTS tailored to his specifications. RM Sotheby’s currently is planning to sell the car in the very near future (MORE HERE).
So, will Lewis Hamilton spec his own tailored Ferrari company car? We know outgoing Ferrari F1 driver Carolos Sainz did, and we’re eager to see what Sir Lewis dreams up.
We’ve found a new set of photos posted by All-Star RADwood Facebook Group member Dave Skulman depicting photos of Ferraris from Brunei royal family collection and notably F40s with a few F50s thrown in. Skulman shared the shots along with some itemization, and we saw that as a good reason to make a post documenting them as best we can through some research and a very informative video from Car Throttle. So, with this post we’re going to focus on the F40s and link all the sources. We’ll also update this as further information is collected or shared with us. If you have a tip, drop it below in the comments.
First is the Skulman post from earlier today. It appears embedding isn’t available for it, so we’ll link it HERE. The associated shots seem to be from one of the many holding buildings that has housed the Brunei collection over the years. We’ve heard rumors of these buildings not being HVAC controlled, and further that this tends to see the cars degrade in condition where they sit. Based on some of the mold seen on the interiors, it suggests these rumors are correct and that the damp air isn’t helping these cars any.
Even still, by piecing together these photos and the details outlined in the post and in the CarThrottle video posted above, we’ve done our best to identify each car.
So, let’s begin with a brief history. The Ferrari F40 (type F120) was a mid-engined rear-wheel-drive sportscar built from 1987-1992, with LM race versions built until 1994 and GTE specification race cars extending to 1996.
The car was named F40 to celebrate Ferrari’s 40th Anniversary, and only 400 units planned to be sold at a price of approximately $400,000 U.S.. In the end, 1,311 to 1,315 were built with 213 going to the USA. Power came from a high-revving 2.9-liter version of the turbocharged V8 from evolved from the 288 GTO. The Pininfarina-designed body was made of kevlar, carbon fiber and aluminum, and each one was painted Rosso Corsa, with red fabric interior and left-hand drive steering configuration. Ferrari didn’t deviate. While some of these cars have been repainted over the years, all of the cars were produced in identical spec when new.
Enter the Sultan of Brunei. Known for perhaps the most lavish car collection the world has ever seen, the infamous dictator loaded with oil wealth amassed over 2,500 vehicles many of which were the embodiment of an appetite for the most extreme funded by unlimited resources. The Brunei royal family’s collection was said to include cars like Zonda-powered Mercedes-Benz S-Class station wagons, four-door and long roof Ferraris, Jaguar XJ220s, one-off Bentley Java road cars, Bentley SUVs built long before any Bentayga ever existed, McLaren F1s and of course many, many other Ferraris including a large mix of F40s (source: WhichCar.com.au)
Relevant to this story, the Ferrari F40 LM was produced as a series of racing cars by Michelotto, the same Paduan firm that had produced the Ferrari GTO Evolution and had produced parts for the road cars. 19 cars were produced.
Worth noting, much of the information about the Brunei royal family’s F40s comes from Paulo Garella. Garella was Pinifarina’s Prototype Manager in the 1990s and was in charge of tailoring most of the F40s they had. His account is critical to this mix. So, let’s dig into what we know.
Following their procurement, most of these cars were sent to Pininfarina where Garella and his team set about their customization. Seven were road cars, each fitted with leather interiors and comfort seats sourced from the Ferrari 512 TR parts bin. Each were also fitted with air conditioning, radio, electric windows and adjustable tilt steering wheel. Several were also said to be fitted with freer flowing exhaust and ECU flash to augment power from a peak 428 lb-ft. to 480 lb-ft, though which cars received the performance upgrades is unclear.
Most were converted to right-hand drive. These included a gloss black over black leather, emerald green over green leather, forest green over black leather, Rosso Corsa over black leather and gloss white over black leather. Two of these seven cars reportedly remained left hand drive as they came from the factory, but received similar tailoring and interior changes. These were said to include a matt black over black leather and grey over black leather, however photos from today’s post confirm the matt black car is right hand drive.
Beyond these seven, there were two F40 LMs. One was left in its original Rosso Corsa and remained largely original. The other was resprayed in black with distinctive red stripe around the beltline. The latter is also believed to have been in an accident while on a test drive during its time at Pininfarina, but it was reportedly repaired before being delivered.
