Ferrari F12 Berlinetta TRS revealed

There are few car makers that can match Italian brand Ferrari for visual impact. But when the exotic car maker is handed a blank cheque from a cashed-up customer and told in no uncertain terms to "make it stand out", the car maker really goes to town.

Case in point: the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta TRS.

The stunning one-off customer car made its debut at the third annual Ferrari Cavalcade driving event in Sicily, which only the rarest and most desirable Ferraris attend. But even among exalted company including several now-unattainable LaFerrari's, the TRS turned heads and left onlookers slack-jawed.

Built by the Ferrari Special Projects division, the roofless vehicle is believed to have cost its owner more than $4 million dollars, the hand-crafted Prancing Horse beginning life as a V12-powered F12 Berlinetta – itself a $700,000 proposition.

The first major change was the removal of the vehicle's roof making it a fair-weather super car, which also ensures it's pristine multi-layer vermillion paint job will probably only ever be seen under sunny skies.

Penned by Flavio Manzoni at the Ferrari Style Centre, the design is the result of the client's request for an "extreme, two-seater, open-top sports barchetta" according to Ferrari. Inspired by the 1957 250 Testa Rossa, the design certainly meets that criteria.

The F12 TRS has a sinuous, high-performance aesthetic thanks to its long bonnet – replete with Corvette-like clear engine cover – pushed-back cabin and low profile. It features a typically sharp front end that flows into the low, dark tinted windscreen and wrap-around side windows, which then connect with two large rear buttresses behind occupants' heads, eventually tapering off to join the subtle rear spoiler.

Below that, a dynamic T-shaped motif dominated the rear end, featuring scarlet paintwork juxtaposed with more carbon-fibre than an F1 spare parts bin.

The F12 TRS's ground-hugging profile is exaggerated with yet more carbon-fibre, from the front lip spoiler to the side skirts, matched by a deep rear diffuser with an "aerodynamic channel" that creates an innovative Venturi effect, says Ferrari.

Under the skin, the F12 TRS is essentially unchanged from its F12 Berlinetta donor car, powered by a 6.3-litre (6262cc) naturally-aspirated V12 that spins to beyond 9000rpm.

You can imagine the blatting, crackling sound emanating from the quartet of big-bore exhaust pipes along narrow Sicilian laneways, reverberating off centuries-old masonry to the delight of patriotic onlookers.

The rear-drive exotic's V12 powerplant punches out 545kW/690Nm, enough mumbo to propel the F12 TRS from 0-100km/h in 3.1 seconds and on to a gob-smacking top speed of 340km/h. Incidentally, those performance numbers are identical to the regular F12, suggesting kerb weight remains unchanged at 1630kg.

The Ferrari Special Projects division also redesigned the car's interior, condensing the number of controls in an effort to deliver a minimalistic effect. Like the exterior there's plenty of carbon-fibre (this time matt black) and Alcantara and leather have also been used.

Although it's unlikely anyone except the F12 TRS's owner is likely to drive the striking and ultra-rare Fezza, we have tested the 'regular' F12 Berlinetta, a phenomenal combination of sports car engineering expertise and vehicular art in and of itself.