Lewis Hamilton’s dream Ferrari has turned out to be even more special than he initially revealed. After bringing his newly acquired F40 to the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, the seven-time Formula One world champion shared new details about the car’s extraordinary history and the painstaking decision to restore it. Hamilton had been searching for an F40 with more than simply low mileage, saying he wanted an example with an authentic story that had not been heavily modified or repainted. What he eventually found was remarkably close to a time capsule.
Hamilton revealed the previous owner drove the Ferrari just 69 kms (about 43 miles) from Maranello to his home after buying it, then parked it and never started it again, as reported by Crash. The passenger door had apparently never even been opened, while the car remained underneath a cover as dust accumulated around it for decades. Hamilton said this was precisely the kind of F40 he had been searching for because auction listings had produced plenty of low-mileage cars, but some had been repainted or otherwise lacked the untouched character he wanted. The discovery created a dilemma because he considered leaving the dust-covered Ferrari untouched and keeping it as an automotive art piece.
Hamilton eventually decided that he wanted to experience the car rather than simply admire it, so Ferrari took it apart for inspection and restoration. That process produced an extraordinary surprise when the engine was removed. Stamped on the engine was the number 44, Hamilton’s famous Formula One racing number, and he initially thought the Ferrari team was joking when they told him. The coincidence was so unlikely that Hamilton said it felt like fate, particularly given that his proposed F44 concept was itself inspired by the F40 and his racing number. The inspection also revealed that the Ferrari had survived its decades of inactivity remarkably well, with Hamilton saying almost everything was still working and hardly anything needed to be changed.
For Hamilton, driving the F40 into Monza was about considerably more than making a spectacular entrance. He wanted to celebrate Ferrari’s heritage during its home race and create a moment that he believed might never come again. He even joked that Ferrari drivers have historically not arrived at Grand Prix weekends in the company’s most iconic road cars, mentioning legendary machines such as the GTO and F40. The appearance also gave him a chance to connect his current Ferrari chapter with a childhood obsession that existed long before he ever imagined becoming a Ferrari Formula One driver.
Hamilton’s fascination with the F40 has been remarkably consistent. After selling his entire car collection in 2025, he said the F40 was the one car that could tempt him into buying another, describing it as a piece of art. Now that dream has become reality, and the car’s extraordinary provenance makes it even more personal.
A Ferrari that traveled less than 43 miles before disappearing into storage for decades has now been revived at Maranello, driven by one of the most successful drivers in F1 history, and carries an engine bearing the number he has made famous.