Built before Paolo’s time in his position at Pininfarina were two other earlier F40s. Both were converted to right-hand drive. The first was yellow with black leather interior and the second was painted matte grey with grey leather interior and fitted with comfort seats from the Testarossa rather than the 512TR like the later cars. This car also featured a red stripe around the beltline.
Here’s a breakdown of what we know of each car. Given there’s no conclusive list that we’ve yet found, we’re piecing this together largely based on the original Facebook post we found this morning and comparing that to the previous CarThrottle video that contained all but one of the cars. If you have a source for further information, drop us a note below in the comments and we’ll update this list.
F40 #1 – F40, Gloss Black / Black, RHD
Specification: F40 Road Car VIN: Unknown Registration Plate: Color: Gloss Black (Resprayed by Pininfarina, Paolo Garella Era) Modifications & History: Right-hand drive, Full leather interior with 512TR comfort seats, power windows, and radio. We have no photo of this car at this time.
F40 #2 – F40, Green / Green, RHD
Specification: F40 Road Car VIN: Unknown Registration Plate: BP77 Color: Emerald Green (Resprayed by Pininfarina, Paolo Garella Era) Modifications & History: Right-hand drive, Full leather interior with 512TR comfort seats, power windows, and radio (radio missing in photo). Car is listed as “emerald green” by CarThrottle but appears to be darker in these photos shot in admittedly dark lighting.
F40 #3 – F40, Green / Black, RHD
Specification: F40 Road Car VIN: Unknown Registration Plate: Color: Forest Green (Resprayed by Pininfarina, Paolo Garella Era) Modifications & History: Right-hand drive, Full leather interior with 512TR comfort seats, power windows, and radio. We have no photo of this car at this time.
F40 #4 – F40, Rosso Corsa / Black, RHD
Specification: F40 Road Car VIN: Unknown Registration Plate: Unknown Color: Rosso Corsa (Possibly Original from Factory, Paolo Garella Era) Modifications & History: Right-hand drive, Full leather interior with Testarossa (listed as 512TR by Car Throttle) comfort seats, power windows, and radio. Photos also show hole in front bumper.
F40 #5 – F40, Gloss White / Black, RHD
Specification: F40 Road Car VIN: Unknown Registration Plate: BP8883 Color: Gloss White (Resprayed by Pininfarina, Paolo Garella Era) Modifications & History: Right-hand drive, Full leather interior with 512TR comfort seats, power windows, and radio.
F40 #6 – F40, Silver / Black, RHD
Specification: F40 Road Car VIN: Unknown Registration Plate: BM7878 Color: Silver (Resprayed, likely by Pininfarina) Modifications & History: Right-hand drive, Full leather interior with 512TR comfort seats. This car is not in the CarThrottle video inventory but shows up in this photo set and with specification similar to other Paolo Garella Era RHD cars.
F40 #7 – F40, Charcoal Grey / Black, LHD
Specification: F40 Road Car VIN: Unknown Registration Plate: BM8686 Color: Charcoal Grey Matt (Resprayed by Pininfarina, Paolo Garella Era) Modifications & History: Left-hand drive with red beltline stripe, Full leather interior with Testarossa comfort seats, power windows, and radio. This car is listed as
F40 #8 – F40, Matt Black, RHD
Specification: F40 Road Car VIN: Unknown Registration Plate: Unknown Color: Matt Black (Resprayed probably by Pininfarina) Modifications & History: Left-hand drive according to CarThrottle and right-hand drive according to RADwood post inventory and photos. Full leather interior with 512TR comfort seats, power windows, and radio.
F40 #9 – F40 LM, Gloss Black, RHD
Specification: F40 LM VIN: 88523 Registration Plate: KF7899 Color: Black (Resprayed by Pininfarina) Modifications & History: Right-hand drive with leather interior including Tesstarossa-style comfort seats, radio, and power windows.
F40 #10 – F40 LM, Rosso Corsa / Red Fabric, LHD
Specification: F40 LM VIN: 92237 Registration Plate: Color: Rosso Corsa (Original from Factory) Modifications & History: Largely remained original from factory. This car was reportedly acquired by UK Ferrari dealer John Collins who sourced it for the Brunei royal family but it never made it to Brunei and was resold. We have no photos of this car at this time.
