One-Off Ferrari Designed to a Client’s Specifications.
The Ferrari SP-8 is the brand's newest one-off model, and it's been officially revealed. It is a mid-rear V8 based on the F8 Spider, and it was conceived by the Ferrari Styling Centre under the direction of Flavio Manzoni as part of the company's Special Projects initiative. The SP-8 unique joins the ranks of Ferrari's most prestigious models: those built to order for specific customers and representing the zenith of the Prancing Horse brand's commitment to personalisation.
The automobile is named after its award-winning 3.9-litre V8 twin-turbo engine, which has won the coveted Engine of the Year (IEOTY) award four times in a row. Because the SP-8's commissioning client is Taiwanese, the number eight has special significance because it is viewed as exceedingly fortunate in Chinese culture.
The SP-8's lack of a roof sets it apart from other vehicles; it is, after all, a purebred two-seater roadster, highlighting its athletic nature and providing an instantly thrilling visual and open-air driving experience. To provide a level of acoustic comfort and wind sensation equivalent to the automobile it was inspired by, this solution required substantial optimisation of its aerodynamics using a mix of CFD simulations, wind tunnel testing, and track testing.
The unpainted carbon-fibre front sweeps around to the tail, providing a two-tone look that produces a striking contrast in colour and materials, and this is the central design motif of the car's exterior. The designers were able to completely rework the rear end by doing away with the retractable hard top, giving it a full volume and tight belt line. The inside of the automobile is split in half, with the side air intakes and separate ducts for the intercoolers and engine located on either side of a functional middle section finished in matte black. The upper portion of this band has an engine compartment vent with longitudinal parts that nod to the classic Ferrari's lateral strakes.
A sizable, full-width cast aluminium grille made using a single 3D-printed mould dominates the car's front fascia. To improve airflow to the two front radiators, the grille continues the strake motif, this time moving vertically, with the spacing in plan view gradually expanding towards the sides. Ferrari's Styling Centre and the aerodynamics team worked closely together over the course of months to fine-tune the car's angling using computational fluid dynamics (CFD).
The SP-8's headlights, which feature custom masks and lenses, rear lights, which are based on the Roma's and feature custom lenses, windscreen, tailpipes, and wheel rims, all of which are finished in a dedicated colour (matte Grigio NART), and the rest of the car are all derived from the 296 GTB.
Unique to this model, the directed five-spoke wheels update the traditional look of the wheels found on Ferrari Sports Prototypes and the iconic F40. Their elaborately carved portions and big openings are an ingenious and integral component of their appearance.
Inside, the central console has been updated significantly to accommodate the F1 gearbox controls that have been standard on Ferraris since the introduction of the SF90 Stradale. For this purpose, the now-famous shift gate needed some modification. Carpets in a specialised twill fabric with an iridescent effect and chairs with details in laser-etched Navy Blue Alcantara® combined with gradient effect material round out the interior.
The SP-8's matte Argento Micalizzato paint job is a perfect complement to the glossy iridescent Blue Sandstone of the car's carbon-fibre body panels. The Blu Scuro Stellato colour used to bridge the two different halves of the body was also created for this purpose.
From the morning of October 24 until the conclusion of the Finali Mondiali Ferrari 2023, the SP-8 will be on exhibit at the Mugello Circuit. After that, on November 16, 2023, it will go on display at the Ferrari Museum in Maranello, where it will remain until March of the following year.
