We now live in the age of hypercars with AI-designed, 3D-printed components like the Czinger 21C or Bertone’s GB110, a reinvented Huracan that can run on garbage (fuel made from plastic waste). However, this only makes the OG supercars cooler than ever, with the Ferrari F40 taking center stage for this story. That’s because Liberty Walk is bringing us the world’s first slammed F40 with a widebody.
The Japanese tuner had previously showcased some garage work on the gorgeous Pininfarina-designed body of the iconic Maranello top dog. However, we can now check out the design of the Liberty Walk F40 via a 3D rendering released by the specialist. This, along with some other projects we’ll discuss in a moment, should keep us busy before the official unveiling, which is scheduled for the Tokyo Auto Salon 2023 (January 13-15).
What makes the factory F40 so special?
Introduced back in 1987 as the road-going silver lining of an unfulfilled motorsport project, the Ferrari F40’s underrated official output of 471 hp (480 PS) and its 4.7s 0-60 mph time sound like sports car territory these days.
However, the twin-turbo 2.9L V8 and the five-speed manual provide the kind of raw driving experience modern halo cars can only dream about. Of course, it also helps that the Prancing Horse features a tubular chassis wrapped in a body made from Kevlar (11 panels), carbon fiber (front and rear clamshells), and aluminum.
Factor in the limited production, which had to be expanded to reach 1,315 units and you’ll understand why an F40 will set you back over $2 million nowadays.
Liberty Walk’s Ferrari F40 is an extended take on a previous build
Sure, Ferrari itself introduced more extreme versions meant for racing, such as the F40 LM, but serious builds based on the exotic are few and far between.
Rarity and pricing aside, there’s an aftermarket barrier coming from Maranello, which generally keeps a tight grip on what people can and can’t do with its cars. For one, the F40 LM Barchetta, which is probably the most eccentric project out there, may have lost its top, but this isn’t allowed to wear any form of Ferrari badging.
Heck, if you give a Ferrari F40 a pink wrap, chances are the officially forbidden color is wild enough to cause a stir at a massive show like SEMA 2022, so most owners will stop there.
However, Liberty Walk boss Wataru Kato had already done that (and more), with this collection having welcomed a slightly modded F40 “Dolce” years ago. That white car sports a Liberty Walk rear wing, rear diffuser, and carbon front lip, along with a Roberuta lifter suspension, Enkei wheels, a titanium straight pipe exhaust, and meatier Brembo brakes.
Well, for the red F40 we see here, which is supposedly a different car, Wataru-san has gone much deeper.
It seems that the mean-looking rear wing and rear diffuser are the same. However, the Italian exotic has gained meaty overfenders—these may come with replacement base fenders that spare the originals of all the drilling required for the installation. There’s also a front splitter secured via a pair of rods and front bumper dive planes.
As for the air suspension that allows the F40 to… lay frame at car shows, this is probably Roberuta’s lifter system. Mounting on top of the coilovers, this doesn’t sacrifice ride and handling like traditional air suspensions. That’s why you’ll find it on many Carrera GTs in Japan, as well as on high-tier tuner demo cars from the Land of the Rising Sun (Top Secret loves the hardware).
There are also Ame Wheels (all F40s use centerlock wheels), which come wrapped in Toyo rubber.
And while the Liberty Walk website section dedicated to the F40 mentions that the price is available on demand, perhaps the said car show will bring the financial deets.
Liberty Walk is also working on an insane FD Madza RX-7
In the preview video below, Liberty Walk mixes the F40 CGI and real-world footage with bits that offer us a glimpse at some of the other releases it has prepared for the 2023 Tokyo Auto Salon.
Liberty Walk’s widebody offer will be expanded to include the Toyota GR86 and second-gen Subaru BRZ (we’ve already shown you a preview), the Lexus LX600 in dry carbon (we were warned that more SUV kits would arrive when the company presented its Lamborghini Urus at SEMA 2022). There’s also the Ferrari 348, a further development on the Lamborghini Murcielago, and a secret Nissan project (perhaps an Arya EV?).
However, Liberty Walk seems to be adding to the rotary funk it has generated with its four-rotor R35 GT-R and S15 Nissan Silvia drift cars. In the said clip, which awaits you below, you’ll find the highly-massaged engine bay of an FD-generation Mazda RX-7, with a turbocharged Wankel waiting to shriek at us.
