Top six Ferrari One-Offs

If your pockets are deep enough, Ferrari Special Projects will coachbuild pretty much anything you want, and the latest One-Off masterpiece to emerge from the Prancing Horse brand is the Ferrari SP51.

Revealed overnight, the SP51 is based on the Ferrari 812 GTS architecture and designed by the Flavio Manzoni-headed Ferrari Styling Centre.

The SP51 is a front-engined V12 spider wearing bespoke, carbon-rich bodywork and Ferrari said its aerodynamics required “meticulous honing in a process involving CFD simulations, wind tunnel and dynamic testing to guarantee not just the ultimate in comfort in the cabin, but also the same standard of acoustic comfort and wind feel as the car that inspired it”.

As cool as it is, however, it’s not among our six favourite One-Offs to emerge from Ferrari Special Projects, which are as follows…

Designed around the chassis and running gear of the 488 GTB, the SP38 is said to reflect “the specific vision of a client with a deep passion for racing”.

The 488 GTB’s twin-turbo format prompted the design team to look to the iconic F40 for stylistic inspiration.

As a result, the all-new bodywork, resplendent in a newly conceived three-layer metallic red, has a striking wedge profile.

The sinister looking SP38 is especially distinctive from the rear, thanks to musculature haunches and ‘Fontana Cut’ louvres in lieu of a rear windscreen.

The Omologata was inspired by everything from Ferrari’s racing heritage to sci-fi and references to modern architecture.

The vision was to create a futuristic design, yet without losing a sense of restrained elegance. To achieve this, the designers unlocked every possible area of freedom from the underlying package of the 812 Superfast, retaining only the windscreen and headlights as bodywork elements.

The Omologata’s all-aluminium bodywork features a flattened oval grille, which tapers up to a rounded section over the front wheel-arches. The bodywork sweeps back to a rear end featuring a louvred screen and subtle ducktail spoiler.

The radical P80/C pushed the Ferrari Special Projects program into new territory by using a competition car – the 488 GT3 – as its basis.

This means it’s liberated from any road car homologation requirements, so headlights are one element that could be discarded. Its GT3 chassis means the P80/C’s wheelbase is 50mm longer than the standard 488 and every gram of excess fat has been pared from the car.

The P80/C has several design inspirations, including the P4 that broke cover in 1967 at Monza, the 1965 Le Mans 24 Hours-winning 250 LM and the Dino 206 S.

A pivotal element of the SP48 Unica is the extensive use of 3D prototyping, which enabled Ferrari’s designers and engineers to create a front grille and engine air intakes that seem carved from a solid volume, creating a sense of seamless continuity and dynamic fluidity.

No less eye-catching is the transition from black – which includes the windows, roof and engine cover – to the body colour. 

The striking visor effect of the glasshouse is enhanced by smaller side windows and the elimination of the rear screen, highlighting the muscularity of the SP48 Unica.

Derived from the wagon-esque GTC4 Lusso, the BR20 sports an altogether sleeker roofline, made possible by ditching the donor car’s rear seats.

Stretching 75mm longer than the Lusso, the BR20’s elegant roofline is reminiscent of the 1964 500 Superfast. An aerodynamic channel in the rear pillar creates a flying buttress, while the roof is painted black.

The roofline culminates in a rear fascia with a diffuser that optimises aero by working with active flaps on the underbody. The BR20’s face is distinguished by angry looking headlights and a gaping grille topped by a thin carbon-fibre ‘moustache’.

The SP12 EC is one of the best-known Special Projects, partly because its owner is none other than celebrated musician Eric Clapton (hence the ‘EC’ suffix).

Although based on a 458 Italia donor car, the inspiration for the SP12 came from the 512 Berlinetta Boxer. It might have a V8, rather than a flat-12 motor, but the design cues linking the EC to the Boxer are obvious.

What’s particularly impressive is how cleanly and cohesively the bodywork has been reimagined. Clapton’s affinity for the 512 BB stemmed from owning no less than three of them over the years.

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