Modelled in Alias / Visualised in VRED / Enjoy! xxx
The decision to tackle this project is not one I've taken lightly.
F40 was THE poster car for me as a kid . . it's a car I've loved almost reverently since launch, and I always felt it to be perfect - no need for a redesign whatsoever.
However . . I was never fully convinced by the visual modifications made when they did the racing LM edition . .
For sure, the bodywork was modified purely for performance on the track - but I felt it could have looked a bit more assertive and coherent.
So . . this is my slightly tongue-in-cheek take on what an LM might've evolved into . .
I've tried to stay faithful to the character and key lines of the original F40 . . but . . .
I've tweaked the bonnet to reduce it's height through centreline, and flattened out the top line of the black headlight graphics a little - so that it's a bit more frowny / bit less friendly - then added a traditional LM cooling outlet scoop, and added additional slats to assist brake cooling over the arches.
I couldn't bring myself to put in the 4 big round headlamps of the traditional LM - so let's assume light tech has progressed significantly, and it can get the work done with an upgrade to the traditional rectangular road lamps.
I've widened the arches, and beefed up the side intakes - giving a planar geometric character at the front, which flows into more muscular rear haunches.
The cockpit is much as-was, but with a wrap-around window graphic to mask the A-pillars.
At the rear, the iconic F40 wing is now taller - to allow a second adjustable aerofoil into the stack.
A full rear diffuser and quad rear exhausts finish off the look.
Oh yeah . . and the rear lights? They're purely for fun.
The traditional round tail lamps are based on the light graphic I developed for my Jeep project a little while back - but developed into a deep 3D dished bowl.
There's also a high intensity rear brake light which frames the black panel and wraps up and around the trailing edge of the upper aerofoil . . I was inspired by GT and LM cars which often feature brake lights on the vertical fins of their rear aero blades - and wanted to take it a stage further.
Soo .. how do I feel now that I've completed the project?
Ummm . . maybe a bit guilty . . purists are gonna hate it for sure - and rightly so! ;-)
I still feel the original is an icon - which perfectly embodied the tech and attitude it's era . . but as a tribute - which doesn't totally destroy or rethink the original cars DNA - I think this came out OK as a first pass . .
What do you guys reckon?
All the best,
Mxx
