Conserving History: Ferrari F40 Part 4 - Beautiful Paintwork | Tyrrell's Classic Workshop

Join Iain for an exclusive look at Part 4 of our Ferrari F40 restoration journey. Back in the capable hands of our expert painter, Ryan, this iconic supercar has undergone a stunning transformation. Painted in the classic Rosso Corsa, it's a sight to behold.
As we explore every inch of this masterpiece, Ryan shares his insights into the original factory painting process and the meticulous approach they took to address quality control. Discover how the car's authentic features have been painstakingly preserved, leaving traces of its history, such as original hand-painted brush marks and masking tape, while maintaining the highest standards of restoration.
In the world of restoration, striking the perfect balance between preserving history and achieving perfection is an ongoing dilemma. Join us on this journey of craftsmanship, where every detail matters, and witness the artistry that brings this Ferrari F40 back to its former glory.
#FerrariF40Restoration #BehindTheScenes #ClassicCarCraftsmanship #AutomotiveArtistry
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An Aviant Digital Media production.
Chapter breaks
00:00 Introduction
00:24 What has Ryan been up to?
02:43 A little bit of Ferrari history
03:56 Sensitively restoring the F40
06:04 How to paint a Supercar
09:30 The realities of low-volume production cars
13:30 Is this hand painted?
16:09 The importance of primer
18:29 Outro
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
IMAGE CREDITS
All images sourced from Wikimedia Commons unless otherwise stated.
Title: In-progress pictures of the F40
Creator and Source: Ryan at Cheshire Prestige Paintworks
Licence: By kind permission
Title: Ferrari 288 GTO
Creator: Calreyn88
Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
Title: Lancia 037
Creator: Thomas Doerfer
Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0
Title: Engineer Nicola Materazzi 2018
Creator: Emilio Filippelli / Antonioventisette
Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
Title: Ferrari 288 GTO and F40
Creator: Arnaud 25
Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
Title: Porsche 959
Creator: Matti Blume commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Us...
Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
LICENCE LINKS
CC BY-SA 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/...
CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/...

[@GT380man]

I like the old fashioned relationship between Iain and Ryan. When they’re in Iain’s workshop, Ryan is the ultra skilled tradesman. In his own place, he’s the boss & Iain is in learning mode, treading more carefully. Great mutual regard is sensed here. Ryan is still chuffed to get Iain’s approval. Iain offers thanks to heaven that Ryan is in his network. The owners probably don’t quite understand how their beautiful & very expensive car’s character rests on an exquisitely thin veneer of super professionalism of multinational tradesmen, stretching out over the decades.

[@seanhammon6639]

Wow! Ryan appears not only to be a very likable character, but he is clearly a master of his craft. What a treat getting this inside look!

[@daveduncan9005]

This is a testament to Iain's dedication to getting the details right. The support groups who work on these cars are craftsmen of the highest order and take their tasks very seriously. Their knowledge is encyclopaedic and matched only by their quest for the perfect result. Well done chaps.

[@hassyg4083]

sounds like a chatbot. its a bodyshop like any other

[@bigfutus]

Iain after visiting "bodyshop like any other" with a F40 "Look how they massacred my boy" 🤣

[@thomasmulhall4873]

@@hassyg4083 Wrong. "Body shops just like any other" do collision work and do not wait between paint and polish for paint to flash off and shrink. There are many other processes that your average (production) body shop skips in order to get the cars in and out. Their personnel are generally lower skilled labourers who have zero experience on a car such as this. And remember, the insurance companies dictate the hours and materials that a body shop can use, not the other way round, and it ought to be.

[@XB10001]

​@@hassyg4083not even close. See another body shop giving a 💩 about preserving original imperfections. This is being knowledgeable,.and careful. You WILL pay a hefty price for it, of course.

[@hassyg4083]

@@thomasmulhall4873 this bodyshop does regular cars. all the same relax. Nothing special

[@AmbiAnts589]

I just love how you could make it absolutely perfect but choose to keep the factory flaws and imperfections. Wonderful!!

[@andycollier6458]

No it isn’t, it’s a bit sad.

[@AmbiAnts589]

@@andycollier6458You're a bit sad.

[@airthreypark]

Just a stunning looking thing. I don't lust after driving many classic cars, but this one....... very definitely

[@davidc.8188]

Mr tyrrell surrounds himself with super skilled people. Much respect!!

[@user-pn5wu9sq6t]

The - THE! - source on KZbin for insights in classic cars restoration.... wow!

