There is no one else with a better back catalogue than Ferrari with an envious line-up of glorious racing cars stretching back to the 60’s or even earlier. Its new ‘Icona’ series pays homage to these racing cars that dominated the podium in those years along with being steeped in history and racing tradition.
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The first such model in this series special borrows a famous moniker: Daytona. It was in 1967 when Ferrari took the top three places at the 24 Hours of Daytona in the first round of that year’s International World Sports Car Championship. The three cars were the 330 P3/4, 330 P4 and the 412 P.
The name of the new model in the Icona series pays homage to that incredible 1-2-3 finish. It takes inspiration from those Ferrari sports prototypes. Called the Daytona SP3, it was presented at the Mugello Circuit during the 2021 Ferrari Finali Mondiali. It is a limited edition that joins the Icona series which debuted in 2018 with the Ferrari Monza SP1 and SP2.
Ferrari Daytona SP3: Voluptuous design
The design must be discussed first. It’s a wonderful mix of the past and the present along with being dipped in the radical design philosophy that Ferraris have begun to sport of late. Ferrari does not do retro but infuses modern styling with some notable design cues of the past. There are a lot of voluptuous surfacing and sharp lines being combined together while the aerodynamic influences are very much there to see.
Supercars: A naturally-aspirated V12
The design borrows from the 330 P4, 350 Can-Am and 512 S. It has a choice of a ‘Targa’ body with a removable hard top as well. The design team at Ferrari went to extremes in being as radical as the La Ferrari – also a limited edition hypercar. You have double-crested front wings like on the 512 S, 712 Can-Am and 312 P. And the shape of the wheel-arches actually showcases the geometry of the flanks.
There are also butterfly doors which have an air box integrated into them to channel air to the side-mounted radiators. The surfacing of the doors also cuts into the rear of the front wheel arch. That in turn helps to manage airflow from the front wheels.
Race car styling
Everything is race car style – including the engine! It’s the most powerful engine ever built by Ferrari. The Daytona SP3 sports a naturally-aspirated V12 which mid-mounted to mimic a racing car. The numbers read as 830 bhp (847 hp) and 697 Nm (514 ft-lb) of torque and maximum revs of 9500 rpm.
The engine has a 65° vee between its cylinder banks and continues from the 6.5-litre capacity of its predecessor, the F140HB, as seen in the 812 Competizione. With such high revs, you can only guess the soundtrack of this special beast. Ferrari has also tuned the engine noise with tuned intake and exhaust lines.
As mentioned earlier, the whole car is built with racing technologies with a chassis being built entirely from composite materials. The seat is an integral part of the chassis to reduce weight. It gives the driving position similar to a competition spec car. Speaking of which, the interior is pared back but again wonderfully replicating the racing Ferraris of yore.
There are carbon fibre panels everywhere while the latest Ferrari switchgear is being carefully smothered in with a ruthless dedication to driving and nothing else. While the seats are fixed, the driver’s adjustments are taken care of by an adjustable pedal box.
Thinking about one? Forget about it. They’re sold out!
Exclusivity is very much a part of the Icona series although it would be built in much larger volumes than the ultra-rare SP1 and SP2. Only 599 examples would be made and each would cost €2m ($2.9 million CAD, $2.26 million USD) or more. However, for its loyal customers, the price does not matter. The Daytona SP3 is already sold out!
Somnath Chatterjee grew up around cars and most of his childhood was spent obsessing over supercars. Years later he decided to start writing about them and hasn’t looked back since. While he has had his fair share of cars, the world of automobiles never ceases to amaze him. Travelling all over the world to drive them along with sharing that experience is what ultimately keeps him going. He hopes to drive a Ferrari 288 GTO someday because, well, do you really need a reason?
