The seven-time world champion caused a sensation at the Monza circuit, arriving at the Italian Formula 1 Grand Prix behind the wheel of one of the rarest supercars ever made.
Lewis Hamilton has repeatedly said that he has sold off almost his entire car collection in recent years, but he decided to make an exception for the car of his dreams. The long-awaited purchase — an immaculate 1987 Ferrari F40 — made its debut at the Italian Grand Prix, delighting fans and photographers, Robb Report reports.
It took Hamilton years to track down the perfect example among the 1,315 F40s produced before 1991. Eventually, luck was on his side: he discovered a car that had been preserved in a garage for an astonishing 30 years.
“I wanted to find the most authentic example, and I came across a car whose first owner bought it, drove it 69 kilometers from Maranello to his home, put it in the garage under a cover — and never started it again,” Hamilton told Sky Sport Italia. “The passenger door had never even been opened. It had simply been sitting there under a layer of dust.”
After acquiring the rare find, Hamilton sent it straight back to its historic birthplace — the Ferrari factory in Maranello. Local technicians and engineers spent several painstaking weeks restoring the supercar to perfect working order.
When specialists began working on the engine, they discovered an extraordinary surprise: the motor bore the factory marking “44” — Hamilton’s signature racing number, which has followed him throughout his career.
Before the weekend’s sessions got underway at Monza, Hamilton not only took the legendary coupe for a personal spin but also happily posed beside it for photographers, completing the look with a stylish coat and cap. The car itself also carried license plates featuring the number 44.
The Ferrari F40 was the final road-going supercar whose creation was personally approved by Enzo Ferrari before his death in 1988. For Hamilton, now enjoying a high-profile chapter of his career with the Scuderia, the acquisition represents the fulfillment of a childhood dream — and another deeply personal connection to the legendary Italian marque.
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