28 Mar 08
A survey this week revealed the top 10 most desirable cars of the 80s. It was entirely predictable, so here's our own take on the ultimate 80s heroes...
Ferrari F40 (1987-1991)
According to Ferrari, the F40 was a glorious celebration of 40 years in the car making business. But to everyone, including Porsche, it was something far more serious - a retaliation, a knee-jerk reaction even, to the new German competition that threatened to steal business from a market Ferrari thought it owned. Revenge has a funny way of focusing the mind. When Ferrari set about producing the F40 it was single-minded in its approach - it wanted to crush the Porsche 959. No more, no less.
Beauty took a back seat as Ferrari engineers got to work. Exotic and advanced materials were employed to lighten and strengthen the new car while the mechanicals were borrowed from the 288 GTO 2.9-litre V8 and tuned to develop 478bhp. It was a devastating blow to Porsche and it was the Ferrari, not the 959, that broke the 200mph barrier. Its top speed was... 201mph. Job done. It made the F40, and not the Porsche, the definitive supercar of the decade.
Assets
Still astonishingly quick, fine handling.
Drawbacks
Looks like it's been designed by a seven-year-old, no radio.
Verdict
One of the finest cars to ever wear the Prancing Horse badge.
