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Ferrari 640

An earlier version known as the 639. A later version with a roll hoop inlet.
Category	Formula One
Constructor	Ferrari
Designers	John Barnard (Technical Director) Pierguido Castelli (Technical Coordination Director) Enrique Scalabroni (Chief Designer) Henri Durand (Head of Aerodynamics) Jean-Jacques His (Chief Engine Designer)
Predecessor	F1/87/88C
Successor	641
Technical specifications[1]
Chassis	Kevlar andCarbon fibremonocoque
Suspension (front)	Double wishbones, push-rod actuated torsion bar springs, and telescopic shock absorbers, anti-roll bar
Suspension (rear)	Double wishbones, pushrod actuated coil springs over telescopic shock absorbers, anti-roll bar
Axle track	Front: 1,800 mm (71 in) Rear: 1,675 mm (65.9 in)
Wheelbase	2,830 mm (111 in)
Engine	Ferrari Tipo 035/5, 3,498 cc (213.5 cu in), 65°V12,NA,mid-engine,longitudinally-mounted
Transmission	Ferrari 7-speedsemi-automatic[2]
Power	660 hp @ 13,000 rpm[3]
Weight	510 kg (1,120 lb)
Fuel	Agip
Tyres	Goodyear
Competition history
Notable entrants	Scuderia Ferrari SpA
Notable drivers	27.Nigel Mansell 28.Gerhard Berger
Debut	1989 Brazilian Grand Prix
Races Wins Podiums Poles F/Laps 16 3 9 0 4

TheFerrari 640 (also known as theFerrari F1-89)^[4] was theFormula One racing car with which theFerrari team competed in the1989 Formula One World Championship. It was driven by Britain'sNigel Mansell, in his first season with the team, and Austria'sGerhard Berger, winning three races between them. A prototype version known as the 639 shares some features of the early version of the 640. This prototype was tested in 1988 prior to the introduction of the early version of the 640 in 1989. Both the early and late versions of the 640 were entered with the competition title F1-89. The 639 did not receive a competition title due to its status as a prototype model.

This was the first Ferrari Formula One car powered by a V12 engine since the312 F1-69 in 1969.

The car was designed byJohn Barnard, and it was the first Ferrari he was responsible for designing. It sported a sharp nose, with a narrow monocoque and bulging side-pods designed to house the radiators with maximum aerodynamic efficiency. It originally had two small air intakes on either side of the driver, but from the fourth race of the season inMexico a more conventional large air intake above and behind the driver was introduced, which Ferrari kept on the car for the remainder of the season.

Barnard, who had joined Ferrari fromMcLaren at the end of the1986 season, had begun designing the car in 1987 with the intent of it being used during the1988 season. However, continual problems with the car's revolutionaryelectrohydraulic-actuatedsemi-automatic gearbox^[5] saw the team forced to use the turbochargedF1/87/88C in 1988, with the car's debut pushed back to 1989, the first year ofFISA's 3.5-litre (210 cu in)atmospheric formula where turbos were banned. The car was a development of the unraced "639" car that the Scuderia had tested during 1988.^[6]

The 640 was powered by Ferrari's Tipo 035/5, a 3.5 literV12 engine which produced up to 660 bhp (492 kW; 669 PS) by the season end, roughly the same amount of power as the engine it replaced, the Tipo 033AV6 turbo, though without the turbo's fuel consumption worries. This was still down compared to theV10Honda used by the dominantMcLarens which were rated at 675 bhp (503 kW; 684 PS). The transmission to which it was mated, however, attracted more attention, as it contained the very first true sequential-style paddle-shift gearbox seen in Formula 1.^{[7][failed verification]} The new system, which used hydraulics to automate the gearchange and operation of the clutch, minimised time lost during gear shifts whilst reducing the complexity of the design and providing aerodynamic benefits by taking up less space than a traditional manual gear linkage.^[6] In the first half of the season, the experimental system proved to be very unreliable, and it hampered Ferrari's efforts. However, such gearboxes would become the norm by the mid-1990s. Much of the development work was conducted at Ferrari's private test trackFiorano by test driverRoberto Moreno during the winter season (Moreno also doubled as the lead driver of the small, cash-strappedColoni team). By the time the Grand Prix circus returned to Europe at the end of June, the problem with the semi-automatic gearbox was found to be not enough power from the battery. With the help of electrical experts from team sponsor Magneti Marelli, the power supply to the gearbox was fixed and the 640's reliability rose accordingly.

