Yahoo News Ferrari unveils limited edition roadsters – but you probably won't be able to own one
Ferrari has revealed a pair of limited edition, retro-look cars “aimed at dedicated clients and collectors” during its Capital Markets Day event at the factory in Maranello.
The open, single-seat Monza SP1 and dual-seat Monza SP2 are based on the current top-of-the-range 812 Superfast model, which has a 6,496cc V12 in the front developing 789bhp at 8,500rpm.
The 812 Superfast has a top speed of 211mph, with 0-62mph in 2.9sec and 0-125mph in only 7.9sec. The Monzas are likely to be even quicker, in acceleration if not outright top speed, as they are likely to be significantly lighter than the series production 812.
The chassis remains faithful to the 812’s aluminium structure, while the swooping bodywork is made of carbon-fibre.
The cars’ compact doors open upwards, while the one-piece bonnet-wing assembly is hinged at the front, in the manner of a Jaguar E-Type, to showcase the V12 engine once open.
Ferrari said that the pair of Monzas - the name alludes to the 750 Monza and 860 Monza sports racers that helped build Ferrari's reputation with victories in the World Sports Car Championship during the Fifties - will be limited to 500 units and sold only to eligible customers.
This usually means that prospective buyers will already have a collection of significant Ferraris. It is unclear how many of each type will be produced, although the company said that buyers’ preferences will define the mix of single- and dual-seaters.
Before his untimely death in July this year, former Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne had said that part of his plan for Ferrari included growing the number of highly profitable limited edition models it produces.
At the Geneva motor show in March he revealed that Ferrari has considered making continuation cars, such as Jaguar has done with the XKSS, D-type and E-type Lightweight and Aston Martin with the DB4 GT.
“Yes, we’re looking at it,” he said. “But I don’t like that terminology and I struggle with the notion of relaunches. But I think there is an opportunity to take symbols of Italian design that resembles great Ferraris of the past but takes them into a whole new space.”
The Monza SP1 and SP2 appear to fulfill that brief. They are the first models in a series that Ferrari calls Icone (Italian for icon).
During the Capital Markets Day Ferrari’s new CEO Louis Camilleri, who took over after Marchionne’s death, outlined a five-year business plan.
Providing a glimpse of the company’s plans to expand its luxury profile, buyers of the Monza SP will receive a racing suit designed by Italian luxury brand Loro Piana, while Italian leather maker Berluti is producing bespoke driving shoes and headgear specifically for the open cars.
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