From the earliest days of Ferrari, the Modenese firm openly catered to the individual wishes of its buyers. Ferrari was all too happy to tweak the mechanical specification for its more-influential customers, but the task of building a bespoke Ferrari was primarily left to coachbuilders — Pininfarina, Ghia, Bertone, Zagato, Boano and many others creating a vast catalog of memorable one-off designs (some memorable for the wrong reasons) for buyers. But as the renaissance of Italian coachbuilding in the 1960s was choked out by standardized volume production, unitary construction and Ferrari’s need to rationalize under Fiat control in the 1970s, the potential for a truly bespoke Ferrari faded with it.
In the late 1980s and into the 1990s, members of the Brunei Royal Family were on a veritable buying spree of exotic and ultra-luxury automobiles, with the finances to demand increasingly unique options and equipment. Like Rolls-Royce/Bentley, Ferrari ultimately followed suit and built some speciales designed to the Royal Family’s wishes. Soon the clients’ wishes evolved from unusual colors and options to complete bespoke bodies — sometimes produced in batches, such as the 456, which was made in sedan, cabriolet and shooting-brake form. As demand from the Brunei family faded, Ferrari offered the opportunity to a select few special clients.
The stunning machine offered here, dubbed SP30, is one of the more enigmatic of the Special Project cars. After some early press when launched in 2011, it essentially disappeared from the spotlight with very little coverage from press or marque insiders. After liquidation, the car came to the U.S. and is now offered with a U.S. title.
Based on a 599 GTO chassis and drivetrain, the SP30 wears completely unique bodywork, with 458 Italia headlamps and 599 taillamps. Winglets and aero addenda call to mind the 599 XX, while the dramatically scalloped bonnet clearly influenced the designers of the later F12 TdF. The car also wears unique wheels and is finished off with a gorgeous coat of Rosso Fuoco paint with contrasting black carbon accents.
Of course, the SP30 has massive performance potential — with 661 horsepower on tap from its magnificent V12 engine, and a 208-mph top speed. A generous parcel shelf behind the seats can accommodate a pair of overnight bags, as can the boot, which houses fitted soft-sided luggage trimmed to match the cockpit. While it boasts supercar performance, this is, after all, a proper Ferrari GT car.
Showing just 121 miles recorded at the time of cataloging, it is in box-fresh condition, down to the plastic film on the navigation screen, and is ready for a new custodian to enjoy as they see fit. The opportunity to acquire a Ferrari Special Projects car is exceptionally rare, and the stunning SP30 is a very special Ferrari indeed.
(Introductory description courtesy of Bonhams Cars.)
