The Daytona SP3 is Ferrari’s latest retro-styled Icona car, and it’s an absolute humdinger.
Inspired by the 1960s P4 racers that kicked Ford’s ass at the 1967 Daytona 24 Hours, coming home 1-2-3, it’s designed with just enough retro cues to pay tribute to the P4 without ending up looking like a cheesy pastiche.
The SP3 follows Ferrari’s first Icona models, the front-engined Monza SP1 and SP2, which took their inspiration from Ferrari’s late 1950s sports racers, and were built around its modern front-engined V12 coupe, the 812 Superfast.
Related: Ferrari Daytona SP3 Is A Limited Run Hypercar With “Pop-Up” Headlights And An 829-HP V12
Where should Ferrari take its next step? Who’d like to see one of these five classic Ferraris get an Icona update?
Ferrari 512 S
Ferrari’s rival for the mighty Porsche 917 was fast, but never as successful, so it doesn’t get anything like the same exposure today. But the 512 S did win the 12 Hours of Sebring, and it’s important because it’s the last monster-engined Ferrari sports car, with the FIA outlawing its 5.0-liter engine from 1972 by bringing in a 3.0-liter capacity limit.
Ferrari 312 PB
After the introduction of F1 at its end in 1973, 312 PB was the most famous closed-wheel Ferrari racing car. The 312 PB was powered by a 3.0-liter, 180-degree V12 and won all World Sportscar Championship races it entered in 1972. This year, Ferrari took the title. A modern tribute based on the LaFerrari chassis with running gear but wearing 1970s-style, square-sided garb.
Ferrari 365 P Berlinetta Speciale
The 365 P Tre-Posti was fun for three (or fun for one and terrifying for the other two) more than 25 years before McLaren’s F1 sent the supercar world into a spin. It was a big Dino that looks fat at first. However, it actually featured a central driving seat and six more cylinders mounted behind each of the seats. Ferrari built just two units, making it one of the company’s rarest and coolest cars, and definitely one worth revisiting.
Dino 206 S
With its new V6 engine, the latest 296 GTB could make a great base for a tribute to the cute and curvy Dino 206, a Piero Drogo-designed baby sports car that bagged a bunch of class wins at big-name events like the Targa Florio, Spa, and the Nürburgring. It may have not worn Ferrari’s Prancing Horse, but that was because Enzo didn’t want six-cylinder cars alongside his more prestigious, and expensive, V12s and flat-twelves.
Ferrari 288 GTO Evoluzione
Although it looks like a step stone between the F40’s 288 GTO or F40, 288 Evo was intended to race in Group B. Unfortunately, Group B was cancelled after high-profile rallies. Six cars were built, each getting a tuned version of the regular 288’s engine boosted from 395 hp (400 PS) to 650 hp (659 PS).
If you were running Ferrari’s Icona program which vintage Maranello product would you draw inspiration from, and what current car would it be based on?
Adblock test (Why?)
