Expect the Ferrari Monza SP2 to appear during Monterey Car Week.
by Wallace Wyss –
Ferrari is going to go down in history as one of the most clever car marketers. In the Ferrari Monza SP2, named after a close by racetrack that is key to Ferrari history, and a series of ’53 cars, they have created a $2.59 million dollar toy that has little utility but is a homage to all that made Ferraris great.
At first there was the SP1 version, a single seater and now the SP2, a two-seater equipped with the same naturally aspirated V12 from the 812 Superfast. The specs are a 6.5 liter V12 with 799 horsepower and 530 lb-ft of torque. The Transmission is a 7-speed F1 DCT. The usual 0-60 time is 0 to 62 mph in 2.9 seconds with a top speed of 188 mph. This is for this modern speedster market like the McLaren Elva and Aston Martin V12 Speedster but only Ferrari has the chutzpah to charge so much for a car that’s not road legal in the U.S. ( though you can bring it in under a Show or Display permit).
It is based on an existing special-series model — the 812 Superfast. Ferrari is building a whole range of ultra-exclusive, uniquely designed, that will exist above the standard Ferrari range but below the hypercars like the LaFerrari and its coming successor.
The interior is not the car it was built from. The taillights are a bit of a surprise–haven’t we seen full width blade-thin taillights on American cars? And from a distance it looks like the rear trunk lid is open. There’s even a “line of light” carried into the inside as one continuous halo surrounds the driver and passenger. The wheels are 21-inch front and 20-inch rear alloy wheels. Oddly it has larger wheels in the front and smaller wheels at the back.
Based on the 812 Superfast, it uses the same 107.1-inch wheelbase. It also has a close length–183.3-inch overall length, but is one inch wider at 78.6 inches. At its highest point, it’s 4.7 inches lower than the 812 at a slinky 45.5 inches. It weighs close to the Superfast with a dry weight of this super sports car is approximately 3,351 lbs. This seems heavy to me and especially so if you add the weight of a glass windscreen and windscreen frame, which are not available now.
This car is so exclusive customers can order it with a wide range of solid, metallic, special, and historical colors. The car is an example of genius in marketing in that they announced only 499 would be built but wouldn’t let you buy one unless you owned the right mix of previous rare Ferraris.
Thus they guaranteed no customers who are buying it only to “flip” it. Ford tried to qualify buyers with the second gen Ford GT (the V6 one) but didn’t have the clout Ferrari does. Only Ferrari can lock the door on potential buyers, and all it does is create more frenzy to buy one.
Wallace Wyss created this painting, hoping at Monterey he’ll also see one of the 499 in action.
Other companies could try this you-have-to-prove-yourself-worthy-to-own it approach but it’s taking a chance. Ferrari has gotten away with it. Expect Ferrari to be showing them at Monterey and Carmel during Monterey Car Week.
Let us know what you think in the Comments.
THE AUTHOR/ARTIST: Wallace Wyss will be at his Art & Books booth at Concorso Italiano. Those interested in his new oil painting of an SP2 can text him at 213 344 6496.
Photos compliments of Ferrari.
REALLY? LOOKS LIKE A JAZZZED UP PORSCHE BOXTER