The collector car community is still cooling off after a Monterey Car Week that saw five major auction houses generate $762 million to obliterate the event’s previous all-time sales record of $471 million. And you can bet all of them are hoping to carry that momentum through the rest of 2026.
RM Sotheby’s is already planning a late-October auction in London, for instance, and an early headliner of the currently eight-lot roster is a 1990 Ferrari F40 that’s estimated to sell for $2,450,000 to $3,270,000. The fine automotive broker hasn’t listed the vehicle’s details or provenance yet, but it’s condition appears to be pristine, free of any blemishes inside and out—even the engine bay looks close to how it would have rolling out of Maranello’s factory more than 35 years ago.
Details notwithstanding, this could be an opportunity to pick up a vehicle that hasn’t depreciated a cent in two decades and has seen its value skyrocket in the past year. According to Hagerty, the 1990 F40 has appreciated between 32.8%and 54.5% since July 2025, depending on condition. “Fair” examples—which run but may need some cosmetic attention—have made the biggest jump, from $1.65 million to $2.55 million.
But this F40 is at least in “Good” condition, the value of which has increased from $2.45 million to $3.4 million in the same timeframe. Again, the maximum pre-auction estimate on this car is $3.27 million. If it’s in “Excellent” condition, it’s pretty much a must-buy as long as bidding doesn’t exceed the top end of its valuation, as F40s in that shape have jumped from $3.2 million in 2025 to $4.25 million. And if it’s in pristine “Concours” condition—which it may very well be—it’s a veritable steal, as the value has jumped from $3.5 million to $5.05 million.
And if you’re a Ferrari fan with the appropriate budget, this is a no-brainer. The F40 is the final vehicle that Enzo Ferrari approved, in celebration of the 40th anniversary of his Maranello-based marque—”F” stands for Ferrari and “40” for the birthday. The F40 took the “race car for the road” philosophy pioneered by the 288 GTO to new extremes, first by using mostly lightweight composite materials to form the body. Designed by Pininfarina and unveiled in 1987, everything about its shape screams speed. The eye moves from the mean aerodynamic nose and follows an array of intake ducts that flow all the way to the tail, where a massive integrated wing makes perhaps the boldest design statement.
The loudest element, though, was of course the slightly enlarged version of the GTO’s twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V8, which delivered a whopping 478 horsepower to help it become the first production Ferrari to break the 200-mph barrier.
Keep an eye on the 1990 Ferrari F40’s listing at RM Sotheby’s.