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.

Then again, no F40 ever was.