Ferrari Special Projects: Turning dreams into reality

In the rarefied domain of ultra-premium cars, hallowed brands such as Bugatti, Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Lamborghini go the extra mile to make their VIP customers feel special.

They roll out low-volume models offered to only a select few clients, or they offer bespoke tailoring that affords access to an almost infinite array of trim materials, colours and other personalisation options.

Then there’s Ferrari. Here’s a company that’s revived the rich tradition of one-off coachbuilding that thrived before and after World War II. 

Well-heeled clients, located in glamorous cities across the globe, would commission the most skilled automotive designers and craftsman in the world to create the wheeled embodiment of their fantasies.

Custom coachbuilding was the norm in the early days of Ferrari. Clients would open discussions with the factory about their preferred chassis and engine, then choose an Italian styling house to create the bodywork.

All the leading carrozzeria (coachbuilding houses) clamoured to design bodywork for Ferrari’s rolling chassis, and an array of early Prancing Horse one-offs now change hands for outlays that would buy you a lavish penthouse in Manhattan or Mayfair.

It was to revive the spirit of these coachbuilt cars that Ferrari created the Portfolio Coachbuilding Programme in 2008. The initial intention was to allow clients to work with top Italian design houses to create one-off redesigns of Ferrari sports cars in co-operation with the factory specialists.

Soon the focus shifted towards creating entirely new designs and the Special Projects division was born, with Ferrari design boss Flavio Manzoni providing the stylistic direction for the ultra-exclusive operation.

“Special Projects is the top of the pyramid, when it comes to personalisation,” says Emanuele Carando, Ferrari’s head of product marketing. “Everything starts with a very rough idea that the customer has, and this is then interpreted into a concept by the design team.

“However, everything starts with the customer… it could be an idea that’s inspired by the past, or something very futuristic. The premise is to create something that never existed.

“We develop a maximum of two Special Projects cars per year. In essence, the customer becomes the general manager of the company for the development of that specific car.”

The timespan from ideation to finished article typically takes two to three years, says Carando. Over this period, the customer needs to make several visits to the factory, initially working with designers and engineers to refine the basic idea he or she has in mind and, later, to finalise more specific details such as trim materials and colours.

“The beauty for the customer is that they not only get to own an extremely unique car, but also to participate in the process,” Carando says. “Special Projects is the pinnacle of exclusivity as there have been less than 20 cars built to date by the program.”

Cost alone rules out all but a fraction of would-be customers as the bill for creating a one-off can range from five million euros upwards. And it’s not just about having deep pockets, as customers need to meet certain criteria to have access to the Special Projects program.

“Seeing as Special Projects is at the top of our personalisation activities, it’s open only to our best ambassadors worldwide,” Carando says.

“You need to be one of our very best customers – with a garage containing several of our GTs and sportscars – to commission a Special Projects car. We want to make sure we only give this opportunity to those who are best able to represent the Ferrari brand worldwide.”

What if the customer proposes an idea that’s simply absurd?

“Proposals from the customer are never absurd,” Carando responds. “Whatever the thinking or rationale behind a customer’s idea, there is always an opportunity to be exploited.

“They might, for example, say: ‘I want a copy of the Ferrari 250 GTO’. So, in this case the first step for us would be to ask them: ‘Let us understand what it behind your idea. What do you like about that car?’

“The process than involves interpreting the ideas the customer has and turning it into a viable project.”

The first task is to identify a suitable donor car, and Carando explains that this is always a vehicle that is part of Ferrari’s current range. This is to ensure maximum efficiency and satisfy homologation requirements – in other words, meeting the latest safety and emissions regulations.

The donor vehicle is disassembled and prepared for the redesign that began with the customer’s vision. The bare chassis is then supplied to the team led by Ferrari design supremo Flavio Manzoni.

Manzoni says the biggest difference in creating a Special Projects car versus a mainstream model is that the latter always begins with a blank slate, which affords a greater degree of flexibility. In contrast, he explains that Special Projects is more akin to the work carried out by a carrozzeria.

