Ferrari has just unveiled the one-off SP-8, the supercar derived from the F8 Spider roadster but built according to the specification of its new owner, who asked for a car with no roof!
Designed by the Ferrari Styling Center under the supervision of automobile designer Flavio Manzoni, the SP-8 is one exclusive car. The model inherits the mid-rear engine layout from the F8 Spider, as well as the chassis and the engine.
But what is special about the SP-8 is the fact that it has no roof, which makes it a genuine two-seater roadster that offers the plein-air driving experience, the kind that the exhilarating roofless Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Stirling Moss does.
It was not an easy mission for the Ferrari team to come up with a car that sports no roof whatsoever. To be able to drop the hardtop, they needed to rework the chassis stiffness as well as the aerodynamics, refining it in the wind tunnel as well as track-testing it to make sure that the future owner will not have to deal with noise discomfort and wind vortexes on board.
Ferrari wanted to deliver a refined car without compromising the raw personality and looks of the model. There’s unpainted carbon fiber around the tail, creating a two-tone effect for contrast in terms of both color and material.
Photo: Ferrari
The SP-8 is painted in matte Argento Micalizzato, a shade specifically created for this one-off. There is also carbon fiber in glossy iridescent Blue Sandstone, while the team of designers used the Blue Scuro Stellato, also specifically developed for the unique model, to link the two bodywork sections.
The absence of the hard top allowed designers to redesign the entire tail section of the car, thus dividing the volume into two parts, connected by a functional central area in matte black, which integrates the side air intakes with separate ducts for the intercoolers and the engine.
At the front end, Ferrari came up with a cast aluminum 3D-printed grille with a design that enables a better airflow to the two front radiators. The Ferrari Styling Center and the aerodynamics team spent months to get the front end looking good and functional.
The model also got new headlights with special masks and lenses for a more aggressive look. The rear lights are now derived from those of the Ferrari Roma. The car has got new tailpipes and specially designed five-spoke wheels in matte Grigio NART, inspired by those of the iconic F40.
The customer wanted F1 gearbox commands in the center console, which meant the team had to modify the shift gate. Navy Blue Alcantara with gradient effect cloth and carpets in twill fabric with an iridescent effect are on board this one-off Ferrari.
The model is powered by the one and only 3.9-liter twin-turbocharged V8, which won the Engine of the Year award for four consecutive years. Ferrari keeps the specs of the car under wraps. But if the F8 Spider roadster is anything to go by, we are dealing with a car that benefits from the presence of 710 horsepower (720 PS) and 568 lb-ft (770 Nm). The V8 is linked to a seven-speed dual-clutch semi-automatic transmission with manual shift mode.
Photo: Ferrari
The F8 Spider roadster flashes from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 kph) in 3.0 seconds, hits 124 mph (200 kph) in 8.3 seconds, and takes 23.5 seconds to reach 186 mph (300 kph), while it runs the quarter mile in 10.6 seconds.
Ferrari does not provide much information on the customer who ordered this car, but they do tell that they had to deal with someone from Taiwan. Number 8 is considered a lucky number in the Chinese culture, a symbol of success, wealth, good fortune, and personal achievement.
The model will be on display at the Mugello Circuit for the Ferrari Finali Mondiali and later, from November 16 until March 2024, at the Ferrari Museum, in Maranello before it will probably join other one-offs in the garage of its new owner.
The Ferrari SP-8 is the creation of the Special Projects team
This car has been created through the Special Projects program, which focuses on making one-off Ferraris, individualized by exclusivity and eligible to become collectors' cars.
They are made exclusively to the requirements of the customer, so there is no chance two Ferraris made through the Special Projects program would ever end up looking the same. This is where the project starts off, proceeding with the detailed design blueprints and a styling buck, which are made before the manufacturing process.
The future owner has a lot of waiting to do and needs a lot of patience, because the entire process takes around two years on average. During all this time, designers and engineers keep close contact with the client, making sure they follow the requirements, yet live up to the Prancing horse standards.
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