Currently reading: Ferrari showcases Monza SP2 speedster at Goodwood

Dramatic Monza SP2 joins single-seat SP1 as the first two models in Ferrari's ‘Icona’ series of limited-run specials

Ferrari has shown off the dramatic Monza SP2 limited-run special at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, marking the car's dynamic debut ahead of customer deliveries.

It joins the SP1 as the first two models in a series of bespoke cars the company calls the 'Icona' series. The models were initially revealed in Ferrari's home in Maranello, but one has now appeared in Sussex following a second static outing at the Paris Motor show.

All the news from the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2019

Fewer than 500 of the two models - one a fixed single-seater, the other a two-seater - will be produced, with the production split according to demand from the select band of Ferrari collectors invited to buy them. There’s no official news of the pricing, but it is thought to be in the region of $3 million (£2.3m).

Inspired by the original Ferrari Barchetta models, particularly the 1948 166 MM and the 750 Monza of the 1950s, the SP1 and SP2 also feature the most powerful engine Ferrari has ever produced. 

The 6.5-litre V12 delivers 809bhp at 8500rpm and 530lb ft of torque at 7000rpm. The engine has also gained variable inlet tracts - something taken from F1 engines - and another first for a road-going Ferrari. 

The company is claiming a 0-62mph time of just 2.9sec and a 0-124mph time of 7.9sec. The maximum speed is set at 186mph. Loosely based on the 812 Superfast's underpinnings, the SP1 and 2 are clothed in carbonfibre composite panels. 

07 Ferrari monza sp1

Design boss Flavio Manzoni said that the composite exterior and interior are made in exactly the same way as the structure of Ferrari’s Formula 1 cars. Using composites also allowed the SP models to be fitted with a huge clamshell bonnet that could not have otherwise been manufactured. The doors open upwards and forwards to aid access into the cockpit. The exterior gets bespoke LED headlights and a unique ‘signature’ LED rear strip.

The simple form language not only echoes the classic Barchetta models but is a deliberate move away from “visually complex solutions”, Manzoni said at the Maranello unveiling. 

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It’s an interesting move that suggests there has been some customer backlash against the extreme modernity of recent Ferrari models. Ferrari is also promising to move back to more classically elegant design for its upcoming GT models.

Both SP models have minimalist cockpits, with a simple carbonfibre control panel to the right of the driver. 

Ferrari has also managed to dispense with the windscreen thanks to a patented ‘Virtual Wind Shield’, which is mounted in the bonnet fairing ahead of the driver. It’s designed to divert some of the airflow over the driver’s head, though these Monza models will offer raw driving experiences similar to piloting an F1 car, the company says.

No more information was given about future Icona models, other than that they will account for well below 5% of Ferrari’s sales. 

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Synch 5 October 2018

Hey, I've seen that design somewhere..

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Ah yes, the Mugen S2000 did it back in the early 2000s. Retro styling indeed.

david RS 3 October 2018

Next monday I will be there :

Next monday I will be there :-)

 

Andrew Lee 18 September 2018

Monza?

Hate to be pedantic but... Doesn't GM still 'own' the Monza name?