We thought we knew the passion of Lewis Hamilton for the Ferrari F40. Since his arrival in Maranello, the seven-time world champion has never really hidden his fascination with the supercar designed during the Enzo Ferrari era. But what the driver revealed just a few hours ago adds a whole new dimension to this story: Lewis Hamilton is now the owner of an F40 that had been dormant for more than three decades before being brought back to Maranello to be restored by Ferrari. A story that begins long before he joined the team.
The F40: Lewis Hamilton's childhood dream
«My very own F40.» That’s how Lewis Hamilton just introduced his car. He explains that the F40 has been his dream Ferrari since childhood. His passion is so strong that in January 2025, on his very first official day at Ferrari, he requested that an F40 be parked beside him in front of Enzo Ferrari’s home.
At the time, that photograph seemed like a powerful symbol of his arrival in Maranello. We now understand that it had a much more personal significance.
Since then, the F40 has been a constant companion to Hamilton. He was spotted driving it in Japan, notably on the famous Daikoku parking garage, while he also spoke of his desire to create a hypothetical «F44»—a modern Ferrari inspired by the F40 and equipped with a manual transmission. The number 44 was obviously not chosen at random: his Formula 1 number itself comes from the F44 license plate on his father’s car, which was used when he raced karts as a child.
A «like-new» Ferrari F40 that has been forgotten since 1991
But Hamilton finally found something even better than a modern F40: a genuine F40 frozen in time. The car in question was reportedly delivered new to Modena in 1991, before being stored in a garage a few days later. It is said to have remained there for more than 30 years. The photographs of its discovery are striking: a red body completely covered in dust, opaque windows, the car surrounded by tarps…
According to Azimut AHE, which announced its discovery in late 2025 and its acquisition in early 2026, the car still had its original odometer reading. The company described it as a true time capsule: no restoration, no parts removed, and, incredibly, the passenger door had apparently never even been opened before 2026. Lewis Hamilton explains that he discovered this F40 covered in dust and knew immediately that he had to «bring it home.».
Heading to Maranello for a rebirth
And by «home,» Hamilton obviously means Maranello. After its acquisition in 2026, the F40 was entrusted directly to Ferrari.
The new images provide a glimpse into a particularly extensive mechanical restoration: the bodywork has been removed, the running gear is accessible, and the engine has been taken out… Hamilton himself visited the teams several times throughout the year to check on the progress of the work.
For several weeks now, Ferrari’s engineers and mechanics have been bringing this F40—which has been idle for three decades—back to life. It’s a particularly symbolic rebirth: built in Maranello 35 years ago and almost immediately forgotten, it has finally returned there thanks to one of the world’s most famous Ferrari drivers. And the story is clearly not over yet. Lewis Hamilton accompanies his revelation with a promise: «More to come. Stay tuned…»
After the F40 from his first photo shoot at Ferrari, the Japanese F40, and the mysterious F44 project, Lewis Hamilton now owns the one that probably matters most: his own F40, rescued after more than 30 years in obscurity.
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