[@daveperry4391]

Would love to see a "Techy" video of Ryan's work, prep, filling, primer and different coats, oven baking, polish & finishing ops !!

[@GT380man]

I’d pay to hear it described & watch it done, too!

[@jeremyfdavies]

This is a definite nerdy must, I agree.

[@seanbrophy7029]

What a wonderful conversation between two experts and aficionados.

[@ruutbianchi4358]

never learned so much about these supercars as with these films. Stunning craftsmanship of Ryan, thank you Iain making us showing it all!

[@golders99]

To be fair to the Ferrari factory they were knocking these F40's out pretty quickly. This paint chap is doing beautiful work but he has the luxury of time to get it spot on. Such a lovely job and car. Well done.

[@ricosta75]

Great video. The end of Group B was after the accident that killed Henri Toivonen and Sergio Cresto while leading the Tour of Course in 1986 on an Lancia S4. The Lancia S4 was considered the quickest, most powerful and advanced Group B at the time. It was Lancia's 4WD responde to Audi and Peugeot, following the 037 - the last 2WD car to win the Wold Rally Championship (84).

[@stuartkiernan7892]

I'm so lucky to work with Ryan and his team. This car is awesome.

[@nigeldewallens1115]

The more you watch your channel! the more you realise that there are guy that can spray paint and then!! There are guys that you use! Bravo to your friend at ClassicCarCraftsmanship

[@gsmith207]

Artists at work. All I got

[@A_Eichler]

Got this in the morning so I was looking forward to watching this all day.

[@qtronicqilt8898]

"Viper Red" Good work Ryan 🙂

[@WilfredZweverink]

Ryan is on Iain craftsmanship level, and it's not very crowded up there...

[@dublinboxnut7919]

Iain this is the best channel on YT

[@apb3251]

Ryan is a dedicated professional 😊

[@Boyzee355]

As someone who sees Ferrari as a god like figure…. I am absolutely thrilled to see those pieces of masking tape and the ‘hand brushed in’ areas.. as these were literally race built cars ‘for the road’. It shows such a focus on performance over aesthetics- just as Enzo historically prioritised his intentions of product. I love the F40 as many do and now adore all the more. This video is yet another example of why we love and cherish your time Mr Tyrrell. Salute you Sir as always and I really feel should you be able to find the time and energy to write a Book I would be one of the first in queue to purchase- and completely cherish.

[@jass7981]

Get a life

[@hagestad]

Well that masking tape that would be Dallara making those not Ferrari. Not that ferrari would do it any better back then.

[@user-dg3oy2cq6m]

I know it’s the original paint, because I can smell it !!! Brilliant knowledge 👍👍

[@billmiller2051]

Let's hear it for Ryan ! Hip Hip Hooray ! Hip Hip Hooray !

[@censon]

Well done, Ryan!

[@TwizyMan]

Welcome to Nerd's Corner! I enjoy this type of content so much. Great to see people that are so highly skilled sharing their knowledge.

[@craighouston7014]

THIS is what restoring a car is all about. Knowing at which points to stop because you are beginning to take away from the car, and not add to it. It's one of my favorite parts of the process, making those decisions, because instantly you imprint a piece of yourself on to the build. Utterly beautiful paint work, what a privilege to see the work behind it.

[@MH-xd2nd]

There’s a paint job… and there’s a work of art. Superb.

[@user-yo6oq1hv9f]

You can probably count the paint shops in single digits on earth that would go to this level of detail. 99.99% of shops will hide anything they figure the customer isn't going to notice. Anyone receiving a car back from this shop is truly getting something very special and rare. It's worth far more than the price paid for the work.

[@pedalinpete]

Wonderful. I think that it was a Lancia Delta S4 crash that ended Group B?

[@firefighterps2]

Correct

[@OldskoolCatflap]

Yes, sadly killing driver Henry Toivonen and his co-driver. It didn’t help that the design of the Delta S4 meant they were effectively sitting on the fuel tanks!

[@marekw.9816]

The glossy paint, the exposed machinery.. I'm in heaven

[@davidbarnes6410]

What a beautiful job done. Very insightful how the process was done. A mechanical nerd and a painting nerd. Can’t get a better episode.

[@jadesmith6823]

The lad knows his trade 👍

[@MarcMercier1971]

14:51 "Very agricultural". Love it. I like the phrase "50/50". As in "Looks good at 50mph at 50 feet away".

[@rossrreyes]

You know a car has absolutely fantastic styling when it even looks good with all the body panels separated

[@RickGentilo]

Thank you for converting metric for us Americans

[@craigmountain5100]

Ryan needs his own channel, Great video

[@rcXmartin]

Great work on the F40! Grp.B was finally abandoned after the fatal crash of Henri Toivenen. He was driving a Lancia Delta S4.

