Note: Prices stated are linked to market prices in Japan, some rare pieces are more expensive than regular price
The Ferrari F40 is the all-time great supercar. It is a definition of what supercars are about. Because of that it is one of the most popular cars in the diecast world. There are countless of models of it in all scales and all price brackets. But not all are equal.
Take the model Kyosho made for example. It is easily one of the best if not the best. Kyosho were so proud of it they actually made two versions – one is of the stock model and the other one is a so-called “Light weight” version.
Let’s get this one out quickly. The “Light weight” (LW) model is a model of a F40 which exists but it is not really an original F40. It claims to be a stripped-out version of an already pretty stripped-out car.
It uses lighter rims, it has no spare wheel, the doors are fitted with plastic sliding windows and not real glass. There are also some small changes in the engine bay. And Kyosho has managed to feature them all.
Some say the LW model is actually a model made after the first 50 F40s which were similar to it and the stock version was a model of the ones made later on which had some minor differences. In any way both models are worth it.
But before we get on with the model, lets take a quick look of the actual Ferrari F40. It was the successor of the Ferrari 288 GTO (or just Ferrari GTO as it’s more correctly to say) and it was developed in the late 80s.
Production started in 1987 and continued to 1992. The name F40 was given to commemorate the 40-th anniversary of Ferrari. Enzo Ferrari, the founder of the company, wanted the F40 to be his last and most ultimate project. And so it was.
The F40 used a 2.9 liter twin turbocharged V8 engine developing 471 hp. With a curb weight of only 1,100 kg the F40 was the speed king of its time. 0-60 mph (0-100 km/h) was done in only 3.8 seconds. Flat out it was breaking 200 mph (320 km/h) – the first road legal production car to do that.
It is known that no two F40s are the same. Ferrari used it as a Research and Development project and constantly changed things on it to make it better and better. So while they all do look and perform similarly they all have their own unique DNA so to speak. A truly amazing and fantastic car which deserves a proper representation in diecast form.