It’s August, and if you’re a regular reader of this site, you probably know what that means: Monterey Car Week. Old, new, and lemon-topped jalopy will be on display. And, likely, another rare red Ferrari will sell for millions at auction. But MCW is just a few weeks away. In the meantime, we’ve found another rare red Ferrari you can bid on insanely: a factory-backed F40 V12.
Well, there you have it. The first production Ferrari to go over 200 mph didn’t have a V12, as you may recall. The F40 had a twin-turbo V8. Well, you’re not wrong. But this example actually has a V12. The engine comes from a 550 Maranello, and the whole project actually got what amounts to a boost from Ferrari itself.
The Simpson-Ferrari V12 GTR began life as a test car for the Maranello factory. Through a relationship established beforehand between UK-based Simpson Motorsport, racing driver Stefano Sebastiani and former Ferrari boss Amedeo Felisa, the Simpson team was given an F40 chassis after a crash test. That’s when the magic began.
Rather than rebuilding the F40 to factory spec, a V12 from the 550 found a new home in the F40. The 5.5-liter naturally aspirated V12 produces 478 horsepower. On paper, that doesn’t sound much better than the stock 2.9-liter V8 that already produced 471 horsepower. literally it sounds much better.
The chassis has been strengthened to meet FIA specifications and also features a roll cage. Simpson Motorsport nevertheless claims that the car weighs just 1,070kg and produces around 542bhp. In 2005, a six-speed Hewland sequential gearbox was added.
According to the auction listing, the Simpson-Ferrari combination competed in several races between 2002 and 2006. Its best race result came in 2006, when the driving duo Jacopo Sebastiani and Anthony Mott finished second at the Britcar circuit at Oulton Park. After its retirement from competition, the Ferrari was stored in dry storage and carefully maintained. The vehicle was taken for a proper race run at Turweston airfield last year.
The Simpson-Ferrari V12 GTR is being sold by Iconic Auctioneers as part of the Iconic sale at the Silverstone Festival. The one-of-a-kind racing car will be auctioned on August 23 and is estimated to be worth $640,000 to $770,000. With such a pedigree, the sale may well give the Ferraris being auctioned in Monterey something to talk about.
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