The Post

Pop art Ferrari is oddly happy

A big, smiley pop artinspire­d roadster that pays tribute to the past is Ferrari’s latest bespoke creation, writes Damien O’Carroll.

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When you have loads of money you can do odd things to cars, and that is exactly what one unnamed – and clearly very wealthy – Ferrari customer has had the Italian company do to what was originally an F12tdf.

Designed by the Ferrari Styling Centre, the SP3JC was commission­ed by a Ferrari client and collector whose brief set out to create a ‘‘pure, uncompromi­sing roadster’’ using the chassis and running gear of the F12tdf.

Ferrari says the SP3JC is the ‘‘maximum expression of open-air motoring’’ and that it harks back to Ferrari’s V12-engined spiders of the 1950s and 60s.

But then it also says that it ‘‘makes an important and individual styling statement and represents the outcome of more than two years of intense work, with close involvemen­t from the client throughout the process’’.

Which basically means ‘‘Hey, this wasn’t OUR doing...’’

To be fair though, if you are going to have a one-off Ferrari, it may as well be one that stands out, and the SP3JC certainly does that. Ferrari blames, sorry, says the client’s passion for Pop Art is reflected in the strong graphics, and the unique combinatio­n of the Azzurro Met (blue) and Giallo Modena (yellow) livery over the main Bianco Italia (white) colour scheme ‘‘underlines the car’s sensual volumes’’.

But here’s the cool bit – there are split glass inserts on the bonnet to show off the 6.3-litre V12 engine that produces a healthy 574kW of power and 700Nm of torque.

More cars with spectacula­r engines should have glass bonnet inserts.

Aside from whipping off the roof, pretty much every exterior panel is different from the donor F12tdf, as is the interior, with the seats trimmed in blue leather with a white insert.

The blue leather extends to the lower dashboard and the colour is picked up in the contrastin­g stitching to the rest of the interior trim.

OK, so it’s borderline tasteless and way over-the-top, but we can’t help but be charmed by its big, goofy, happy face and cartoonish paint job, and its unashamed tribute to classic Ferrari roadsters is equally delightful.

 ??  ?? The SP3JC is pure Speed Racer meets Mille Miglia. We want to hate it, but can’t quite bring ourselves to...
The SP3JC is pure Speed Racer meets Mille Miglia. We want to hate it, but can’t quite bring ourselves to...
 ??  ?? The pop art-inspired livery makes the Ferrari SP3JC truly original. Well, that and chopping the roof off.
The pop art-inspired livery makes the Ferrari SP3JC truly original. Well, that and chopping the roof off.
 ??  ?? Earlier this year Elon Musk fired a Tesla into space. Now he wants to go himself.
Earlier this year Elon Musk fired a Tesla into space. Now he wants to go himself.

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