F40 #11 – F40, Matt Grey, RHD
Specification: F40 Road Car VIN: 91283 Registration Plate: BM8383, (Unknown in UK) Color: Matt Grey (Resprayed by Pininfarina, Prior to Paolo Garella Era) Modifications & History: Right-hand drive with red beltline stripe, grey leather interior with Testarossa-style comfort seats. It has since been exported to the UK by Ferrari dealer John Collins. In the early 2000s it was painted back to Rosso Corsa and fitted with LM seats in red fabric, then in 2018 was painted back to matte grey by DK engineering and retained the red cloth interior.
F40 #12 – F40, Yellow / Black, RHD
Specification: F40 Road Car VIN: Unknown Registration Plate: Color: Yellow (Resprayed by Pininfarina, Prior to Paolo Garella Era) Modifications & History: Right-hand drive, Full leather interior with unconfirmed specification comfort seats, power windows, and radio. It was never shipped to Brunei and kept in the UK for the use of the Brunei royal family when in England. This car was also later resold by UK Ferrari dealer John Collins and was later changed back to Rosso Corsa and fitted with red cloth interior as it would have come from the factory. It remains right-hand drive. We have no photos of this car at this time.
If you’re headed to Monterey Car Week, one auction car you definitely shouldn’t miss is Lot #362 at RM Sotheby’s, one very unusual 1991 Ferrari F40. Dubbed “Minty 40” for obvious reasons, the color is Verde Pallido also famously sprayed on a Ferrari 250 GTO for Stirling Moss and raced in the 1962 24 Hours of Le Mans by Innes Ireland and Masten Gregory.
Okay, so technically it’s a respray. Chassis number ZFFGJ34B000088538 was originally built in Rosso Cross over a red Staffa Vigogna interior. It was involved in an accident, requiring it to be repaired (which is detailed in the RM Sotheby’s synopsis below. Given it wasn’t in as-delivered condition any longer, its most recent owner decided to change things up into the car you see here. And now that this last owner is ready to move on, the car will be auctioned off later this week during Monterey Car Week.
Check out more photos and details on the car via the RM Sotheby’s link HERE. We’ve also reprinted the RM Sotheby’s written description of the car below, and added a few photos. Even more photos and supporting documents are available via the RM Sotheby’s link.
1991 Ferrari F40 ‘Minty 40’
[source: RM Sotheby’s]
The “Minty Forty,” a spectacular, utterly unique interpretation of the iconic F40
Finished in homage to chassis 3505 GT, the Verde Pallido Ferrari 250 GTO famously built for Stirling Moss
European-market example retaining its matching-numbers engine and gearbox
Reproduced in exacting scale form by Amalgam; accompanied by an example of this limited-production model
A truly one-of-a-kind supercar, sure to cause a sensation wherever it goes
Addendum: Please note that due to California emissions, this vehicle must be sold to a dealer or out-of-state resident.
There is no such thing as an “ordinary” F40. A car with such a pedigree, with such outrageous design, such compelling performance, and of such rarity, could never be anything but spectacular.
Notable for being the last supercar developed during Enzo Ferrari’s lifetime, the F40 was a pure distillation of everything Il Commendatore had poured into his company over the preceding four decades. Evolving from the cancelled Group B 288 GTO Evoluzione into a 40th anniversary road car, it did not lose its competition-inspired mission brief. The F40 featured a race-developed steel tube-frame chassis with four-wheel double-wishbone independent suspension, coil-over Koni shock absorbers, and four-caliper ventilated disc brakes. Pietro Camardella’s coachwork design, executed under the direction of Leonardo Fioravanti and aerodynamically perfected in Pininfarina’s wind tunnel, was built with paneling woven from Kevlar and carbon fiber, reducing curb weight while greatly increasing structural rigidity.
Positioned behind the driver was a twin-turbocharged V-8 displacing 2.9 liters and fitted with IHI turbochargers and Behr intercoolers; this engine was married to a five-speed transaxle actuated by a gated shifter. The resulting performance was nothing short of astounding, as the type F120 040 engine developed 478 horsepower and 425 pound-feet of torque, capable of launching the F40 to 60 mph from standstill in just 3.8 seconds and achieving a top speed of 201 mph (thereby eclipsing the Porsche 959 and Lamborghini Countach).
