The Sultan of Brunei's exclusive, one-off Ferrari F40 is back in the spotlight

The Ferrari F40, one of the most emblematic and iconic offspring of the Cavallino Rampante brand. It was in 1987 that production of the Italian supercar was given the green light to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the house that gave it shelter. Only 1,315 units left the gates of the Maranello factory to deal a hard blow to the competition, after having once held the title of the fastest production car ever built, an attribute that made the F40 even more special. But the formula could be rounded out even further.

Muda Hassanal Bolkiah, better known as the Sultan of Brunei, was one of the 1,315 lucky owners who received the nod from Ferrari to add an F40 to his collection. But Mr Bolkiah, eager to indulge his appetite for whims, demanded that the Italian firm accept a series of requests that would make his F40 an even more exclusive car.

A very exclusive story

The first, and least far-fetched, was to have his unit fitted with right-hand drive, since the F40’s usual home would be the United Kingdom. The second was based on the fact that the Sultan of Brunei did not want his supercar to wear the iconic Rosso Corsa colour carried by the other 1,314 units, and instead proposed a shade known as Gunmetal Grey. The third and last was that the cabin of his F40 should be the same as that of the Ferrari Testarossa, along with seats upholstered in brown leather.

Ferrari, who accepted the Sultan’s wishes reluctantly, imposed a series of requirements on him in order to enjoy a different F40. The Italian brand required Muda Hassanal Bolkiah to buy a total of six units, although rumours suggest that, as a display of ostentation, ultimately ten of the 1,315 Ferrari F40s built were commissioned.

Once both parties had come to an agreement, production began on the lineup of supercars the Sultan of Brunei had just acquired. After two decades behind the wheel of this exclusive F40, it is estimated that it was sold on up to three occasions, and one of its owners decided to temper its exclusivity by painting it in Rosso Corsa and having the interior match the rest of the units.

Back to its roots

It is no wonder that there are still people who support the originality of these works of art on wheels. In recent days, we have seen a post from DK Engineering – a dealer specialising in Ferrari – on Instagram in which the star was a grey F40.

This unit is the same one that belonged to the sumptuous collection of the Sultan of Brunei who, let us remember, still has nine other F40s in his possession. The DK Engineering team has decided to reapply the Gunmetal Grey, its original colour, to the bodywork of the Italian supercar, although we cannot say the same about the cabin, which is just like that of any other F40.

Be that as it may, we are looking at one of the most special examples of this emblematic vehicle. Thanks to the persistence – and purchasing power – of Hassanal Bolkiah, we can witness an F40 that is unique in the world and which we hope will always remain faithful to its originality.