1989 Ferrari F40

Engine No. 17434


Transmission No. AD282



Chassis number 83330 belongs to the very first batch of F40s allocated to the United Kingdom, and its unusually complete trove of documentation preserves its allocation and delivery in granular detail. Extensive correspondence on file from 1988, between Mark Konig of U.K. importer Maranello Concessionaires and Ivan Bishop of Graypaul Motors in Loughborough, documents a struggle over precedence among the dealer's clients, from which Iain Alasdair Graham Menzies of Holland Park, London, emerged as the recipient of Graypaul's first F40, chassis 83330.



The paper trail then traces the car through every stage of its acquisition. Menzies signed his New Vehicle Order Form on 21 May 1988 which includes a hand-written request for one piece of luggage to be made available "for [the] trip to Italy" (no longer accompanying the car), the Italian Consulate declaration of 10 November 1989, Menzies's passport copies, and the logistics of collecting an Italian-plated car from Maranello. The factory invoice dated 30 November 1989 lists chassis ZFFGJ34B000083330, engine 17434, finished in Rosso Corsa (300/9) over standard red cloth (Rosso Stoffa Vigogna). Ferrari's Telex on 11 December 1989 confirmed the car ready and paid under tourist plates 944/AK, and Menzies collected 83330 directly from the factory on 27 December 1989, before U.K. registration as 40 U on 17 January 1990.



As an early European-specification car, 83330 is what marque enthusiasts term a "non-cat, non-adjust" F40, built without the catalytic converters introduced on later cars, and the self-leveling adjustable suspension on U.S.-market examples. These first-series cars are the most sought-after of the breed, prized for their raw handling characteristics and less-restricted engine.



Chassis 83330's original service booklet remains with the car and traces a coherent, steadily accumulating mileage across just three private owners from new. Menzies's tenure saw the first service carried out by Graypaul Motors in January 1990 at 1,700 km, followed by further attention there into the mid-1990s. The car passed through one further U.K. caretaker before joining Larry Kinch circa 1995, who would retain the F40 for the next three decades. Servicing through this period ran to Glenvarigill of Edinburgh, which renewed the cambelts at the major intervals across the late 1990s and into the early 2000s, before long-term care passed to Scuderia Ecosse in West Lothian-a marque specialist that both competed in and supported Scottish entrants in the Ferrari GT Challenge series. In all, the booklet records eleven services from new, including seven major services carried out at the manufacturer-recommended intervals.



Having accumulated 26,500 km by 2004, chassis 83330 has covered just over 1,000 km in the two decades since, reading 27,675 km at the time of cataloging. With such modest usage, Kinch commissioned a comprehensive recommissioning, carried out by Stewart Roden Motors and completed in 2021. Mechanically, the timing belts were replaced, the clutch, bearings, and seals renewed, the turbochargers, starter motor, alternator were rebuilt, and the fuel system overhauled with alloy tanks, fittings, and pipes. The suspension and braking systems were comprehensively rebuilt, including new bushes, ball joints, discs, and pads, while the radiators were remanufactured and the exhaust, electrical, and ignition systems refurbished as necessary. In keeping with the car's originality, many of the factory steel components, fasteners, and fittings were stripped, re-plated, re-coated, and refinished rather than replaced. The bodywork was also attended to, with paint repairs to the lower shell, localized repainting to the upper shell, rebuilt doors and bumpers, refurbished wheels, renewed window trims, retrimmed seats with original-style fabric, and fresh protective film applied to vulnerable areas.



Kinch parted with 83330 in 2025, and upon joining the consignor, the car was entrusted to noted Ferrari specialist Bell Sport & Classic for a further round of refinement and inspection for coveted Ferrari Classiche certification in March 2026. The work included a major service with renewal of the cam and auxiliary drive belts, a fresh set of Pirelli P Zero tires, and refurbishment of the wheels, alongside a series of detail corrections addressing the doors, horns, rear bumper fitment, and roof lining. A number of suspension and ancillary components were removed and refinished in the correct colors to factory appearance. While the car was at Bell Sport & Classic, Attilio Romano and Tim Kearns remarked that it was one of the best-feeling and best-driving F40s they had ever encountered, exhibiting none of the squeaks, rattles, or shudders from the clamshells so common among F40s. Most significantly, the car was submitted to Ferrari Classiche for certification and awaits its "Red Book" at the time of cataloging, confirming that 83330 retains its matching-numbers engine, gearbox, body panels, and major components.



Chassis 83330 is a truly superlative example of the last Ferrari conceived under Enzo Ferrari's own direction, uniting the rawest of the breed's "non-cat, non-adjust" specification with a depth of documentation few F40s can match. As one of the earliest examples delivered to the United Kingdom, its origins are documented to a degree seldom seen, from the 1988 correspondence over its allocation through to its collection from Maranello, supported by an unbroken, fully stamped service record and recent investment well into six figures. Offered with its tool roll and tire inflator, tow hook, and wheel hub tool, together with its original factory literature, 83330 presents an exceptional opportunity for the collector who demands the finest provenance alongside the purest expression of Ferrari's 40th-anniversary supercar.