Ferrari Daytona SP3: snub

After several weeks of waiting, Ferrari has finally lifted the veil on its latest work: the Daytona SP3. This new supercar takes the place of the Ferrari Monza in the Icona range , intended to pay homage to ancient Italian glories.

Seen around Maranello, the prototype seemed to confirm the insistent rumors about a reinterpretation of the 330 P4. However, heavily camouflaged, no line had previously filtered. It was during the Finali Mondiali at Mugello, benefiting from the presence of many VIP customers, that Ferrari presented the car to the world. The inspiration is therefore not a surprise, but the general line of the car once again marks the spirits.

As a reminder, the Monza, in single-seater or two-seater version, is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful cars of the decade. The bar was therefore high and the in-house designers seem to have been worthy of the hopes placed in them. The admitted models are the 330 P4, 512S and 350 Can-Am as well as the 312P: only prototypes of the golden age, between the 60s and 70s. The message is clear: it is a car of race. Concretely, the car is wide (2.05m), low (1.14m), with the wheels rejected at the 4 corners, a central motor and a removable roof. Logical since the base is quite simply a LaFerrari Aperta.

The comments are rather unanimous: the car imposes, between beauty and bestiality. While it retains the brand's distinctive elements (light signature, headlight lids, LaFerrari Aperta profile), it inaugurates a few stylistic novelties. The most obvious are obviously the sipes at the rear, seen on an old concept or less directly on the sides of a Testarossa. The sides are hollowed out like never before, a bit in the spirit of the 2016 Ford GT. The mirrors have been moved to the fenders, a direct link with the aforementioned prototypes.

The Daytona SP3 does not have active aerodynamics (fins that move according to the conditions) but the flows have been enormously worked, including to manage the cooling of the calories emitted by the V12 of the 812 Competizione, slightly inflated to 840 horsepower. and rotating at 9500 rpm. The transmission is a classic F1 double clutch. The engine will have to move the Daytona SP3 and its 1485 kilos (dry), that is to say not far from 1600 kg in running order and with the usual margin of the Italians. No electric unit in this car, 100% thermal and 6.5 liters of displacement: Crit'Air 1 but penalty of 40,000 €. The announced performances are stunning: 2.85 seconds to reach 100km / h, without battery or 4-wheel drive.

The Daytona SP3 breaks the ease of naming Monza a bit and will make us impatiently await the SP4. As for Daytona, it is a snub to Ford, a reminder of the brilliant Italian victory in the USA with one of the most famous photo finishes in history: a hat-trick in the American, after Ford's victory at Le Mans in 1966. The 365 GTB / 4 had earned a nickname, the SP3 made its name.

Ferrari allows us to better understand what the Icona range will be in the future with this second version. So far, only racing cars have been selected as inspirers. Icona is therefore above all the roots of the Scuderia track more than its GTs. The return to Le Mans in 2023 will also usher in a new era in Ferrari motorsport history. Enough to create new inspirers.

Note that Ferrari would have offered the car to the 499 buyers of Monza and all would have said yes. It's so unlikely that I went to search the auction sites. I did not find any trace of an almost new Monza on offer. It is also extremely rare. The Icona range not only found an audience, it found an audience that didn't speculate on a highly speculative car. 100 additional copies are planned for new (large) customers. Take the bet, the Daytona SP3 could follow the same path.