“It’s basically an opportunity to explore other interpretations of a particular chassis. It enables my team to experiment and research, or perhaps to use ideas that we couldn’t use for a mainstream model.

“The customer might request some specific solutions in terms of aerodynamics, design or lighting, so there are many aspects that can be changed in order to make it more different to the donor car,” Manzoni says.

“It’s very likely that when you see a one-off, you’ll find it difficult to say what was the donor car,” Carando interjects. However, he stresses that while the Special Projects division is all about creating a unique form for its creations, this is never at the expense of performance or dynamics.

“Ferrari is performance-driven so the donor car is always designed with the best possible performance in mind. Changing some of the ingredients might go in the direction of the customer’s wishes, but we need to make sure we respect the performance characteristics of the original car.”

Manzoni adds: “The final result is always with the full co-operation of the engineers and aerodynamicists, so there are no compromises.”

Each Special Projects car is worked on by technicians and craftsmen who are dedicated to this division, as well as some who work on the mainstream product range.

Manzoni explains: “Here in my studio there is Johann Lemercier, who is head of Special Projects, and he is my right-hand man for one-off cars. He collaborates with our mainstream design team, especially at the beginning of the project, when it is necessary to produce many different concepts to present to the customer.

“These are then rendered in 3D. Once we have a clearer idea of the specific aspects of the car and the selected proposal, the team is reduced. Normally, at this stage I would keep two designers and three to four visual modellers to develop the final idea.”

Manzoni says creating a one-off requires a mix of 3D modelling technology, as well as a high degree of hands-on craftsmanship by skilled artisans.

Carando adds: “The craftsmanship element is what enables some solutions to be developed on one-off cars that wouldn’t be possible on mainstream models.”

“Take, for example the Ferrari SP38 [derived from a 488 GTB],” Manzoni says. “Look at the door – it has an aerodynamic channel that’s very important to maintain airflow through the radiator. The beauty is that the air intake is not visible, and this is something that’s only possible on a one-off because several pieces had to be fabricated to make this door.

“Or let’s take our latest creation – the SP48 Unica. Rather than having conventional air intakes, we decided to have a pattern of holes that fades out. So, there’s no grille on this car. We had resort to 3D printing to create the parts, which is feasible for a one-off, but not for a regular production model.

“So, we try to understand what are the technologies that are applicable to our one-off projects and then incorporate them in a specific one-off model.”

I ask Manzoni to nominate some of his favourite Special Projects creations. He responds: “The SP38 is one of my favourites… I like the purity of its design. It’s the first car where we decided not to have a rear windscreen.

“Instead, we had this ‘Lucio Fontana cut’, so the inspiration came from modern art as the customer was an art collector. The relationship with him was fantastic as we talked the same language.

“The P80/C is also a great car, in my opinion. It was a huge opportunity, because we could design a car purely for the track [it’s built around a 488 GT3 chassis], which gave us a certain freedom. It has very particular proportions and there’s a touch of the sport prototypes of the 1950s and ’60s.”

“We took advantage of a wheelbase that’s 80mm longer than the donor car – which wouldn’t be possible on a road-legal car – to create a longtail concept. So, the cabin is very compact and there’s a kind of wraparound windscreen. There’s a certain drama to its volumes and surfaces.

“The Omologata [based on an 812 Superfast] is also a very good example. Normally, I’m not so keen on front-engine cars because they must be elegant… not too extreme. However, in this case we were able to work with the customer to create a form language that’s best described as a post-modern approach.

“It’s very simple and clean, yet it has very clear cuts that define its shape. We also worked with the idea of a kind of three-dimensional livery to give it an added sense of uniqueness. The Omologata was created largely with track use in mind, so we could go a bit further in terms of visual aggression.”

When might we see the next Special Projects creation? Carando answers with a smile: “Who knows, but by the end of the year you might have some news…”

Related: Ferrari Classiche: Restoring past Italian icons

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