Motorsport is deeply rooted within the Ferrari DNA and its glorious racing heritage contains many triumphs which ultimately influenced its road car division. Its latest creation is a limited-edition model which doffs its cap to the 24 Hours of Daytona victories. It was in the year 1967 when Ferrari pulled off a staggering top 3 podium finishes in the International World SportsCar Championship. The three cars were all prancing horses being now legendary racing cars like the 330 P3/4, 330 P4, and the 412 P. Hence, the 1960s were considered the golden age of racing and to pay homage to these sports prototypes, Ferrari has created the Daytona SP3. It is the latest in its famed ‘Icona’ series. The name harks back to the 1-2-3 finish and is a no-compromise racing car with all the modern technologies which Ferrari can muster. Being showcased at the Mugello Circuit during the 2021 Ferrari Finali Mondiali, the Daytona SP3 follows the Monza SP1 and SP2.
These are exclusive Ferrari Road cars and are separated from their standard GT or supercars. The racing-inspired design can easily be seen from its voluptuous haunches, massive wheels, and aerodynamics-infused stance. What is also interesting is that this hypercar has a Targa’s body style with a removable hard top for the ultimate thrill of listening to that V12 powertrain.
Speaking of which, the Daytona SP3 has a naturally aspirated V12 and is mid-mounted for adhering to the racing ethos. It also showcases the mighty V12 at its zenith as this magnificent engine is the most powerful ever built by Ferrari. It revs to a dizzying 9500 rpm and makes upwards of 800bhp. The engine is an upgraded one from the recent 812 Competizione and gets modifications like lightweight titanium conrods plus a louder exhaust. In fact, we digress, it’s not exhausting as much as a symphony of Italian racing DNA at its finest. The gearbox is a 7-speed dual-clutch harnessed to make the best out of that glorious powertrain.
Not just the power as it is basically a stripped-out racing car for the road as its chassis is made of composite materials only, using Formula 1 derived technologies. Further, the design is clean and not smeared with various aero-inspired design details yet still is the most aerodynamically efficient car ever built by Ferrari. Acceleration is akin to time travel with a zero to 200km/h time of just 7.4s.
Some of the beautiful detailing worth mentioning here includes those butterfly doors, reminiscent of the Enzo hypercar or even the LaFerrari to the placement of the mirrors on the top of the wings, ahead of the doors. The seats are integrated into the chassis while the driver adjustments are done via the adjustable pedal box. A cockpit is a serious place for drivers with minimal distractions yet also having the required modern switchgear like the latest HMI interface and all of the buttons being placed on the steering wheel. As expected, there are a lot of carbon-fiber panels all over.
Even a specific tire was developed for this car in partnership with Pirelli for the Daytona SP3 as its new P Zero Corsa is tuned for both dry and wet performance with a sharp focus on the car’s stability in low grip situations.
At $2.26 million-plus, the Daytona SP3 would be built in limited numbers at 100 units along with being reserved for the best of Ferraris VIP clientele. In many ways, it is a rolling sculpture of Ferraris racing heritage and represents the best that the Italian brand can conjure up. It might just be the greatest limited-edition hypercar ever made.
