There was an opticians at the top of North Street in Belfast in the 90s that drove his F40 to work and parked it right outside. Take a look at North Street/ Bridge Street on Google Maps and you'll see its still a very undesirable part of the city.
In autumn 1988 I made a three days visit to Maranello with two school-friends of mine. Several times we had the chance to watch F40s on the Pista di Fiorano. The difference of speed between a F40 and e.g. a Testarossa both driven by factory drivers on this racetrack was atunning. Seeing all the these dreamcars on the streets of Maranello is yet another special memory. Thank you Iain for this video!
A true enthusiast and a true expert driving an icon. Keep up the wonderful work Iain. It's a pleasure watching your videos and seeing the wonderful work you do. You have a proper appreciation of the classics
What a wonderful world we live in where we can, from all around the world, enjoy such rare and beautiful cars this up close. I've been following you since the start of the channel and you still manage to outdo yourself, time after time. Thank you, from Sweden, for everything you do Iain!
Wonderful world ? Come on get real if it was a wonderful world all of us members of the hoi piloi would be able to go out & purchase and drive these so called super/hyper cars instead the privileged few fatcats …. The haves and the have nots eh ? …. Me ? I have great fun tootling about in my tatty MGB …
I think you’ve won the internet this week Iain! Not a prancing horse fan but that F40 is stupendous! Thanks for sharing its journey with us, I’m sure the owner will be ecstatic with it.
What a great vid! Back in the days we had an event called Italia a Zandvoort - I don't have to explain where it was. I remember three great moments and I will mention the F40 one last. First was the classic race, where those little Abarth Fiats were racing the Le Mans Daytonas. In the corners the big V12 couldn't hget rid of the small Abarts. I also remember Frits Kroymans racing his 250 GTO against Hans Hugenholtz Jr. in a just restored late '50s Testa Rossa. When it still were two words. It was wheel to wheel and Fender to Fender. We could hear those Colombo V12 wherever they were. And the third nemory is about five F40's racing, again fender to fender. I remember some damaged noses and rears, knowing in that day a nose cost 30.000 Dutch Guilders (I guess 15000 euros) and a rear end 150.000 guilders (75.000 euros), and it was so nice seeing those owners really race those F40's big time. Your vids bring back all the memories.
Iain, It's a stormy day in Pennsylvania, so I sat down in my office and turned to you. This F40 video evokes an emotional response. Absolutely invigorating. (You are looking good, but the car is magnificent!) Thanks again for your wonderful work.
@@iain_tyrrell Iain, I am “several” years senior to you and I have never allowed myself to indulge in a personal automobile. For twenty years I have loved the Bentley Continental GT. Mine would be white, with a light tan interior. (I am one of those OCD guys so it would always be spotless. Unlike my daughters bathroom! I am outnumbered by women.) That said, You are a treat. I share your videos with a few friends who appreciate your enthusiasm. Thanks again, George
This video is an important part of the restoration for not only the lucky owner, but also we, the enthusiastic public! What an utterly beautiful machine this is, both static and in motion.
Iain, coincidentally I was racing my Mercedes-Benz at Watkins Glen International racetrack in New York state earlier this week. That track is well maintained; it will allow plenty of pace.
The cool down lap is like the end of a computer game after a race as scores tally. Amazing sounds and thank you, the owner and your team for giving us an look into another automotive world. I loved it as a kid late 80s early 90s.
As you are experiencing the cardinal virtue of gratitude, I am teetering on the brink of the abyss of the capital vice of envy. Congrats on a job well done by you and your team!
“Fantastic day at the office”. That has to be the biggest understatement I have heard so far in 2024. @Iain_tyrrell are you looking for an assistant? Not sure I can fix an F40 just yet but I cook great French food. And I’ll be happy to help you warm up the cars and “bring them back to life”.
I saw one on Gower st, In London some years back - had never saw one in the flesh before, and was literally swearing to myself as I was catching up to it on my Suzuki GN125, to catch a glimpse of it! The most beautiful car ever, in my opinion
Fantastic to actually see this car being driven, it is what is was made to do but, as you point out, sadly to few of them are actually used. They are amazing to look at but they should be allowed to fulfil their purpose and be enjoyed from behind the wheel. Full credit to you Iain for showing us this car in it’s natural habitat and kudos to the owner for allow you to do so 😊
Thank you for the video - I love going for rides with Tyrrell in the amazing cars he work on, and his feedback and commentary is spot on. This was a real treat and I watched (and listened to the engine sounds) twice.
