There are cars, and then there are statements. The 1989 Ferrari F40 heading to RM Sotheby’s auction block in Monte Carlo on April 25, 2026, is emphatically the latter. A statement so loud it doesn’t need an exhaust note to make itself heard, though it certainly has one.
Chassis number 83620 was born between November 15 and December 6, 1989, delivered new through the legendary Garage Francorchamps of Jacques Swaters in Brussels. It then proceeded to do what only the rarest collector cars do: almost nothing. For 29 years, this F40 lived in a dry, climate-controlled storage facility, accumulating a grand total of 1,799 miles. That’s less than most people put on a car in a month. The F40, apparently, had better things to do. Like quietly becoming one of the most desirable Ferraris on the planet.
In 2021, its current owner acquired the car as the second-ever registered keeper, then immediately handed it over to Michelotto, the undisputed authority on all things F40, for a full mechanical restoration. The work took roughly two years and cost €165,000, all fully invoiced and documented. New fuel tanks, rebuilt turbos, meticulous attention to preserving the original exterior finish. Before delivery to the next lucky owner, a fresh timing belt replacement will also be completed at the seller’s expense.
The car retains its original chassis, body, engine, and gearbox. It’s uncat, no front lift system, European-spec with air conditioning and proper roll-down windows. Details that make it simultaneously more liveable and more collectible. RM Sotheby’s, not exactly prone to hyperbole on a professional basis, calls it one of the finest examples they’ve ever handled. Estimate: €3.5–4 million, no reserve.
And the car deserves every cent of it. Enzo Ferrari personally wanted the F40 to exist, as a celebration of the brand’s 40th anniversary. Designed by Pininfarina, engineered by the late Nicola Materazzi, powered by a twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V8 producing 478 HP, it was the last Ferrari built while the Old Man was still alive. Its spiritual weight is immeasurable. Its 0–200 km/h time of 12 seconds and a top speed north of 201 mph were benchmarks of an era.