The car proved to be fast, and Mansell took it to victory in its début race inBrazil, despite fears of unreliability (the potential of the new car, with its innovative aerodynamics, gearbox, and V12 engine was clear - Mansell declared on the eve of the Brazilian race that if "the car had even half the horsepower it sounds like it has, we'll win every race this year...", while Berger declared that "The (semi-automatic transmission) system is super" despite its unreliability). However, it did not record another finish until theFrench Grand Prix, and there were to be no races in which both drivers finished. But when the car did finish, it did so in a position no lower than third, with Mansell taking second in both France and his home race atSilverstone, third inGermany where the long straights saw the Ferrari V12 almost breathless against the more powerful Honda V10s (though they still had the advantage over theRenault V10s ofWilliams and theFordV8 poweredBenettons), a second win inHungary which was highlighted by his passing move on Senna to take the lead, and finally third atSpa, before Berger finished second atMonza, won inPortugal - a race where the Ferraris were clearly more competitive than the championship-winningMcLarens - and finished second again inSpain.

Thecarbon fibremonocoque also proved to be very strong, allowing Berger to escape from a fiery high-speed crash atImola with only minor burns to his hands and a couple of broken ribs. In a 2013 interview, Berger revealed the reason for the crash was the front wing had broken on the car, though as the right front wheel had risen his initial thought was rear suspension failure or a flat left rear tyre. He then revealed that even in the short time it took from the car not responding to the time it hit the wall, he also realised the car was almost full of fuel and could catch fire. From then he was briefly knocked unconscious, but was awake and aware only a minute or so later.^[8] Berger's injuries were enough to keep him out of theMonaco Grand Prix, but with the help ofNiki Lauda's physiotherapist Willy Dungl and the semi-automatic gearbox's advantage of not having to take his hands off the steering wheel to change gears, the Austrian was able to return one race later inMexico.

According to Barnard, he had been searching for a way to eliminate the old manual transmission in racing cars since he had designed theChaparral 2K that had takenJohnny Rutherford to victory in the1980 Indianapolis 500. This was purely from an aerodynamic perspective as the manual transmission (usually located on the drivers' right-hand side) had meant that a car'smonocoque had to be wider than desirable to accommodate the stick shift and its link to the gearbox located at the rear of a car. The semi-automatic transmission with its paddle-shifters located behind the steering wheel, along with an electrohydraulically-operated clutch pedal, had eliminated the need for this and had allowed Barnard to design the Ferrari with its distinctive sharp nose.

At the end of the season, Mansell was fourth in the Drivers' Championship with 38 points, while Berger was seventh with 21. Berger, third in the 1988 Drivers' Championship, only finished 3 races during the season and retired from 10 of the first 11 races (missing Monaco). His first points came in Round 12 at Monza with a second-place before winning in Portugal and finishing 2nd again inSpain. Ferrari battled withWilliams for second in the Constructors' Championship for much of the year but ultimately settled for third, with 59 points. Ferrari lost 2nd in the Constructors' Championship when both Mansell and Berger failed to finish the final two races of the year inJapan andAustralia, while both Williams drivers finished second and third atSuzuka, and first and third inAdelaide.

For the1990 season, the 640 was replaced with the641.

(key) (results inbold indicate pole position; results initalics indicate fastest lap)

Wikimedia Commons has media related toFerrari 640.

• Scuderia Ferrari official website
  • Ferrari F1-89

• 1989 Formula One season cars
• Ferrari Formula One cars

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