A wild life
VIN: ZFFGJ34B000074045
Engine: –
Auction: RM Sotheby’s, Paris 2019, sold for 4’842’500 Euro, with these informations: «This particular example – chassis no. 74045 – has a fascinating and illustrious history. Originally used as a pre-production prototype by the factory, it was sold to former Le Mans and IMSA driver Rene Herzog in early 1992. Herzog sent the car to Michelotto for conversion to LM specification, although shortly after its completion ownership passed to his fellow Swiss Charles Zuger. In 1995, the car was sold to GT Racing impresario Stephane Ratel who raced it in the European GT Championship of that year, but in turn sold the car mid-season to the French Pilot-Aldix team for use in the BPR Global GT Series of that year. Driven by the all-French pairing of Michel Ferte and Olivier Thevenin, the car’s top-line career started inauspiciously with retirements in each of the first four rounds of the series at Paul Ricard, Monza, Jarama and Nürburgring. However, by Le Mans pre-qualifying in April – and with 74045 now patriotically re-painted in French Racing Blue – fortunes had improved markedly, with the team leaving the Sarthe circuit an encouraging fifth fastest overall, and fastest of all the GT1 runners. A little over six weeks later – and with their line-up bolstered by third driver Carlos Palau – the team qualified an excellent 7th for the 24 Hours of Le Mans itself, and 2nd in GT1 ahead of all seven of the hitherto pace-setting McLaren F1 GTRs. The race was blighted by wet conditions which played to the McLaren’s strengths, but nevertheless 74045 finished a respectable 12th overall and sixth in GT1. Significantly, this would prove to be the best result ever achieved by an F40 at Le Mans. A fortnight later, Ferte and Thevenin took pole position for the Anderstorp Four Hours and followed this up with an emphatic win ahead of the McLarens of Nielsen/Bscher and Raphanel/Owen-Jones. A mixed end to the season saw retirements in both the Suzuka 1000 KM (electrics) and the Zhuhai Three Hours (gearbox), but also a highly creditable 2nd place finish in the Silverstone Foour Hours behind the Harrods-sponsored McLaren of Wallace/ Grouillard. For 1996, the driver line-up was retained, the car uprated with a GTE-specification rear wing and a similar assault on the BPR series planned to that of the previous year. Over the balance of the season, it was clear that the Italian Ennea squad had overtaken their French counterparts as top Ferrari team, with a 5th place at Jarama, 8th at Silverstone, 6th at the Nürburgring and a 3rd place at Nogaro, the highpoints of an otherwise trying year for Pilot, which included a DNF following a front-end collission at Paul Richard. At Le Mans, Ferte and Thevenin were joined by French journeyman Nicolas Leboissetier, although the proliferation of new breed WSC cars – not to mention the inclusion of Porsche’s controversial 911 GT1 – ensured that they would qualify no higher than 25th, prior to retirement in the race.
Following the conclusion of the car’s contemporary racing career at the end of the 1996 season, it passed through the ownership of several prominent collectors, prior to its acquisition by the current owner in 2008. It is important to note that the car was freshly serviced last year and today remains on the button to participate in vintage racing events, namely the new official Ferrari program, Club GT Competizioni. Adding to its overall desirability, the car is offered with its original gearbox and a set of spare wheels. Given the paucity of factory-blessed Sports Racing and GT racing Ferraris in recent decades, 74045 – especially given its top-level racing history – is surely a ‘must have’ for any serious Ferrari or competition car collector».
A collection of Ferrari F40 you can find: here (just in German, sorry, English still work in progress).
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