Above image used for display purposes only, courtesy of Ferrari.
It isn’t every day that a Ferrari F40 engine pops up for sale on eBay, it’s likely targeted at current or prospective F40 owners who want a spare engine or complete spares package however there’s a chance it’ll end up with someone planning an ambitious engine swap.
The Ferrari F40 is remembered today as one of the greatest Ferraris of all time, and the last Ferrari that Enzo Ferrari had a personal hand in developing and approving before he passed away in 1988 at the age of 90.
The F40 was fitted with a modified version of the twin-turbo V8 used in the Ferrari 288 GTO, this was a tried and tested engine that would help set the standard for many forced-induction Ferraris going forward.
The 2936 cc 90° dry sump V8 (179 cu. in.) was fitted with twin IHI water-cooled turbochargers, a pair of Behr intercoolers to lower the temperature of the intake charge, double overhead cams per bank (quad cam), four valves per cylinder, a 7.7:1 compression ratio, a bore x stroke of 82 x 69.5 mm, an alloy block and heads, and Weber-Marelli electronic fuel injection.
Above image: the actual engine being sold on eBay. Apologies for the low resolution.
From the factory the Ferrari F40 engine was capable of 478 hp at 7,000 rpm and 426 ft lbs of torque at 4,000 rpm. There were some variations in engine specification over the 1987 to 1992 production run of the F40, notably with cars from 1990 onwards getting catalytic converters to meet US emissions regulations.
Fitted in a rear-mid-longitudinal configuration, the F40 V8 could push the car from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in just 4.1 seconds and on to a top speed of 324 km/h (201.3 mph). The F40 had a dry kerb weight of 1100 kgs (2425 lbs) and a body largely made of lightweight composites, with a passenger compartment mostly free of superfluous equipment like a sound system, door handles, a glove box, carpets, or door panels.
The eBay listing for this engine is surprisingly sparse, comprising of just the short sentence “1990 Ferrari F40 engine with manifolds and turbos”. Considering the asking price of $425,000 USD you’d think they might have tapped out a few more words.
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