You don't come across an iconic super car, like the Ferrari F40, every day.
This is the first in an ongoing series of posts where we share random vehicles we find roaming the streets of Southern California. We are lucky to live in an area of the United States that has a very predominant car culture. Combine this love of cars with a beautiful climate, and you have a great chance at seeing some amazing vehicles.
I was out running an errand one day when I found myself waiting at a stop light behind a Ferrari F40. This is the type of car that one might never come across in person in their entire life, since only 1,315 cars were produced … and here I was waiting for the driver to hit the gas so I could get back to work.
The Ferrari's 2.9L twin-turbo V8 produces about 470-475 hp and can push the 2425-lb car to 60 mph in about 3.8 seconds. Keep pressing the accelerator and you will see 100 mph on your speedometer in 7.6 seconds. If you have the space, you can verify that the F40 was the first production vehicle to break the 200-mph barrier.
Since Andrea Pininfarina's life was tragically cut short yesterday, this first "Seen in SoCal" post is in his honor. It was his design firm, Pininfarina, which helped craft this masterpiece. If you have a moment, please take a look at Pininfarina's designs, and you will be amazed at what they have created -- everything from the above mentioned Ferrari F40 to the Austin A40 Farina to the current 2008 Maserati GranTurismo you can see at NADAguides.com.
RIP Andrea Pininfarina.