VIN: the Brunei Royal Family Ferrari F40 chassis 87455
/ Ben Tyer
HISTORY OF CHASSIS 87455
Chassis 87455 was a UK market F40 supplied through Ferrari’s British distributor, Maranello Concessionnaires, in Egham, Surrey. Registered H380 JPA during December 1990, the F40’s first owner was a Mr Wilson who was a regular attendee at Ferrari Owners Club events and had Maranello Concessionaires maintain the car on his behalf.
At some stage during the F40’s early life it was driven by both Derek and Justin Bell for a Brands Hatch test against a Porsche 959. Then, between April 1993 and April 1994, chassis 87455 was sold to its second owners, the Brunei Royal Family, who were in the midst of an epic collector car splurge that ultimately totalled over a billion dollars.
Using some of the proceeds from Brunei’s enormous natural gas and oil reserves, the Sultan and his brother, Prince Jefri (who from 1986 had served as Brunei’s Finance Minister), ordered vast swathes of high end motor cars, many of which were built to unique specifications at vast expense.
Chassis 87455 was one of at least ten F40s that made their way to Brunei. Like many of these, upon acquisition it was immediately dispatched to Pininfarina for a host of modifications to be carried out. Work included conversion to right-hand drive and installation of a special interior that included black leather upholstery, electric windows, an audio system, air-conditioning, 512 TR seats and a custom central control panel.
In addition, 87455 had its exterior changed from the original Rosso Corsa to spectacular Bianco.
Upon delivery to Brunei in 1994, chassis 87455 was registered BP8883. It has remained part of the Brunei Royal collection ever since.
Text copyright: Supercar Notalgia
Photo copyright: Supercar Nostalgia, Pininfarina - https://pininfarina.it/ & unattributed
