<< Prev Page 3 of 3 One of Ferrari's most loyal privateers, Ferrari France, was the first to field a F40 LM. A year after testing started, Jean Alesi debuted the LM in the Laguna Seca round of the IMSA GT championship. He finished a promising third in a highly competitive field and being forced to run with engine intake restrictors. In the following season Ferrari France campaigned one or two of their LMs in a number of rounds, adding an additional four podium finishes to their tally, but unfortunately no victory. At the end of the season, Ferrari France abandoned the F40 LM campaign. Although Michelotto built 19 examples of the F40 LM between 1989 and 1994, only three chassis were ever campaigned in anger.
This was not the end of the F40's international competition history, far from it. Two years after the production of the road car had ceased, the competition cars were given a new lease of life thanks to the BPR Championship for GT cars first held in 1994. Michelotto was called in once more to create an even more potent version of the F40. Dubbed the F40 GTE, it featured a 3.5 litre and later 3.6 litre version of the F40's Turbo-charged V8. Running with intake restrictors the revised engine produced around 660 bhp and bucket-loads of torque. In the following seasons a variety of modifications were carried through, which included a six speed sequential gearbox and carbon ceramic brake discs for the 1996 season.
One of the F40 LM's was bought from its collector owner and joined the GTEs in the BPR Championship and at Le Mans to run in the GT1 class. The F40s proved highly competitive in the shorter sprint races of the BPR championship, but reliability issues plagued them in the legendary 24 Hours race. Between 1994 and 1996 the F40 LM and GTEs scored numerous victories against more modern competition like McLaren's F1 GTR. At Le Mans in 1995 the brought back from retirement F40 LM impressively finished. Although it was ranked only sixth in class and twelfth overall, it was the first Ferrari to complete all 24 Hours in many years. At the end of 1996, the F40 finally became outdated when the competition introduced purpose built 'GT racers'. << Prev Page 3 of 3
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One of Ferrari's most loyal privateers, Ferrari France, was the first to field a F40 LM. A year after testing started, Jean Alesi debuted the LM in the Laguna Seca round of the IMSA GT championship. He finished a promising third in a highly competitive field and being forced to run with engine intake restrictors. In the following season Ferrari France campaigned one or two of their LMs in a number of rounds, adding an additional four podium finishes to their tally, but unfortunately no victory. At the end of the season, Ferrari France abandoned the F40 LM campaign. Although Michelotto built 19 examples of the F40 LM between 1989 and 1994, only three chassis were ever campaigned in anger.