- The Venturi 400 Trophy was created for an early-Nineteen Nineties single-marque racing sequence in France.
- It options Kevlar composite bodywork and a mid-mounted 3.0-liter V-6 engine.
- This instance has been modified for the road and is up for public sale in Florida the place, with every week to go earlier than the August 1 public sale finish date, bidding is at $101,000.
The Ferrari F40 has by no means been inside attain of the unusual collector, however over the previous few years values have come on increase and surged into multimillion-dollar territory. Instead, are you in search of a race-bred, twin-turbo, mid-engined unique with carbon-Kevlar bodywork, however with a funds that does not stretch to seven figures? This is an uncommon however compelling mix of French racing élan and golden-age Japanese efficiency tuning.
Immediately’s choose at Deliver a Trailer (which, together with Automobile and Driver, is a part of Hearst Autos) is a closely modified instance of a Venturi 400 Trophy. A lot rationalization about what precisely a Venturi is shall be required shortly, however first, simply drink within the particulars. Outrageous composite bodywork. Efficiency elements from BBS, Brembo, Ohlins, HKS, and Recaro. A rear clamshell hood that opens to disclose a twin-turbo V-6 good for 408 horsepower in manufacturing unit trim and extra like 500 horsepower right here. Subsequent, you might discover the sliding Lexan home windows and a dashboard filled with uncovered fuses. This automobile is way extra obscure than Ferrari’s 40th birthday current to itself, however it’s each inch the unique.
Venturi was based within the mid-Eighties by two French engineers, former workers of the Heuliez coachworks. For highway automobiles, Venturi’s peak was the 400 GT, a particularly limited-production sports activities automobile that could be nearly unknown by the bigger public had it not appeared digitally within the racing sport Gran Turismo 2.
The 400 GT was a roadgoing model of a race automobile: the 400 Trophy. One of many earliest successes of French racing promoter Stéphane Ratel—instrumental within the creation of GT2 and GT3 racing—the 400 Trophy was a gentleman-racer sequence meant to be a French twist on related one-make racing sequence fielded by Porsche or Ferrari. Simply over 70 automobiles had been constructed, however the sequence was successful, operating over 4 seasons.
This instance is chassis quantity 50, although it has come a great distance from the times of Trophy racing. It raced within the 1992 and 1993 seasons however was then shipped to Japan and transformed for highway use. The method didn’t contain firming down the efficiency of the racing chassis however quite extracting much more out of it.
A Feast for the Creativeness
The automobile was despatched to Tokyo to be tuned, with HKS GT-SS turbochargers and MoTec engine administration. Japan’s capital is after all a supercar haven, with Yokohama’s Daikoku Parking Space turning into a church of velocity on Sunday morning. This instance, nevertheless, was constructed for early-morning weekend operating of the tunnels and canyons of Hiroshima, hurtling by these comparatively empty roads at velocity. No radio, no distractions, simply the almighty hiss of the dual turbochargers and the stunning aggression of a well-tuned 3.0L PRV V-6 snarling in the direction of redline.
The roadgoing 400 GT is as uncommon as you need, with simply 15 examples made. The driving expertise of these automobiles isn’t imagined to be the most effective, with questionable boutique supercar firm construct high quality and snatchy carbon brakes.
By comparability, this 400 Trophy was at first shaken down and reworked by a racing staff over a number of seasons, then constructed up as a road automobile by a Tokyo tuning specialist throughout the time when the elusive Mid Evening Racing Staff was of their heyday. It is a mix of two seemingly disparate worlds of automotive enthusiasm, however combines the most effective of each of them.
Catching sight of an F40 in visitors is a bucket listing spot, however Ferrari did constructed greater than 1300 of them. There are solely a handful of Venturis within the US at current, and possibly solely one in every of them like this. With eight days to go, the excessive bid is at $101,000. Possibly do not consider this 400 Trophy because the poor man’s F40, however as one thing even rarer and extra particular to personal and drive than the last word Ferrari.
Contributing Editor
Brendan McAleer is a contract author and photographer primarily based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British vehicles, got here of age within the golden period of Japanese sport-compact efficiency, and started writing about automobiles and other people in 2008. His specific curiosity is the intersection between humanity and equipment, whether or not it’s the racing profession of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught each of his younger daughters tips on how to shift a guide transmission and is grateful for the excuse they supply to be perpetually shopping for Scorching Wheels.
