The Ferrari F40 stands as the perfect example of 80s excess. However, there’s one part of the world the last model to be personally approved by Enzo Ferrari himself hasn’t conquered, namely the sky. And this is where the rendering we have here comes into play. In fact, the 2D work takes the Prancing Horse as far “up” as possible, as it portrays this in the form of a rocket ship.
One of the most controversial facts about Il Commendatore is that while the Ferrari founder had a special place in his heart for his racecars, he merely saw street vehicles as a way to finance the motorsport activities.
Ironically, the F40 was born as a Group B rallying effort but never got to raise hell on special stages due to the FIA banning these extreme rally cars over the safety hazards they posed. Fortunately for enthusiasts, though, the project ended up on the road.
And while its archnemesis, the Porsche 959, was all about innovation, the F40 was just what you’d expect: an absolute brute with a license plate.
With its twin-turbo 2.9L V8 delivering under 500 hp and the whole thing tipping the scales at around 2,850 lbs (1,300 kg), the F40’s numbers are no match for those of contemporary Fezzas, especially now that Maranello has returned to turbocharging. However, the driving experience delivered by the retro icon can make new supercars seem like they were built for cruising.
To the moon (and beyond)!
And this rendering, which comes from digital artist Matthieu Tessier (aka mattes_studio), builds on the wild side of the Prancing Horse, gifting this with a pair of rocket engines.
The new power dictated the reshaping of the vehicle, with the iconic wing of the Fezza now being split into two elements (one above each engine).
There are front and rear wings present, but not the kind you’d expect to see on a car. However, enough of the F40’s factory styling has been maintained, so you can still recognize the supercar.
Why the lack of Prancing Horse branding? Well, the Italian automaker doesn’t exactly enjoy this sort of shenanigan, being infamous for the cease and desist letters its lawyers send to rendering artists and real-world builders alike.
Inspired by the rocket ship that is Scuderia Ferrari’s 2022 F1 Car, the F1-75
And, to return to the racing roots of the F40, the artist himself was inspired by Ferrari’s motorsport activities when coming up with this creation, albeit with Scuderia Ferrari’s 2022 F1 success fueling the rocket—the name mentioned above was introduced because the team is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.
“Ferrari has built a rocket ship this year! Really nice to see them back at the top and it inspired some f40 spaceship of my design,” Tessier explains on Instagram.
The enthusiast is referring to the Ferrari’s dominant position in the 2022 Formula One season: with 4 out of 22 rounds now completed, the Italians are leading both the drivers’ and the constructors’ standings.
In fact, Scuderia Ferrari has been so successful with the new 2022 F1 cars, which use E10 fuel (10% ethanol and 90% gas), that theories about its past sacrifices leading to these laurels have emerged.
You see, back in 2019, Ferrari’s Power Unit saw their F1 cars topping the engine power chart, as highlighted by their competitor-topping straight-line velocity numbers.
However, after being accused of cheating, the FIA and Ferrari reached an agreement whose complete terms haven’t been disclosed. And it seemed that the consequences of that took a toll on Ferrari’s output in 2020, with the team completing the season in the sixth position, its worst result in four decades.
It appears that the agreement involved Ferrari working closely with the FIA to determine the impact of using E10 fuel ahead of the 2022 season when this became mandatory. And there are voices in F1 who believe that the Italians’ early involvement with the fuel has yielded the current spectacular results.
And with so many races to go, there’s plenty of time to see if Red Bull and Mercedes can bring back their A-game and give us the multi-brand show we’re seeking when watching these races.
