Rare Michelotto Ferrari F40 Could Sell For Over $4 Million

Some Ferrari F40s spent their lives sealed away in collections. This one ended up in the hands of the people who built Le Mans race cars and came back far more extreme than Ferrari ever intended.

The car was originally ordered in 1989 by Jean Sage, the former sporting director of Renault’s Formula 1 team. A few years later, he sent it to Michelotto, the Italian company responsible for developing the brutal F40 LM racers. Instead of simply preserving the car, Michelotto turned it into something much closer to a road-legal competition machine.

Its twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V8 received larger turbochargers and a lighter exhaust system, increasing output to 527 hp and 626 lb-ft of torque. That may not sound shocking today, but in the early 1990s, those numbers in a lightweight rear-wheel-drive Ferrari were genuinely intimidating. Especially considering the F40 already had a reputation for trying to bite back at careless drivers.

Michelotto also stripped weight wherever possible. The air conditioning disappeared, lighter clamshell panels replaced the originals, and carbon-fiber seats similar to those found in the F40 LM were installed. Adjustable Koni suspension, OZ Racing wheels, and a bespoke front splitter completed the transformation. Altogether, the car ended up around 300 lbs (136 kg) lighter than a standard F40 while still remaining fully street legal.

What makes this F40 especially interesting is that it actually lived the life its upgrades promised. It competed in races, including appearances in the BPR Global Endurance GT Championship, instead of sitting untouched in a climate-controlled garage.

Now the Michelotto Ferrari F40 is heading to auction through RM Sotheby’s with 14,105 miles on the clock and an estimated value between $3.65 million and $4.35 million. For collectors, this is about as close as you can get to owning an F40 LM without buying the real thing.