Few cars carry the raw menace of the Ferrari F40, so spotting one on a London street stops pedestrians in their tracks. Gordon Ramsay was filmed parking his red example by the roadside, its towering rear wing still dominating the scene. Decades after launch, it still looks like it escaped from a race paddock.
📸 Photo Credit: @tfjj on Instagram
Analog Icon Stops Traffic in London
Ferrari developed this car to mark its 40th anniversary, and it was the last model Enzo Ferrari personally approved. Anyone who admires the Ferrari F50 will recognize the same unfiltered philosophy here. Ferrari’s official heritage archive still treats this car as a benchmark for pure performance.
The twin-turbo V8 delivers 478 horsepower, but the experience is about patience and commitment. Turbo lag hangs in the air before the boost arrives like a freight train. Piloting a Ferrari F40 means respecting the throttle, because every corner demands deliberate inputs and precise clutch modulation.
| ⚙️Engine / Powertrain | 2.9L Twin-Turbo V8 |
| 🐎Power Output | 478 HP |
| ⚡Peak Torque | 610 Nm (450 lb-ft) (est.) |
| ⏱️0-60 mph (0-100 km/h) | 0-60 mph in 3.7s (est.) |
| 🚀Top Speed | 201 mph (324 km/h) |
| 🔄Drivetrain / Gearbox | 5-Speed Manual / RWD |
| 💰Starting Price / Est. | $3.5 million (est.) |
Carbon-Kevlar bodywork and Lexan windows keep the weight low, and the chassis feels honest from the first apex. Steering arrives with unassisted weight and brutal feedback. Mid-corner kerbs test the composure of the rear axle, yet the car rewards a confident hand.
Ferrari F40 Demands Total Driver Commitment
Gordon Ramsay joins Lewis Hamilton, who restored his own example, in a small circle of celebrity owners. Ramsay’s garage already holds the LaFerrari, F12tdf and Monza SP2, yet this red F40 feels like the purest machine he owns. For a Ferrari F40 purist, that is the highest compliment available.
Analog Values Keep Pushing Prices Skyward
Clean examples have climbed past $3.5 million (est.), and I expect that trajectory to continue. Collectors prize the absence of power steering, traction control and modern safety nets. In reality, that absence is exactly what makes the car so special today.
Ultimately, Ramsay’s sighting reminds us that real driving thrills still live in the analog world. Give me this unfiltered F40 over any modern hybrid hypercar, every single time.
Marcus Vance
Senior Track & Performance Editor at Auto News Magazine. Veteran automotive journalist specializing in chassis dynamics, apex telemetry, track-day specials, and high-revving mechanical purity.
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