With aggressive looks and stupefying performance, each of the 1,235 Ferrari F40s built for worldwide sale remains a traffic-stopping mechanical masterpiece. Yet each of these 1,235 left the Ferrari factory in Maranello finished in one single color: Rosso Corsa.
CHASSIS 88538
The car offered here, chassis 88538, was no different—at first. Completed on 27 February 1991 in the F40’s signature Rosso Corsa over a red Stoffa Vigogna interior, it was distributed to Ferrari Deutschland GmbH and sold to its first owner, Dieter Wolf of Wölfersheim, Germany via Auto Becker of Düsseldorf that May. Mr. Wolf was obviously an active F40 owner; according to research on file by Ferrari historian Marcel Massini, he attended the F40 meeting in Mugello, Italy in 1992, as well as a Ferrari Club Deutschland gathering the following year.
In 1994, chassis 88538 was acquired by the then German Ferrari Club president, and noted collector, Arnold Gardemann. During his care in around 1998 the car was involved in an accident and was sold to a Dutch owner, who commissioned noted specialists Forza Service in the Netherlands to repair the car to factory specifications. As part of these repairs the front clamshell was replaced; however, today body numbers are present on the on the door hinge, rear spoiler, and rear fender. During the recent respray, when the red paint was removed, a repair to one sill was noted. In 2008, after the repairs had long been completed, the car received its Ferrari Classiche Certification, confirming that it retains its matching numbers engine and gearbox, and attesting that the repairs were carried out to full original specifications and standards.
After the completion of this work, chassis 88538 returned to the roads of Europe, appearing at the Ferrari Club Germany 25th Anniversary Meeting in Baden-Baden, Germany. In 2003, Forza Service replaced the odometer, confirming in writing that due to mechanical failure the car’s odometer (then displaying 11,442 kilometers) was replaced with an odometer that displayed 7,118 kilometers. More recently, it participated in the Ferrari Tribute to the Mille Miglia for three consecutive years, from 2010–2012.
After changing hands at auction in 2014 and privately in 2017, it was acquired by its present owner in 2021. Initially he had planned to repaint the car red; however, with the car fully stripped, a new idea emerged. Even if chassis 88538 was preserved in as-delivered configuration, it would never be a true “in the wrapper” specimen.
But could this actually be liberating? Could this F40 be driven, just as Enzo intended, making a bold statement in the process?
THE ‘MINTY FORTY’ IS BORN
One glance at chassis 88538 shows the path its owner took—and its head-turning new look was a key step in giving this F40 an identity all its own. Its paint is a clear homage to Ferrari chassis 3505 GT, the famous Verde Pallido 250 GTO built for Sir Stirling Moss and eventually raced at the 1962 24 Hours of Le Mans by Innes Ireland and Masten Gregory.
The 250 GTO is, much like the F40, most often seen wearing classic Ferrari red; chassis 3505 GT’s unique livery sets it instantly apart from its distinguished peers, and the beautiful pale green shade has inspired paint colors on subsequent Ferrari models—though never, until now, on an F40. To complement the exterior color, the interior was expertly re-trimmed in blue by one of the most talented trimmers in the region, more used to refitting aircraft interiors than cars. His work is exceptional, and brings a new coherence to the “Minty” concept.
Historical context aside, it one look is all it takes to see how this machine got its enduring nickname: the “Minty Forty.” Chassis 88538 has been in effect a one-car show since its debut in this form, turning heads and appearing in countless posts on social media. It has even been honored with an official Ferrari licensed product by being reproduced, in exacting 1:8 and 1:18 scale form, by renowned model-maker Amalgam (1:18 scale Amalgam model accompanies the sale). It is, simply, sensational—and making the already-incredible F40 into even more of a spectacle is no mean feat!
Now ready for its next caretaker, chassis 88538 has been maintained by Schaltkulisse since 2022 as documented by invoices on file. Fuel tanks were replaced in 2022, alongside the major timing belt service, in total over €43,000 has been spent on the car in the last 18 months excluding the cost of painting the car in its new color, ensuring the car is as good as it looks. At time of cataloguing, it has been driven a little over 31,000 kilometers, or nearly 19,300 miles; a healthy amount for an F40, this is clearly just the beginning of its epic journey.
Sure to make an impression wherever it ventures, the “Minty Forty” is an intensely charismatic machine that demands to roar down the open road, not sit parked in a garage. It is not for the faint of heart.
