Ferrari reveals limited-series Monza SP speedsters

Ferrari has released images of its first two models in a new ‘Icone’ series of limited-run collector’s specials. Called Monza SP1 and Monza SP2, the streamliner-esque V12 speedsters take inspiration from the 750 Monza and 860 Monza open-cockpit endurance racers of the mid-1950s.

1956 Ferrari 860 Monza

Ferrari say that the absence of a full windscreen allowed the designers freedom to create unique proportions. The only difference between SP1 and SP2 is the number of seats, with the SP1 covering off the area alongside the driver’s seat for even lower drag, slightly lower weight and even more outlandish looks. Both utilise the 6.5L V12 from the 812 Superfast, with a token 10 extra horsepower to make it “the most powerful engine Maranello has ever built.”

The overall aesthetic is much cleaner than Ferrari’s mainstream range of berlinettas, with the long top surface interrupted only by haunches over the wheels and the streamlined cockpit opening.

Even shutlines are minimal, as the entire nose is a front-hinged bonnet and the dihedral doors are tiny. A buttress behind the seat(s) provides rollover protection and smooth the airflow out towards the short tail.

Whilst having the wind in one’s hair is unavoidable (unless you wear a helmet), a subtly integrated “virtual windscreen” fairing ahead of the steering wheel and IP helps divert the airflow above the driver – an assembly which, from, above, looks remarkably like the scallop-like door handles on the 812. By contrast, the SP2’s passenger only gets a small vertical fly screen.

The lights are suitably minimalist and bespoke, too. Either side of the smiling grille up front are (whisper it) McLaren-esque ‘socket’ LED headlights bisected by a prominent LED blade, while the tail lights are created by a single strip dripping off the rear haunches before running across the width of the tail.

The interior, in keeping with the theme, is also simplified compared to the wild array of controls found in standard production Ferraris, with a twisting black centre console featuring a plain, angled surface on which all the transmission, HVAC and media controls can be found. The rest is on the standard steering wheel. The SP2’s passenger gets a belt-buckled glovebox in which to keep their sick bag.

Ferrari will build ‘fewer than 500’ Monza SPs, with the percentage of each variant defined by which one each customer asks for. More details about the irrelevant cost of these sold-out cars (and their range of bespoke accessories created by Loro Piana and Berluti) will be announced at the Paris Motor Show.

Technical Specifications

ENGINE

Type
V12 – 65°
Overall displacement
6496 cm3
Max. power output
603 kW (810 cv) at 8500 rpm
Max. torque
719 Nm at 7000 rpm

DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT

Length
4657 mm
Width
1996 mm
Height
1155 mm
Minumum dry weight
1500 kg (SP1), 1520 kg (SP2)

PERFORMANCE

0-100 km/h (0-62mph)
2.9 sec
0-200 km/h (0-124mph)
7.9 sec
Max. speed
>300 km/h (>186mph)