You had to dare. And someone did. For sale for the modest sum of €14,999, this replica of the Ferrari F40, spotted on Facebook Marketplace in France, is the talk of the town... but not necessarily for the right reasons.
A Ferrari? Not really.
At first glance, it might appear to be a poorly restored F40 or a strange version of a life-size toy. But underneath this bodywork of dubious proportions lies in reality... a second-generation Audi TT, more precisely a 2010 3.2 V6 quattro DSG model. Gone, then, is Maranello's iconic rear-mounted twin-turbo V8: here, the engine sits quietly at the front, in a German coupé chassis.
The transformation is radical: extended hood, hypertrophied rear, central triple exhaust, fake extractors, large spoiler with the inscription "T32" in place of the Ferrari logo. Even the headlamps are vaguely reminiscent of those on the F40, but the whole thing gives the impression of a failed automotive cosplay. The sticker on the rear window completes the picture.
No photos of the interior have been released, but it's easy to imagine that it's still that of an Audi TT, with its four seats, far from the stripped-down look of the original F40. Access to the trunk also seems compromised by the grafting of this home-made bodywork.
As for the engine, the 3.2L V6 develops 250 hp, a far cry from the 478 hp of the real F40. But at least the quattro system and 6-speed DSG gearbox provide a modicum of sportiness... if you really dare to drive it that way.
A good deal?
With a list price of less than €15,000, this imitation at least has the advantage of being (relatively) affordable, especially when compared with the more than €3.5 million needed to acquire a genuine F40 today. But who'd really want to drive one of these?
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You know, I admire the work that has gone into creating the F40 wannabe, but you'd have to ask why.
They would have done better to restore this Audi TT properly.