It having been noted that there appeared to be a new, and very rapid, V12 coupe running noisy laps of the famed Fiorano test track (there's a handy spot on the Via Abetone Inferiore, in Maranello, if you want to take a look for yourself some time) Ferrari has admitted that it does indeed have a new GT model.
A modern-day version of a classic GT car
It's not a new production car, though, but instead a one-off, built for a special client. Called the Omologata (the feminine form of 'homologated' in Italian) it has been designed, according to Ferrari, to be: "A vibrant evocation of the values that define Ferrari in relation to GT racing: a car that is equally at ease on the road as it is hitting the apex on the track in the hands of a true gentleman driver."
Wow. Quite the statement to live up to. The Omologata is off to a good start, though, being as it's based on the Ferrari 812 Superfast, so it has the same 7.3-litre, 800hp V12 engine. The Omologata has taken two years to create, and Ferrari says that it takes inspiration from such diverse sources as science fiction and modern architecture. "The idea from the onset was to create a futuristic design with distinctive elements reinterpreted in a fresh manner to provide potential for a timeless shape that is certain to leave a lasting impression. The trickiest aspect was striking the ideal balance between expressiveness and restraint: the Omologata had to ooze street presence whilst maintaining a very pure formal language."
Sixties design influence
There are also clear and very obvious influences from Ferrari's classic GT cars, especially the legendary 250 GTO (look at the way the nose tapers down, and the relationship between the flared rear wheelarches and the kicked-up boot lid spoiler (which actually adds proper downforce apparently).
The design team, lead by chief of Ferrari's styling department, Flavio Manzoni, did have the challenge that this Omologata wasn't going to be some track-day special, or a museum piece, but had to be road-registered and fully legal. They even went so far as to create a special new colour to the Omologata, a fiery triple-layer Rosso Magma over darkened carbon-fibre finish.
Electric-blue seats
Inside, there are electric blue seats, finished in a tasteful combination of leather and Jeans Aunde fabric with four-point racing harnesses. The lack of rear glass and quarterlights mean that the cabin is 'dark and purposeful' and metal sections in there are finished in the sort of 'crackle' paint usually found on cam-covers when you open the bonnets of classic, sixties racing cars.
There's even a 'hammered paint' effect, so often used in cars such as the 250 LM and 250 GTO, that you'll find on details such as the inner door handles and on the central control layout.
"A fitting one-off exercise, the Omologata manages to encompass a range of subtle Ferrari signature design cues without falling into nostalgia. Its hand-crafted aluminium bodywork is sprinkled with almost subliminal details, in a way that challenges the enthusiast to identify the various sources of inspiration that played a part into its inception" said Ferrari.