Video: Gerhard Berger wows Goodwood crowd with breathtaking display featuring iconic Ferrari 640. Watch as Gerhard Berger drives his screaming V12 Ferrari 640 F1 car at Goodwood.

Returning to the track in style, former Scuderia Ferrari F1 driver Gerhard Berger took the wheel of his beloved 1989 Ferrari 640 during Goodwood’s 81st Members’ Meeting, unleashing a spectacle that will be remembered for years to come.

With the roar of its 3.5-liter V12 engine echoing through the venue, Gerhard Berger showcased the raw power of the ‘640’, reminiscent of its glory days on the Formula 1 circuit. As sparks flew and adrenaline soared, spectators were transported back to the golden era of motorsport, filled with nostalgia and awe.

“I was thinking yesterday, I don’t think I have driven it since ’89. Funnily enough the pedals, the mirrors, everything was just perfect,” explained the former Ferrari driver last weekend following his first demo run – “The clutch was a bit difficult for pulling away but it was fine after that. It’s a great car.” – he added.

Gerhard Berger’s return to the driver’s seat of high-performance thoroughbred cars revealed his adjustment to their demands. Thus, his exhilarating push of the 640 to its limits proved an unexpected venture for the 64-year-old Formula 1 veteran.

“I felt a little sick, because I’m not used to the G-forces anymore,” he replied with a chuckle.

Although Ferrari’s 640 stands out as one of the most visually striking Formula 1 cars ever created, its performance history is marred by a lackluster track record. This deficiency primarily stems from the car’s innovative yet notoriously unreliable semi-automatic gearbox.

“I was the first in charge of driving it at Maranello. To be honest after two or three laps I came in and said ‘Well, every car will have this in the future once it works’. For the first time, you had both hands on the steering wheel, you could shift in corners, you could be much more confident. It was just great. That was the upside. The downside was it never worked more than five laps, because there was still a lot in the control area going wrong and in the first year we had a lot of failures. We couldn’t do test mileage, we couldn’t sort the setup because we ran out of time because we were chasing problems. But the car was great and the gearbox was great. When we finished the races we always finished well.” – the former Ferrari driver concluded.

— see video above —