[@GT380man]

Was that the tragedy & rule change that killed off a British would-be rally great, the MG Metro 6R4 or similar sounding name? I do recall there was crushing disappointment that something a British team felt it was good at was stillborn. For good reasons. It wasn’t possible to combine the power to weight ratios then burgeoning & any reasonable expectation of driver safety in an inevitable crash. And you just can’t operate like that in that era. Nor should we have accepted them doing it, even if the talent was of the opinion “it won’t happen to me”. Sounds like F1 in the 1950s & 60s. My fathers era. He said it was a time when you couldn’t look away but you also couldn’t watch. Too much tragedy. Now, looking back, it’s a blend of mad courage, bravado and death. I no longer watch F1, but I’m very glad they’ve stopped killing lots of young men.

[@Johnny362000]

​@@GT380manthe Metro 6R4 competed in '86 but was never going to hold a candle to the top dogs on account of being naturally aspirated. It was about 100hp down and 100kg _up_ on the dominant Peugeot 205 T16 and Lancia Delta S4

[@BrianBoniMakes]

The first F40 I saw was a competition version that showed up to Mosport for a GT race. The paint was so thin in areas you could see right through it and all the badging was vinyl stickers. I also commented at the time that is was the most race prepared of any factory car I had ever seen and that matters more at a race track. These cars were made to bang around a race track and they all look good at about 40 feet. Thanks for not over restoring this one.

[@floodo1]

Funny cuz the guy in my town that had one just street drove it occasionally. What a tiny little beauty on the streets it was too.

[@BrianBoniMakes]

@@floodo1 That's cool! Loved the sound of these.

[@michaelguerin56]

Thank you Iain, Ryan et al for another superb episode. True craftsmanship.

[@vegard5455]

19min of therapy this.

[@jakkovaningen8350]

The best possible end of the weekend 😊

[@hughoxford8735]

Few cars are timeless, but the f40 does seem to completely encapsulate an idea in such a way that few cars ever have.

[@max.zelinski]

thank you, Ian, for sharing this amazing restoration process with us

[@iain_tyrrell]

Pleasure. Thank you for thanking!

[@blowduke]

Love hand built cars finding the things not quite right is part of the fun in owning them .

[@thomasmulhall4873]

You are 100% right. Character, soul, and patina are all part of that wonderful world of hand built cars. My passion is for the David Brown era Aston Martins. If you really want to see lovely hammer marks, hand written chassis #s and other wonderful aspects of hand built heritage cars, those are a must.

[@Stratboy999]

That paint looks fantastic.

[@johngoodwin1710]

The car was built to the best of their engineering capability at the time. Little did they know what an icon the F40 would become - the grandfather of supercars.

[@carlstanland5333]

I worked at a yacht builder in the early 2000s, and some of the things we did that were the standard way of doing things on a $1M 45’ boat were astonishing to me. Need a screw head black? Sharpie!

[@chrisloukes424]

Best craftsmen in the world. And all in Cheshire! Excellent work as ever.

[@thomasmulhall4873]

Yes, white men are the best at these endeavors. Try finding an English speaking white man in a body shop in California. All you get are Guatemalans, Salvadoraneans, and the odd Asian. No white men any more!

[@paulgammidge-jefferson9536]

Best channel on KZbin. ❤️

[@ThreeFineWonders]

These cars were from an era where technology and manufacturing wasn’t as sophisticated as today. Coupled with the artistic bent within Italian culture, these chimera cars exemplify the crossover from bespoke to high tech production. They’re quite the historic artefact.

[@TheGamer-ux2lr]

So much talent under one roof. I find myself being more impressed each Sunday.

[@iain_tyrrell]

Ryan’s is a separate business but thanks anyway!

[@GT380man]

@@iain_tyrrellUnder two roofs! Both unbelievable concentrations of talent and knowledge. And heart, actually. I’m at least ten-fold below the implied budgets, but I can feel how much you both care, both about the cars and their owners. Many commonplace workshops, you’re lucky if the proprietors care enough about the work. Not uncommon for the odd bit of distain for mere temporary custodians to bleed through. Your reputation depends upon the whole collection of characteristics & my god, if I had only done those additional deals….. On the other hand, as my wife reminds me, the graveyards are filled with indispensable men, and at least I’m still knocking around. We’re fortunate to have an insight into your & Ryan’s world. Thank you, Iain.