My dad was very proud, when he entered the driveway in our first brand new car - a British racing green Morris ADO 16 1100 - Marina - our nabo, a dentist working part time in Switzerland must have felt the same in his first new car.....a BB512 two days later - oh well.
Wow what a beautiful car! I had a Burago model when I was a child (I've still got it somewhere - probably in the loft) and it looks just like the model but bigger. Even now its still such gorgeous shape. One of my favourite cars.
Imaginably, of course this prestigious value on wheels is not to be tested on the open road near the workshop, considering the utterly poor state of the tarmac there. The circuit would be the wisest option indeed, and there we have it. The privilege is entirely hours Ian, being able to experience such an exclusive rarity of the highest order of automotive exposé. Thank you so much once again 💓
Hi Iain, done a load of laps at Oulton, great circuit, challenging and exciting as you say. Lovely to see such an iconic car in motion, sight and sound fantastic! Great for MSV to grant you a private test! Utterley stunning restoration, well done to you and your team, been a fab series of videos. Thanks!
Fantastic to see the F40 at my local circuit Oulton Park. A beautifully restored car at a stunning circuit. Wish I could have been there to get some pictures.
The opening on this video is Top Gear quality. And the rest even better. Top notch! Iain when he hand over the car to the owner: “it work just great, up to second gear, at last”.
Congratulations on a stunning restoration of an iconic car, love the way you slowly bring it back to life, I'm a 72 yr old mechanic and I agree with your method, just brilliant.
Wow! Now that's some serious kit. Saw one in the early '90s at a concourse show in Santa Barbara at the polo fields. Examined every inch of it in great detail. Walked away with wet pants. Cheers
And just like that, right when you thought that Iain's videos couldn't get any better, he goes out and does this. What a treat it's been! Thank you very much for sharing this moment with us!
Thank you for showing this beauty on the track and I'm sure you really had to restrain yourself from going into 3rd gear. Have been a fan of your channel almost from the beginning and will be looking for more to come. Cheers from Canada.
What an absolute delight to see this beauty driving. Congratulations to you and your team getting this back to A1 condition. Loved watching these F40 episodes come to a conclusion. A happy man indeed!
I remember when this first came out, it created shock and awe in the automotive world and its car enthusiasts and all this time later it still has the same effect, Thank you Iain and thank you Hampson Auctions for making it happen!
It's still jaw dropping today. Got lots of attention, even in the rarified atmosphere of the race circuit. Thanks for watching and I'll echo your thanks to Hampson Auctions.
Even though it’s a very valuable car, owned by someone else, it was still special. How spiritedly I drive them depends on a lot of factors. Thanks for your interest
I had to wait for today for watching, but what a surprise it Wes at Oulton Park. That was fantastic, beautiful car, beautiful circuit and beautiful weather. I was a bot worried because I did see some little stones on the circuit, but the sensation of speed was more than the reel speed. I looked at the headlining during the video, and had to think of that part of the restauration. It looks as imperfect as it should be, and that is perfect. Thanks for this special video Iain!😍👍
This must be the first time in history that an F40 was driven on a track and never reached 3rd gear! It would be good to hear your thoughts on PPF Mr T...
Took a lot of self- control. But the car is 100% accident- free, unusual for an F40, and I have no wish to change that! PPF is excellent. Will be covering that in a future video
Question....does the value of the car, at times and in any way, sometimes hamper the enjoyment of driving it due to the worries associated with that fact? On a much smaller level, my son saved and saved to purchase his first air-cooled 911 Porsche. It wasn't one of the really expensive, rare models, and nothing on the level of the F40 obviously, but he had never driven one, and neither had I, so we agreed that I would drive it back from Newport Beach CA to our home, about a 90 minute drive. He followed me in my car. I had never driven one either, but having alot more experience in general, he wanted me to drive and then it would allow him to get used to the car once home and he could go on short drives to get used to the car. I enjoyed not one moment of that drive. It wasn't my car, it was worth a fortune to him, and it was a busy traffic day. I could not wait to get it home. It wasn't until the third time I drove it that I could actually enjoy the car and fell in love with 911s. Do you ever get those nervous feelings?!
