Supercars are undeniably getting faster, or at least they were until now. Models from only a few generations ago have already been surpassed by today's sports cars. But we still can't see the iconic Ferrari F40 as anything other than a winner. And if it goes down, it has to be to another Ferrari.
Ironically, the two Ferraris we recently featured in a face swap story are now doing a drag race deathmatch. One car is a strong indication of what Ferrari can currently offer while the other is a sample of what used to make this the best supercar brand in the world. The two are separated by 30 years of technological advancements, but the F40's halo status could still stand for something.
As far as the engines are concerned, the 488 Pista packs a 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8, basically the same thing they just put in the F8 Tributo. Its power output is officially rated at 710 hp and 68 pound-feet (770 Newton-meters) of torque.
Meanwhile, the F40 is also turbocharged but has a smaller 2.9-liter V8. Ferrari says the old-timer makes 471 hp and 426 lb-ft (577 Nm), but most of them are actually making about 500 ponies.
The supercar is also known for its dietary measures. It's small, made from the lightest materials while also boasting wafer-thin paint. As a result, it's more than 100 kg lighter (220lbs) than its modern counterpart.
We expected the F40 to win, but British drift king Tiff Needell still managed to get up all hyped up for this race. In addition, the classic is so expensive, so collectible, that you almost never see it racing.
When the flag drops, the F40 pushes ahead in a cloud of smoke. However, when it's time to switch gears (the old fashioned way), Tiff loses precious boost. It's all downhill after that.
The old-timer loses the 1/4-mile race with a time of 12.74 seconds compared to 11.17s for the Pista. However, we'd trade almost any car in the world for an F40, even ones that are much faster.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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