[@jean-jacqueskaselorganreco6879]

sublime craftmanship!

[@andrewellis5092]

All I can say is ‘wow!’ Would be good to see a 959 in the workshop at some point. As a kid of the 1980s, I have never seen one in the road and don’t know a huge amount about them!

[@FranklinDelanoRomanowski]

This is a great example of how important it is to find someone with the same mindset and vision of a project.

[@jeffreyoldham55]

Such a fabulous Ferrari, painted in the beautiful Rosso Corsa, as Il Commendatore intended. Complete with pink primer!

[@GT380man]

It’s a super looking primer in dusty pale pink, isn’t it? And as Ryan says, neither grey nor white does the job.

[@Peter-Oxley-Modelling-Lab]

As Darth Vader said: "Impressive...MOST impressive!" Great Vid Iain & Ryan! 👍🏻

[@pile333]

Oh, that Lambo LM 002! Wonderful.

[@chelseachelseachelsea4604]

Just stumbled across your channel. Absolute gem.

[@TalkieToaster.]

Woah, Ryan has skills. Paint looks brilliant.

[@chrisbanks5925]

Stunning paintwork.

[@S-T-E-V-E]

Fair play to Ryan the job he's done on the F40 is like glass! 👌

[@patrickgr1547]

Depth of that paint is amazing.

[@markdawson4625]

Amazing attention to detail from Ryan and his company Iain, a proper craftsman.

[@scottbailey5644]

Fascinating, I love paint engineering!

[@rallyerudi1678]

I think it was an accident with an Lancia S4 that ended Group B. Henry Tivonen in Corsica.

[@thomasmulhall4873]

Very sad that accident. I was lucky enough to visit an Abarth rally prep shop in Torino, right near Corso Marche 38, in 1988. They had a pair of unused seats for Toivonnen and Cresto up on a shelf, as a sort of memorial. I bowed my head when I passed them. At Sparco, I tried on a Biassion driving suit that was unclaimed. Were are about the same size, but there ends any other similarity! Saw the ECV car at Abarth on a tour given by Ing Isenburg the next year. They were on top of the world. Damn FIAT for closing them down for a time...

[@kosmogeorge]

Due to a lack of money, I only had a 40 cm long Bburago model of the F 40, but even then I was fascinated by the wealth of detail and this stringent - form follows function - philosophy. Oooh. Great chanel !

[@johanboes1]

The Santos rs200 crash in public ended group b...from my memory...Great video !!!! Tyrell fan...

[@Johnny362000]

The RS200 crash in Portugal, while tragic and certainly a contributing factor, did not end Group B itself. Henri Toivonen's accident in the Tour de Corsa was the last straw, although the cars were still run until the end of the 1986 season That RS200 incident was as much a fault of Portugal as it was Group B, and Portugal's crowds continued to be a problem well into the Group A era

[@MegaGreatpretender]

Another great show

[@lamarw9901]

As many 80s kids did, I bought the magazine reviews of the car and then a video game to drive the F40 and the 959. The F40 was THE car but one statement that struck me in one of the US publication reviews was, that the restorers would have a hard replicating the orange peal. He was in a way correct but seeing this years on, it wasn't orange peel in the usual texture and application of the paint. Thank you for the back ground and not over restoring the car. My college roommate was a Viper tech, back when Chrysler would send techs to be trained on the car. The Gen1 Vipers had quite a bit of hand built character shall we say. Gen 2 in 96 was better but it had quirks that a higher production vehicle wouldn't The Viper is nowhere near as exotic as a F40 but low production vehicles will have their unique features. The Panoz factory was an an hour from me and the same stories.

[@XCB990]

Outstanding work, just as entertaining as the other side of the spectrum Vice Grip Gargae.

[@benjaminblakemore9704]

WOW!😊❤

[@gerryjamesedwards1227]

What a gorgeous job! I love that you can still see that this was hand-built. You see the virtual perfection of something like a Pagani Utopia under the skin and, while it is stunning, it seems beyond the work of mortal men (even though some of it still is). As for the restoration, this has to be some kind of bench-mark of how all such work on these cars should be done. I'm sure that future collectors and custodians of classic cars will recognize this.

[@johndeere1951a]

Enzo Ferrari b. 1898 d. 1988 Beautiful inside look of the G40 👍 ...and thank you for the Fahrenheit baking figures 👍👍🇺🇲

[@GT380man]

I enjoyed that gesture, too. As a centigrade man, myself. I salute my Stateside brothers!

[@kieranoloughlin]

Great video Ian. That's all that needs to be said !

