THE FIRST PRODUCTION CAR TO HIT 200 MPH USED ONE OF THE SMALLEST TWIN-TURBO V8S EVER

Twin-turbocharged V8s are a fairly common sight these days. Often seen in super sedans coming out of Germany, this configuration is even commonplace in SUVs these days – in fact, the cheapest twin-turbo V8 is exactly this kind of vehicle. But back in the '70s and '80s, turbocharging was still a fairly rare way of coaxing more power out of an engine, with cars like the Nissan Skyline and Porsche 930 showing how forced induction could make a car ferociously quick.

Around this time, there was also a race to reach 200 mph in a road car, and the first car to reach this landmark speed made use of a twin-turbocharged V8 to get it there. The intriguing thing about this car was the size of the engine that it used. While it might seem to make sense to take a huge naturally aspirated eight-cylinder mill that already had a ton of power and then strap turbochargers to it, this model took a different route.

The V8 that was used was not much bigger than your average V6 these days, or even some four-cylinder engines. Still, it worked, so the good people who came up with this car clearly knew what they were doing. Here's the story of how one of the world's smallest twin-turbocharged V8 supercars took the 200 mph chequered flag before anyone else.

The Ferrari F40 Used A Tiny Twin-Turbocharged V8 In Its Pursuit Of 200 MPH

Enzo Ferrari was a designer, racing-car driver, and, of course, the man behind arguably the most illustrious automobile manufacturer on the planet. Born in 1898, just 14 years after Carl Benz had applied for a patent for his “vehicle powered by a gas engine”, which would become the world's first automobile. By the 1980s, Ferrari was nearly 90 years old, with a long career of creating beautiful and shockingly fast cars behind him. But that didn't stop Ferrari from wanting to come up with one last iconic supercar – one that will last as arguably the most famous in the company's extensive back catalog.

The F40 Was Enzo Ferrari's Last Car

The F40 would be the last car that Enzo personally signed off on. In his lifetime, the fastest road automobiles had gone from having a top speed of 40 mph to nearly 200 mph – but no one had gotten there yet. Enzo took this as one last challenge. The octogenarian had hired engineer Nicola Materazzi in 1979, a leading Italian expert in the new turbocharging technology that was finding its way to production cars. Materazzi had a solid resume, having worked on both 1980s F1 cars, as well as overseeing the team that developed the GTO. The F40 would celebrate the company's 40 years, and also be a car that could reach the magic 200 mph marker. The team just needed the right engine.

A Closer Look At The F40's V8 Engine

Ferrari F40 Specs

The mill used in the F40 is a 90-degree V8, longitudinally mid-mounted. The total displacement is just 2.9 liters, which is smaller than the twin-turbocharged V6 engine used in the Lincoln MKZ. The Ferrari engine has a bore and stroke of 81.9 mm x 69.5 mm, as well as four valves per cylinder and twin overhead camshafts per bank, plus dry sump lubrication. Each bank is provided with a toothed drive belt for each side of the "Vee" and twin IHI water-cooled turbochargers feed intake air via two Behr intercoolers at 1.1 bar. The engine was so advanced that it still stands up today as something very special.

The engine is also fitted with a Weber-Marelli iAW combined ignition/ fuel injection system. The cylinder heads and block are made from Silumin alloy, with the crank created from a solid steel billet. The end result is 471 horsepower and 426 lb-ft of torque. The rest of the car was incredibly high-tech for the time. Kevlar panels are bonded to a space-frame chassis made of tubular steel, whereas the hood, doors, and trunk lid are fashioned from carbon fiber.

The engine had a differential unit and a five-speed synchromesh gearbox mounted at the back. For a more extreme experience, owners could also spec a non-synchromesh gearbox. The bodywork was styled by Pininfarina and is all business. There are a number of cooling vents and intake ducts, with a full-width squared-off wing at the rear.

The Ferrari F40 Became The Fastest Road Car In The World

The Ferrari F40's main competitor couldn't have been more different. The Porsche 959 was an evolution of the 911 and featured a twin-turbocharged flat-six engine featuring water-cooled, four-valve cylinder heads. A key difference was that the 959 was all-wheel-drive, although its engine was similarly small (albeit two cylinders less than the F40) with a displacement of 2.8 liters.

The two cars were contenders for the 200 mph crown, with the 444-horsepower Porsche reaching a top speed of around 199mph. Ultimately, it was Ferrari that claimed to be the first manufacturer to reach 200 mph. The carmaker said that the F40 was clocked at 201.4 mph, making it the quickest road car of its time. The 959 can reach 60 mph in 3.7 seconds, whereas the F40 reaches the same speed in 3.8 seconds, with the latter covering the quarter mile in 11.8 seconds.

Buying A Ferrari F40 In 2025

Average Ferrari F40 Prices In 2025

• 1988 Ferrari F40: $2.4 million
• 1988 Ferrari F40: $2.1 million
• 1988 Ferrari F40: $2.6 million
• 1988 Ferrari F40: $2.2 million
• 1992 Ferrari F40: $2.5 million

Source: Classic.com

One of the world's best ever Ferraris? Yeah, it's never going to be cheap. Before we get into prices, let's look at how many F40s were made. Originally, the run was planned to be limited to 400 units, but in the end, a total of 1,311 Ferrari F40s were produced. There was a time when F40s were actually pretty cheap secondhand. In fact, anyone who had sold their house a few years ago and bought one of these red supercars and a dehumidified garage instead, may well be laughing.

Prices For Ferrari F40s Have Skyrocketed

Around the 2000s, reports suggest that prices bottomed out at around $200,000 for F40s, while in 2012, Top Gear magazine reported that a rare, one-owner, Euro-spec F40 sold for "a huge sum" at a Nürburgring sale. The price for that car was $1,060,000. Even that buyer made a very good investment. The prices for F40s in 2025 have skyrocketed since. A 1988 F40 sells for an average of $2.4 million today, with a car from 1992, the final model year, fetching $2.5 million. Now all we need is a time machine and 200,000 bucks.

Sources: Classic.com

2026-01-12T07:04:42Z