Ferrari has unveiled the SP51, a one-of-a-kind project which has seen a V12-engined 812 GTS treated to a whole range of subtle and not-so-subtle design tweaks.
Targa look
Unlike the folding hard-top 812 GTS, Ferrari's Special Projects division has totally removed the roof, turning the SP51 into a bona fide roadster. A lot of aerodynamic work and testing, the company said, went into making the car as refined at high speeds as a customer might expect. It does still look a lot like the 812 on which it's based, but a kind of targa-like rendition with a carbon-fibre wing running between the 812's pair of rear flying buttresses cleverly concealing the roll-over hoop. The shape of the buttresses has also been softened with a pair of carbon-fibre scoops.
Rosso Passionale
Specially created for the SP51 are the gorgeous, deep Rosso Passionale paintwork (contrasted with a white and blue racing stripe running the car), new headlights, new frontal air intakes, and bespoke wheels which feature carbon-fibre wing profiles on each of the spokes. Behind the front wheels are a pair of carbon-fibre air vents.
At the rear, although the circular lights look like those found on the 812, they're new, while there's a new spoiler and a revised rear diffuser too.
Custom interior
The interior is almost like a mirror of the outside, with the Alcantara surfaces also finished in a similar colour to the Rosso Passionale of the exterior, and the blue and white stripe is echoed on the central tunnel, the fascia between the two seats and in the stitching of the steering wheel. Glossy carbon-fibre trims also adorn the interior.
Special Projects
The SP51 is the latest in a line of Special Projects Ferraris ranging from one-offs such as the 458-based SP12 EC built for Eric Clapton to the more numerous Monza SP1 and SP2 of which 499 were built at a price of upwards of €1.5 million. Ferrari hasn't given any indication of how much its Taiwan-based customer paid for the SP51, though it did say that all of its special project ideas originate with its clients, including this one. The client is, Ferrari said, a longstanding one and is a significant collector of the marque.
No word either was given as to the SP51's performance, but it's likely not too far off that of the 800hp of the 6.5-litre naturally-aspirated 812 GTS with its three-second 0-100km/h time.