When a man from New Zealand has a dream car he can't afford as well as tenacity, talent, and a love of cars, an alternative is to build his own from scratch. That's what F40 Developments' Steve Cox did, and what emerged was an exciting new design, inspired by the F-40 and based on a new chassis...the S40 Silhouette. This is no one-off...it's for sale in the South Pacific and here in the States, as well.
To re-create Italian styling for this sports-race-street car, the Auckland native mocked up a shell, delicately balanced on boxes and drums, and then re-engineered new plugs to get the shut lines perfect. The chassis started as a bunch of tubes on a workshop floor but finished as a custom steel-tube space frame with steel floors and firewalls to meet New Zealand specs.
F40 Developments created its own CNC-machined aluminum A-arms and uprights, and Cox installed custom ProFlex three-way adjustable shocks, Compomotove racing rims (17x10 up front and 17x13 behind), and Michelin tires (245/45/17s and 345/35/17s, respectively).
The car weighs in at 2,200 pounds, and when propelled by its lusty 800hp 4L Toyota engine ('90-96), custom F40 Developments twin-throttle manifold, Air Research turbocharger with a 20-pound boost, Porsche X8 injector, Autronic Computer Management electronic ignition, and K&N X2 air cleaner, this flying Kiwi can top 200 mph. Also added were a ZF five-speed tranny, Toyota MR2 cam buckets, JE pistons, Oliver connecting rods, Iskenderian valve springs, Ferrera "wasted-stem" stainless steel valves, Griffin custom radiator, and Iconell stainless steel custom-fabricated exhaust system. The car is fully race prepared, has an 8,000-rpm limit, and pops out 675 lb-ft of torque at 6,800 rpm. For safety, Cox added Kings springs, AP racing brakes, and a Wilwood pedal assembly.
The bodywork was done by F40 Developments, and the F40D fiberglass and carbon fiber/Kevlar shell was painted PPG Rosso Red. Hella headlights, Fiat taillights, and custom mirrors, door handles, and window glass make the look a classic one. The adjustable rear race wing is carbon fiber, though he offers a standard rear wing made of fiberglass. For that extra touch, the S40 badges are of a silver fern, an internationally recognized symbol of New Zealand.
Inside, a custom F40 Developments carbon fiber dash, Motec ADL gauges, MOMO steering wheel, and F40D custom carbon seats and upholstery offer the same classy appearance.
Cox has blazed down the quarter-mile in 10.5 seconds, with a top speed of 131 mph, and according to the builder, "This is a fantastic supercar. It can go faster than a McLaren F1 and handles superbly. I pull 1.77 g's in the corners and 1.5 g's under brakes and can go from 0-100 mph in 6.5 seconds. I love this car and I want to share it with America."
Nice of him to share, awesome to see, and delicious to drive. Kiwi power, with Italian styling and a Japanese engine...nice combo...glad he shared his S40 Silhouette with us Yanks.