We should all observe a moment of silence for a fallen F40, one of the most legendary supercars in history. This one in the UK just burned to the ground shortly after being fully restored, according to a post on Ferrari Chat, making this owner the unluckiest bastard on earth. Worse yet, the car—one of only about 1,300— may have to be crushed.
Forum user PAUL500 posted this onto the messaging board yesterday, saying it had just been brought into his recovery yard (which I assume is where one brings crashed or otherwise immobilized cars) after the owner’s car went up in flames on its maiden voyage after being fully restored.
PAUL500 doesn’t mention how the fire started, or if anyone was injured in the accident, only that the car may be wiped from the face of this earth, saying:
If its an insurance claim then it will be Cat B and would not be able to go back on the road in the UK, has to be stripped and chassis crushed even if someone had the means to rebuild it.
This “Cat B,” he’s referring to is short for “category B,” a salvage vehicle category defined on Trents as:
Vehicles that have severe chassis and/or structural damage and have been written off by insurance companies. These vehicles are not deemed suitable for resale, are not roadworthy and deemed unsuitable for any repair work. Parts from these vehicles can be removed provided that the body shell is destroyed. Like Cat A vehicles it is only ATFs such as ourselves that can handle and process vehicles of this category.
So, the good news is that salvageable parts could be pulled from the car to help keep another F40 on the road, but the chassis, and more importantly, the associated VIN, will need to be destroyed.
PAUL500 assures us there is hope, though, saying:
However if there is no insurance claim for whatever reason, then that car could legally end up back on the road in the UK with a totally clean title!
If you don’t realize how big of a loss this would be for car culture, watch this. It delves into the many reasons why the F40 is such a special car in automotive history.
It was a total racecar at its core—bred from Group B racing—and it was Enzo Ferrari’s final car project.
If there is a car god out there, don’t let this VIN go to waste. It can be saved. We have the technology.