Skip advert
Advertisement

Can these upgrades make the Ferrari F40 harder to crash?

Amid the recent uproar around the F40, a Swiss firm has come up with a set of updates for Enzo’s final Ferrari

We’ve all done it – an injudicious prod of the accelerator that spikes your heart rate and necessitates new undercrackers. If you’re lucky, only ego and pride are damaged, as a myriad of excuses spill forth – diesel on the road, black ice, worn tyres and so on. It’s always generally a simple case of driver error. Hopefully, we learn from these heart-in-mouth moments, making  us better drivers in the future. Some cars, though, gain a reputation for not being so forgiving. More often than not, they’re cars that also attract attention and as you’ve no doubt read, the Ferrari F40 is the latest on trial.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Back in the olden days before phones had cameras and the internet was in its infancy, you’d be very unfortunate if one of those moments was recorded for posterity and plastered over social media, but it’s 2025 and the whole world is watching. And when someone hits the throttle in a Ferrari F40 with a little bit too much enthusiasm, the whole world certainly is. We’ve all seen the unfortunate consequences – no traction control and a slug of delayed boost for which the driver is unprepared, resulting in an almighty tankslapper and an unfortunate coming together with the scenery.

The internet is rife with conjecture as to what happened in these incidents – some recent, some dug up from longer ago in the ensuing furore – such as whether the drivers lacked the skill or experience to be trying full throttle or whether the tyres were old/worn/bald? We’re unlikely to know the full story but one company, Officine Fioravanti, has seen an opportunity here and has launched a range of products dubbed F40 Alte Prestazioni (high performance). These have been ‘designed to make one of the most iconic supercars in history safer, more accessible, and, when necessary, even more high performing’.

Advertisement - Article continues below
Skip advert
Advertisement
Advertisement - Article continues below

First up are changes to the F40’s suspension with an Öhlins TTX 36 four-way adjustable setup and new arms, hubs, and bearings from Officine Fioravanti which are said to have revised geometries for greater robustness and durability. A new braking system is being offered too, with Officine Fioravanti carbon ceramic discs with Brembo calipers – six-piston at the front and four-pot at the rear. Paired with this brake set-up is a new ABS system for the F40 – something that was missing from the original. 

Other departures from the original spec include a close ratio steering rack with hydraulic power assistance and a front lifter system for tackling ramps on other obstacles that might interfere with the F40’s chiselled front spoiler. Completing the package are a set of Officine Fioravanti lightweight alloy wheels in 18- and 19-inch diameters (rather than the original’s 17-inch items) which the company says will allow for the fitment of Michelin Cup 2 or Pirelli Trofeo R tyres. And if you haven’t spent enough already there’s a new centre wheel-locking system that’s said to offer ‘significant safety improvements.’

But is the Ferrari F40 really such an untameable beast that all these changes are necessary? evo editor-at-large John Barker didn’t think so; ‘It all goes nuts behind, the hammery engine note almost consumed by the whoosh and hiss of the blowers. And the chassis twitches and then the rear tyres are unstuck and – this is the magic bit – it feels comfortable with it, and so do you. You don’t back out, you steady your right foot, steady the boost, and the rear wheels paint lines as they scrabble on a smidge of opposite lock this way, a smidge that.’ 

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Best British cars – the finest driver’s cars to come out of Great Britain
Best British cars
Best cars

Best British cars – the finest driver’s cars to come out of Great Britain

Britain has produced countless performance car icons over the years – these are evo’s favourites
9 May 2025
Best Italian cars – Italy's greats from Alfa to Zonda
Best Italian cars
Best cars

Best Italian cars – Italy's greats from Alfa to Zonda

It’s Italian cars that put journalists at the most risk of summoning nauseating hyperbole and time-worn cliches, for good reason. These are the best
2 May 2025
Used Ferrari F355 (1994 - 1999) review – Modena's ultimate modern classic supercar
Ferrari F355 – front
Reviews

Used Ferrari F355 (1994 - 1999) review – Modena's ultimate modern classic supercar

The Ferrari F355 introduced modern-day Ferrari and it’s still a great drive. Few evo 'icons', are more worthy of the name
1 May 2025
Ford Mustang GTD is faster around the Nürburgring than the Porsche 918 Spyder
Ford Mustang GTD
News

Ford Mustang GTD is faster around the Nürburgring than the Porsche 918 Spyder

Take two for Ford’s race track refugee Mustang sees the GTD shave 5.5sec off its 6min 57 time, for a 6min 52.072 record
1 May 2025
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Mini JCW 2025 review – too feisty for its own good
Mini JCW – front
Reviews

Mini JCW 2025 review – too feisty for its own good

The petrol-powered JCW lives on – for now. But in its latest incarnation, has this supermini survivor become too hardcore?
8 May 2025
Alpine A110 2025 review – one of the all-time sports car greats will soon be gone
Alpine A110 review
In-depth reviews

Alpine A110 2025 review – one of the all-time sports car greats will soon be gone

The Alpine A110 is not long for this world, with its electric replacement due to arrive in 2027 with much more power (and weight).
9 May 2025
BMW Z1 (1989 – 1991) review – there's more to BMW's first Z car than its famous gimmick
BMW Z1 front
Reviews

BMW Z1 (1989 – 1991) review – there's more to BMW's first Z car than its famous gimmick

The car that started a new era of BMW roadsters is best known for its weird and (not so) wonderful doors. But there's more to this quirky modern class…
7 May 2025