Ferrari unleashes its stunning one-off SP-8, but you can't have it

(Image credit: Ferrari)

published 27 October 2023

The SP in Ferrari's latest SP-8 stands for Special Projects, and things don't get much more special in the automotive world than a one-of-one Italian supercar. The Italian car maker's glorious new vehicle is based on the ferocious F8 Spider and toting at the very least 710bhp from a 3.9-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 engine.

The customer for this particular machine is from Taiwan and there, the number 8 is seen to grant good luck, hence the nomenclature. Said customer is clearly very lucky, because the SP-8 has been extensively altered from the F8 Spider upon which it is based... just for them.

Most glaring is the lack of roof, with engineers and Flavio Manzoni's design team having to completely rework the aero package to make it work, including fashioning new body panels from very expensive carbon fibre, as well as creating vents along the side panels and bonnet for additional cooling and improved airflow.

As a result, it had to undergo "relentless wind-testing" to make sure it all worked, according to Ferrari.

At the front, there is a full-width cast aluminium grille, which Ferrari said it resorted to 3D-printing a specific mould in order to get everything right in terms of design and aerodynamics.

Ferrari's clearly profligate client also selected various cars from the Italian marque's illustrious history as inspiration for the one-off, with rear lights pinched from the Roma and specially designed five-spoke wheels that are "a modern take on both the legendary F40 and the classic rims used on Ferrari Sports Prototypes," says the SP-8's maker.

Inside, the customer has been very specific on trim, opting for laser-etched Navy Blue Alcantara, coupled with "gradient effect cloth" and "carpets in specific twill fabric with an iridescent effect" that catch the light and shimmer. As if it needed to draw more attention.

Bizarrely, that howling V8 isn't likely to be heard any time soon, as this special project will first be on show at the Mugello Circuit for the Finali Mondiali Ferrari event this month, and then it heads to the Ferrari Museum at Maranello for an undisclosed time for Fezza fans to gawp at.

Leon has been writing about automotive and consumer tech for longer than he cares to divulge. When he’s not testing the latest fitness wearable and action camera, he’s out in a shed fawning over his motorcycles or trying not to kill himself on a mountain bike/surfboard/other extreme thing. He's also a man who knows his tools, and he's provided much of T3's drills coverage over the years, all without injuring himself.