I have had many experiences like that. I'm a bit north of you, and now that our roads are choked with Silicon Valley 3rd worlders, it becomes nearly impossible to have a moment of enjoyment. That Prius that is about to T-Bone you, the idiot on their phone in a Tesla, or the gardening pickup truck with the leaf blower ready to fall out are all aimed at us. This is what the elites want- to have classics only in their hands. These 3rd worlders don't respect our heritage cars- they park next to them and cram the body with their doors, scratch paint with their strollers, and just don't care. They weren't raised with them, which is why we need to send them packing. Another CA problem is the lack of law enforcement. Gangs can steal cars and tools, and the police do nothing. Insurance costs are prohibitive here because of that, so the average middle class guy simply can't afford a classic, and many of them get scrapped. When my friends and I drive our classics, we go in groups, and all of us carry. No way I am letting some bum have his way with a car that I spent 8 years restoring. End of rant. Cheers
I think so, definitely. I was thinking the same thing watching this video. It happens on all levels, from a young person nervous about their relatively humble pride and joy, through to ridiculously valuable classics. In the real world, it's something you have to deal with and manage through your own personal mindset, but with cars like this, or a $20m McLaren F1 or whatever, there is simply no escaping the fact. Add to the fact that these cars might be largely irreplaceable and it makes it worse. It would be a nice problem to have obviously, but it would surely be a very special set of circumstances where you could hoon around in an F40 without a care, just fully enjoying the experience. However, there is a video on yt of Nico Rosberg doing just that in (someone else's from memory) F40 a while back, so with enough money and the right attitude, anything is possible!
We've followed this on for a while and you've been promising a shake down drive and......WOW! This is why all of your followers love this stuff. Excellent! Thank you
stunning car as starting point + max level of professionalism + huge passion + budget to work with + pure class in terms of approaching such project = this amazing outcome....... What an AWESOME 6-part journey....thx!
@@iain_tyrrell Just being honest! Always look forward to your videos. Better than Harry's now! 😜😂 Huge favor he did for us motoring junkies pushing you into RU-vid..👏🏼
Great to see Oulton Park again. I used to go there with pals from Sheffield in the 1960s, always a great day out. From memory there were Tyrrells racing there then, but that must have been an earlier generation. And then there were great characters like Blaster Bates telling how Knicker Brook came to be named.
It's a bit sad seeing the car doing slow laps all on its own. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate all the work that went into the restoration process, but having seen these cars racing in the 90's (remember the BPR series?) it just seems wrong to fully condemn them to the collectors market. Still, I really appreciated you letting us take part in the restoration process. Cheers!
Sort of between a rock and a hard place now, with values having shot through the roof. This car is probably one of the most preserved, never crashed F40s in existence- and I have no plans to change that!
@@iain_tyrrell We need the pristine examples as well, and this car certainly is just that now :) But as you say, the value going up like that, I understand why owners are extra careful with them. I just wish we could see some of them in their right element again, on the race track battling with McLaren F1, Venturi, 911 GT2, Lister Storm, XJ220... good times!
Just one word....Epic!! Seeing how amazing looking this example is, it must be something else to get to actually drive such iconic cars as these. You have some serious powers of restraint there Iain, not to plant the throttle down the straight😉 You could probably hear the Prancing Horse on the bonnet going "Just let me run free!!" 😂 I'm sure its very lucky owner is going to really enjoy taking his car back after all of the work that's gone into it, what an amazing car.
Thank you for another fantastic video, Iain! Please don't think no one noticed that you matched the ending pitch of the intro music to the start-up idle of the F40. Not to say that such attention to detail is surprising.
Be nice to test it for about 3 hrs a day everyday...so much fun. It is a pity that owners of these amazing cars, collect them, display them in some cases but rarely drive them. They are mostly concerned about adding miles to the car, and seeing the value drop. They are almost a kind of currency or a commodity that gets swapped, sold and traded, but rarely driven-and they are definitely meant to be driven. Am I right Iain?
