Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has only been at Ferrari for a few months, and he already wants more than just driving the Maranello-based company’s cars. His intention is to design a road-going Ferrari based on the legendary F40, which could be called the F44. Hamilton spoke about the subject in his address to reporters during the recent race weekend in Australia. Whether Ferrari has approved his plans, the Briton did not reveal, but given that he is talking about them publicly, it is almost certain that he has already spoken to the leaders of the Italian company.
“One of the things I really want to do is design a Ferrari. I want to create an F44 based on the F40 with a real manual gearbox. I will work on that for the next few years,” said Hamilton.
His words connect with earlier rumors that Ferrari intends to “revive” the F40, which would be added to the limited-edition Icona family of models. This new model could follow the path of the Monza SP1 and SP2, as well as the Daytona SP3, and would be inspired by the last car personally approved by Enzo Ferrari.
The revival of such a model would cause a lot of controversy if the job is not done perfectly, because Ferrari must ensure that it is worthy of its legendary predecessor.
However, the fact that Hamilton would be involved in the project could be a recipe for success. Wealthy enthusiasts will definitely queue up to buy a model that was personally designed/developed by one of the greatest F1 drivers in history. If the car is a modern reincarnation of the F40 with a manual gearbox, then it is realistic to expect Ferrari to sell all the planned examples in a matter of seconds.
