In brief
- Driver Lewis Hamilton has treated himself to the Ferrari F40 of his dreams after selling his sports car collection.
- The model in question remained stored in a garage for over 30 years before being restored.
- The complete restoration, including the removal of the engine, was carried out by the official Maranello workshops.
Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton has acquired a legendary Ferrari F40, fulfilling a long-held automotive dream. Although he sold almost his entire supercar collection last year, the seven-time world champion had announced he wanted to make an exception for this historic institution of Italian engineering. This highly symbolic acquisition marks a new milestone in his passionate relationship with the Prancing Horse firm, which he officially joined in January 2025.
The symbol of a new sporting and personal era
Lewis Hamilton’s move to Scuderia Ferrari, made official at the beginning of 2025, represented one of the most resounding earthquakes in the history of contemporary motorsport. This major professional transition is accompanied by a remarkable alignment with his personal aspirations as a collector of mechanical art. In previous years, the British driver had begun a profound restructuring of his material assets, parting with several of his most powerful and extravagant supercars. This lifestyle choice, guided by an increased sensitivity to environmental issues and the daily use of electric vehicles, seemed to indicate the end of his garage of combustion-engine sports cars.
Yet, the Ferrari F40 represents the masterpiece for which all rules can be bent. For Hamilton, this model is not just a high-performance sports vehicle, but a historic monument of global automotive culture. His decision to acquire it coincides perfectly with his first steps under his new Italian colours, illustrating a visceral attachment to the history of the Maranello firm. This car embodies the perfect alliance between the prestige of the brand’s past and the legendary status of the driver who now takes the wheel.
An automotive treasure forgotten for three decades
The singular story of a forgotten treasure
Discovered after remaining hidden from view for over thirty years, this unique supercar carries a singular history. The original registration plates suggest that the car resided in Italy, where its former owner had mysteriously abandoned it in the early 1990s. This model is part of the exclusive production run of just over 1,300 units produced worldwide, constituting the very last road model to have received the personal validation of the brand’s founder, Enzo Ferrari.
The story of this particular model adds an exceptional narrative dimension to a car already surrounded by an almost mystical aura. Presented in 1987 to celebrate the brand’s fortieth anniversary, the F40 immediately redefined industry standards. Originally designed as a road-legal racing car, it used avant-garde composite materials such as Kevlar, carbon fibre and Nomex, technologies directly derived from the Formula 1 of the era. Finding such a monument of automotive history preserved from time, frozen in the exact state it was in when it left the factory, is an extremely rare event for automotive historians.
The prolonged storage in Italy, in the very heart of the homeland where it was born, has preserved its authenticity in an exceptional way. Unlike many models that have suffered the ravages of aesthetic modifications or excessive track driving, this F40 has remained an intact witness to late 1980s engineering. This original purity immediately appealed to Lewis Hamilton, who was looking for a model capable of telling a true industrial and human story.
The rebirth of an icon in Maranello
An exceptional restoration by Maranello
To restore this mechanical masterpiece to its former glory, Lewis Hamilton chose to entrust the vehicle directly to the experts at the parent company in Emilia-Romagna. The work, which spanned several weeks at the factory, took the form of a complete mechanical and cosmetic overhaul, notably including the meticulous removal of the original engine. The photos shared by the driver illustrate the different stages of this major project, testifying to the artisanal rigour applied to every component of the original chassis.
The Ferrari Classiche department, in charge of this extraordinary project, applies restoration protocols of surgical precision. Every mechanical part, every electrical connection and every suspension element was inspected according to the period technical sheets preserved in the precious archives of the Maranello factory. The complete removal of the 2.9-litre twin-turbo V8 engine allowed the Italian engine builders to carry out a full diagnosis, replace seals dried out by three decades of inactivity, and ensure that the original turbochargers regained their former breath.
Aesthetically, the specialists took care to scrupulously respect the specific features of the F40. The Rosso Corsa paint, historically applied in an extremely thin layer for weight-saving reasons (sometimes allowing the carbon and Kevlar weave to show through under direct light), was preserved with infinite care. Inside, the spartan cabin, devoid of any superfluous comfort equipment, was cleaned and restored to recover the smell and raw appearance of the red fabric covering the carbon fibre bucket seats. This meticulous restoration brings a legend back to life while certifying its absolute historical authenticity.
The cult of pure driving in the digital age
The irresistible appeal of the F40 for a driver of Lewis Hamilton’s calibre lies primarily in its design philosophy, which is radically opposed to modern standards. Contemporary racing cars and current supercars are governed by electronics, driving aids, ultra-fast automated transmissions and assistance systems that stand between the driver and the road. The F40, on the other hand, represents the pinnacle of the analogue era: it has no power steering, no ABS, no traction control, nor any other electronic filter.
For a man used to pushing physical limits at the wheel of the most complex single-seaters on the planet, driving a F40 is akin to a return to the roots of his art. It is a raw, demanding and highly sensory experience, where every movement of the right foot on the accelerator and every gear change of the metal-gated manual gearbox demands absolute attention. This search for pure sensations explains why, despite selling his modern collection, Hamilton was keen to integrate this specific jewel into his personal heritage.
The dream of a modern reinterpretation named F44
Beyond this historic acquisition, the British driver harbours the ambition to actively collaborate in the creation of a futuristic model inspired by this iconic silhouette. He is already evoking the concept of a Ferrari named F44, in tribute to his favourite racing number in competition. The declared ambition is to design a modern version of the F40 equipped with a real manual transmission, a long-term project that the athlete hopes to realise in the coming years in close collaboration with the design teams at Scuderia.
The idea of such a project is already generating enthusiasm among the brand’s purists. Such a collaboration between the design department (the Centro Stile led by the Maranello teams) and a Formula 1 world champion would allow the reintroduction of traditional engineering elements, such as a gated manual gearbox, into Ferrari’s catalogue of special creations. This project demonstrates that Hamilton’s commitment to the Italian brand goes far beyond the race tracks, also playing a part in the transmission and evolution of the brand’s stylistic and technical heritage.
Une œuvre d’art mécanique estimée à plusieurs millions
A work of art estimated at several million euros
While the exact amount of this private transaction remains confidential, the market value of such a collector’s item is currently reaching heights on the international prestige car market. By way of comparison, during a memorable auction held last April, a similar model with only 1,799 kilometres on the odometer found a buyer for the record sum of 4.3 million euros. An investment for the driver, who now owns one of the most coveted milestones in automotive history.
The value of the F40 on the auction and private treaty sales market has grown exponentially in recent years, driven by its status as an absolute icon and its rarity on the transaction market. Collectors worldwide particularly seek models certified by the Ferrari Classiche label, which guarantees the car’s full compliance with its original specifications. The model acquired by Lewis Hamilton, boasting a complete factory restoration and a unique preservation history after thirty years of neglect, immediately stands out as one of the most valuable in existence today.
The identity of its new owner, a key figure in world sport and an icon of contemporary culture, also adds an undeniable historical value to this collector’s car. Cars that have belonged to racing legends always benefit from a major premium on the rare occasions they change hands. By linking his destiny with that of the legendary F40, Lewis Hamilton is not only treating himself to the car of his childhood dreams, he is also writing his own name into the pantheon of the history of the house of Maranello.
