Ferrari SP-8 roadster joins One-Off series

FERRARI has unveiled the latest addition to its One-Off series, the SP-8 roadster formed as part of the Italian marque’s Special Projects program under the watchful eye of Ferrari Styling Centre head, Flavio Manzoni.

Based upon the F8 Spider, the mid-engined, V8-powered SP-8 is one of very few cars built explicitly to an individual clients’ specifications.

Hand-built to the exacting desires of a Taiwanese customer, the two-seat roadster retains the F8’s lauded 3.9-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine and features no roof, allowing the owner to experience the thrill of open-air driving, and of course, the unfiltered exhaust note.

Ferrari says the SP-8 roadster’s styling is themed around the “way in which its volumes crossover and fuse into one another”, the unpainted carbon-fibre front wrapping its way to the vehicle’s tail, creating a two-tone effect that is said to “create a power contrast of colour and materials”.

Removing the retractable hard top allowed Ferrari designers to radically style the rear of the SP-8 to give it “full volume and a taut belt line”.

Again, the car’s volume is clearly divided into two components, which are connected by a “functional central area” finished in matte black, which includes functional ducting for the engine and its intercoolers – the lateral strakes a nod to Ferraris of the past.

At the front, the SP-8 is dominated by an imposing, full-width cast aluminium grille made from a single 3D-printed mould.

It features the same strake theme, this time in a vertical movement, with the spacing widening towards the vehicle’s flanks to better channel air to the radiators. Ferrari said it spent months perfecting the design, ensuring it was both aesthetically correct and aerodynamically functional.

Other areas of the SP-8 that were designed from scratch include the headlights, which wear special masks and lenses, and the tail-lights which were adapted from those of the Roma with specific lenses. The windscreen and exhaust outlets draw their design from the 296 GTB, while the unique alloy wheels are finished in a bespoke Grigio Nart hue.

Ferrari says the directional, five-spoke wheels are exclusive to the SP-8 and offer a modern take on the classic rims found on Ferrari Sports Prototypes and the legendary F40.

Inside, the SP-8 boasts a modified console designed to house the F1 gearbox commands that have featured in every Ferrari range since the SF90 Stradale. The cockpit is upholstered in Navy Blue Alcantara coupled with gradient effect cloth and carpets, the latter in a customer-specific twill fabric with an iridescent effect.

The Ferrari SP-8 roadster’s Argento Micalizzato matte paint was also created specifically for the customer and is paired with glossy iridescent Blue Sandstone weave within the carbon-fibre and a bespoke Blu Scuro Stellato finish used to “link” the two bodywork sections together.

Ferrari will show the SP-9 roadster at the Mugello Circuit until the end of its Finalli Mondiala Ferrari 2023 celebrations. Thereafter, it will be displayed at the Ferrari Museum in Maranello from November 16, 2023, until March 2024 when it will be delivered to the customer.