Italian GP: Lewis Hamilton Turns Heads With His Ferrari F40 — Why His “Dream” Car Is So Special

Lewis Hamilton kicked off this weekend’s 2026 Italian Grand Prix at the historic Autodromo Nazionale Monza in spectacular fashion by arriving at the paddock in his newly restored, legendary Ferrari F40 sports car.

Footage shared by Scuderia Ferrari shows the moment the British racing driver arrived in his red Ferrari F40, sporting a custom “44” registration plate that perfectly matches Hamilton’s iconic racing number.

“You just can’t beat this arrival 😮‍💨,” the racing division of the luxury Italian auto manufacturer wrote in its caption.

The seven-time Formula 1 World Champion had earlier in the week revealed the special acquisition on social media, describing the F40 as “the car of my dreams” and saying his desire to own one dates back to his childhood.

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“My very own F40. This is the car of my dreams and has been for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I dreamt of having one. When I joined Ferrari last year, I made sure to have one with me on my first day at Maranello. That’s how much it means to me,” Hamilton wrote while sharing the news.

Following the acquisition of the “dust-covered” Ferrari F40, Hamilton sent the legendary car to the brand’s Maranello factory for an extensive restoration, where engineers brought it back to life and had it ready in time for him to use.

“This is the second year I’ve experienced this special moment, and I don’t think it’s something you could ever get used to,” Hamilton said ahead of experiencing the Italian Grand Prix for the second time as a Scuderia Ferrari HP driver.

Ferrari F40

Today, the F40 is highly valued by collectors and admired by car enthusiasts because of its enormous historical significance. Unveiled in 1987 to mark Ferrari’s 40th anniversary, the F40 was the last Ferrari road car approved and introduced while Enzo Ferrari was alive.

It is powered by a 2.9-litre twin-turbo V8 that produces roughly 478 hp, allowing the F40 to reach around 201 mph (324 km/h), making the legendary car one of the fastest production cars in the world at the time.

Only 1,315 F40s were produced between 1987 and 1992, making it rare enough to be highly desirable among collectors. Some examples now command multi-million-dollar prices, compared with the original cost of around $400,000–$425,000 in the late 1980s.

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