[@honda0105]

It’s reassuring to see that gentleman like yourself and Ryan, still exist to look after these ageing beauties. Thank you for another wonderful video.

[@andream2360]

Bettega died in a Lancia 037 in 1985 and Toivonen and Cresto, the next year, in a Lancia Delta S4 and these tragedies stopped the Group B experience at the end of 1986.

[@GT380man]

I was barely a peripheral spectator, yet I clearly recall both the searing tragedies & the crushing necessity of the formula changes. It was a ghastly time. Though completely different, the only other time I felt as desolate about the fate of someone I knew only through the TV was the helicopter crash that took Colin Macrae, his son and two adult friends.

[@colinbennett]

One word. "Amazing!" - Thanks (as always) Iain, Ryan. team and partners!

[@raydelamare5014]

Total class, and very interesting!

[@williamkaiser8067]

I was a bit worried that if Iain cranked out one of these a week, he'd be taken away from his work and it would suffer, and maybe show up in the quality of the videos. Obviously I was worried needlessly! Just wonderful. One gets a smidgen of the spirit and soul of the cars this way.

[@tony8074]

The Ferrari F40 is being better built than when it was new.

[@skincareguide]

Iain love the show. We want you around for a long time. This is the moment for some diet and exercise program - call it a personal restoration project! All the best Ian

[@michaelclements4664]

I love the honesty about the variable build quality of boutique hand built cars. Each is a mix of engineering & art.

[@davidclarke7728]

The paint people are so professional, their experience seems second to none

[@NigeUK007]

Bravo 👏 the video speaks for itself. True master at work, and worth every penny in workmanship. Thank you for this video.

[@simonhodgetts6530]

What an utterly stunning paint job!

[@Slingshotgixxer]

In a world where things are increasingly done half assed, subpar, under spec , its rather refreshing to watch these videos with craftsmen working a high level doing things perfect with an sensitive understanding of their subject matter, ahhhhhh :)

[@miloudiben]

If I could have one car...fantastic insight into how these cars were originally made

[@johndavey72]

Good evening Iain . Ryan has had to make some very difficult compromises on this. As a perfectionist l too, would find it very difficult to "lower" my standards ! But regarding the hand brushed areas , once l'd established and convinced myself they were factory flaws , then they would be replicated . You have to be very confident to bake this at those temperatures and time . My instinct would have been to let it air dry but Ryans experience is paramount ....."He who dares wins " ! Thankyou Ryan and as always thankyou lain . 🥰

[@biyouco]

The Ferrari masking tape was a $5,500 option from the factory. Very nice.

[@supersonique001]

Fabulous and honest. Michael Sheehan said it decades ago, 'People think Ferraris are perfect which is far from the truth, especially when you start taking them apart and discover crudity beyond belief!' Hand built=artisanal, especially in the early Ferraris and Lamborghinis.

[@rocklover7437]

When i worked on a brand new one at JCT 600 it had a Glasurit paint company chrome tape colour code sticker on the front compartment left hand inner .Glasurit also made the correct pink primer/undercoat I was very disappointed working on Ferrari,s compared to Porsche that JCT 600 also sold . I paint rare Japanese 70,s bikes and replicating the overspray on the backs of the fairings is a must .

[@isalmankhan1]

F40 nothing better than it😍 What a magnificent art of engineering😍😍😍 Thanks Sir IAIN for sharing😍👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@piuthemagicman]

I love how utterly professional and down to earth everyone at Tyrrell's garage is. Absolute respect for Ryan & the rest of the crew. All about the details indeed ☺️ Best regards, Samu Mähönen

[@aviobrain]

love your paint guy.his beaming smile at the finish on the rear clamshell !

[@993GT3]

Epic content as always Mr. Tyrrell!

[@1983dmd]

''They are original only once '' Excellent decision Mr. Tyrrell.

[@herbierossiter7421]

Fantastic, a great car with people who really appreciate what it is, Mr T is quite the geek, but I really like that he is,

[@abobharding]

Quality work ! Looks amazing

[@stretch4169]

Great to hear more about the paintwork preparation and finish. I remember sadly a repaint of a fiberglass bodied car where it was over baked. The substrate softened and the air bubbles trapped during construction expanded. it was not a good day in the Bodyshop when the pinholes turned into blisters. 😱

[@rogerbyrne9040]

With hand built cars like back in seventies and early eighties you had Monday cars and Friday cars which had some quality issues. Same here with original bodywork and paint back in the day.

[@hassyg4083]

not really mercedes from that era were. quality so was vw