Amazing Backstory of How Uday Hussein's Ferrari F40 was Found - Automotive News & Information

Even better, we have video of the car running again after it has been restored.

Remember the Ferrari enthusiast Ratarossa’s hunt for and attempt at buying Uday Hussein’s Ferrari F40? Now thanks to one of our spy photographer, Andreas of CarPix and his friend Mazan amin, more is known about this legendary supercar’s fascinating story. You can also see a new collection of photos from the vehicle’s restoration and afterwards.

Amazing Backstory of How Uday Hussein's Ferrari F40 was Found

Amin traveled to Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan with his family in 2015. Amin had seen the F40 inline and discussed it with his father. He was then able track the car to a city workshop. The owner of the Ferrari had already relocated the Ferrari to another location when they arrived. Amin and his dad were able to get in touch with the operator of the workshop, who arranged for them to meet.

However, it wasn’t easy to see the car. Amin and his father had no other option than to find the address of the vehicle. They had to wait in a cafe. “After three hours, a few Toyota Landcruisers arrived carrying 2-3 men each. They all had Kalashnikovs around their shoulders,” Amin explained Motor1.com. “They leapt out and asked us if we were still waiting to meet this man. We confirmed their identity by naming the man. Then, they asked us to get in their cars and drove off.The SUVs arrived at a large house surrounded by more armed guards. Amin described the owner as “a copy of Al Capone wearing a tracksuit with combed-back hair,” and they went on to another guarded location.

“The gate opened approximately one meter from our location and they instructed us to enter. There were many cars under a large metal roof, and the Ferrari F40 was in the middle. I was immediately struck by how small and low it was. Then, I thought that the tires had to be removed from the car’s roof. Amin stated that they had placed four new tires on top of the F40’s roof. “Then all the other stuff around me vanished. I looked at the car closely and took lots of photos. It was sad to see this icon sitting there, rotting away.”

Although the owner did not specify how the F40 was acquired, he said that Uday Hussein was the original owner of the vehicle when he shipped it to Turkey. Amin stated that the Turkish guys refused to return the car, so the owner returned the car with many missing parts.

Amin and his father had discussed purchasing the F40. The owner offered $300,000. Amin’s family is located in Sweden and it proved difficult to obtain the paperwork necessary to legally bring the Ferrari to the country.

“I called the current owner on Friday and asked for new photos of the car. He is the same guy that I met many years ago.” These are the photos you received from me now, along with photos from my first encounter with the F40.

The video below shows the F40 running after a recent restoration.

This story has some interesting gaps. First, Uday Hussein ordered troops to torch his cars after the invasion of Iraq by the United States. This F40 survived destruction. We would also love to hear how this supercar reached its current owner in Erbil.

Ratarossa found the F40 and asked the owner $1.15million for it. The owner seems less interested now that the car is running than when Amin first saw it in much worse condition and offered $300,000.

Amazing Backstory of How Uday Hussein's Ferrari F40 was Found

Ratarossa deserves our appreciation for reviving interest in this Ferrari with an interesting history. Mazan Amin, for sharing these details and photos with us, is our sincere thanks.

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