CompleteCar

Stunning new Ferrari roadster

The new Ferrari SA APERTA is the most exclusive model yet apparently.

Ferrari's centrepiece at the 2010 Paris Motor Show is this, the SA APERTA. It's essentially a convertible version of the 599 GTB.

That name is actually in tribute to design house Pininfarina, with whom Ferrari has of course had a longstanding relationship. The 'SA' is short for Sergio and Andrea Pininfarina, the grandson and son of company founder Battista Farina.

'Aperta' means 'opened' in Italian (fairly self-explanatory, that one) and just 80 will be made to celebrate Pininfarina's 80th anniversary. Sadly, all 80 have already been sold.

Ferrari refers to the SA APERTA as a 'true roadster' that has 'a light soft top designed to be resorted to only if the weather gets particularly bad'. It sits lower than the 599 GTB and has a shorter windscreen.

Its defining feature is behind the seats, where twin aerodynamic fins rest atop the bodywork. Power comes from a 680hp V12 engine, and despite Ferrari boasting that the chassis has been stiffened to a level very close to the coupé's, there's 'negligible' weight difference.

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Published on September 24, 2010