The Ferrari Monza is quite mad
An 812 Superfast with the roof and windscreen win lopped off is our new object of desire...
You don’t have to wear a helmet to drive Ferrari’s new Monza SP1 or SP2. We would, though, unless you enjoy the very specific sort of pain which can only be inflicted by a pigeon to the face.
Maranello will build “less than 500” examples of this latest limited-edition. Yep – despite appearances, this is not some hyper-exclusive ten-off. A few might even get driven on a somewhat regular basis. Wouldn’t that be a thing?
Why give us this news now, and not at a motor show? Because the SP is the first in Ferrari’s ‘Icona’ series of cars, and that’s a big deal and worthy of its own news cycle. Sitting above the sports (488), GT (GTC4 Lusso) and ‘Special Series’ (488 Pista) models in its line-up, these cars will be targeted at its most loyal customers and inspired by iconic models from the past. In this case, the 166 MM and 750 Monza that delivered wins for Ferrari in the World Sports Car Championship back in the Fifties and Sixties.
As you might have guessed, the SP1 is the single-seater. Besides a 20kg weight saving from eliminating the second seat and added rollover protection, it’s identical to the two-seat SP2. The powertrain and platform come from the 812 Superfast. It’s a 6.5-litre, naturally aspirated V12 that borrows know-how from Ferrari’s F1 programme, running through a 7spd dual-clutch transmission. With 799bhp, it’s the most powerful engine Ferrari has ever made, and can propel the 1,500kg (dry, and that’s only 25kg lighter than the 812) SP1 to 62mph in 2.9 seconds, to 124mph in 7.9 seconds and on to a top speed of over 186mph.
Bodied entirely in carbon fibre, the SP features bespoke forged wheels, LED headlights and a full-width light bar across its rear end. The doors are small, almost pointless items that open upwards and outwards, while the bonnet is a huge, front-hinged piece like a Jag E-type’s. Meanwhile a ‘Virtual Wind Shield’ sits ahead of the instrument panel, aiming to disrupt airflow to “maintain driving comfort”. In the SP2, the passenger gets no such luxury.
Speaking of “driving comfort” – the SPs feature the 812’s all-wheel-steering system. We’re told that despite the power output, and promises of the SP’s dramatic turn of speed, that it’s “not in any way challenging”. We’ll be the judges of that, with our fists of ham and feet of lead, thanks very much.
Ferrari has also partnered with some Italian fashion brands, so each SP will come with a bespoke “Pilot Suit” we guarantee none of its owners will ever wear. And despite all the SPs Ferrari will ever build
already being allocated, pricing will be revealed at a later date. Seven figures? Count on it.
In other news, Ferrari will make an SUV of some description, but new CEO Louis Camilleri says he “abhors hearing SUV in the same sentence as Ferrari”, and that the new car will be something altogether different, and defy all existing acronyms.
“What we produce will be unique in so many ways, and redefine expectations. It will be unmistakably a Ferrari, and have features that have never been seen before.” The not-an-SUV will be launched towards the end of the company’s mid-term plan – think 2022 or thereabouts – and feature hybrid power. The name Purosangue – Italian for thoroughbred – was thrown about a lot in the press conference we attended, but it’s not immediately clear whether that’s the name the, erm, THING, will actually wear when it goes on sale.