Daytona SP3 hits all the retro Ferrari notes

FERRARI’S limited-edition Daytona SP3 is the most aerodynamically efficient road car the Maranello-based brand has ever produced and is powered by the most potent naturally aspirated V12 engine in the Italian firm’s arsenal.

Best of all? The car is entirely road legal.

The third model in the Ferrari Icona series, which was unveiled at the Mugello circuit in Italy as part of the 2021 Ferrari Finali Mondiali at the weekend, marks the Prancing Horse’s historic one-two-three finish with its 330 P3/4, 330 P4 and 412 P racecars in the 1967 24 Hours of Daytona.

Only 599 units of the Daytona SP3 will be made and all are already spoken for.

At the heart of the newcomer is the 812 Competizione’s naturally aspirated 6.5-litre V12, which is mid-mounted and features modified intake and exhaust manifolds, lightweight titanium conrods, reduced-friction piston pins and a lighter, rebalanced crankshaft.

The upgraded motor’s peak outputs are 618kW at 9250rpm and 697Nm at 7250rpm, which means the Daytona SP3’s is the most powerful non-electrified model ever produced by Ferrari. 

Endowed with an upgraded seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, this latest Prancing Horse is claimed to accelerate from zero to 100km/h in 2.95 seconds, from zero to 200km/h in 7.4 seconds and on to a top speed in excess of 340km/h.

By virtue of incorporating a plethora of lightweight composite materials, the Daytona SP3 has a dry weight of 1485kg, while its mid-engined configuration facilitates a 44:56 front-to-rear weight distribution.

In addition, the newcomer comes shod with Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres – developed specifically for the model – and a new Dynamic Enhancer function controls pressure on the brake callipers under hard cornering.

Meanwhile, Ferrari claims that the Daytona SP3 is the most aerodynamically efficient road car (without active aerodynamic elements) that it has ever produced. The svelte exterior design combines elements of historic as well as current Ferrari models.

The low-set wraparound windscreen and domed front wings (on which the side mirrors are mounted) reference Ferrari’s historic sports prototypes race cars, while airboxes built into the butterfly doors channel air to the side-mounted radiators. 

The Daytona SP3’s rear-end design is distinguished by a stack of body-coloured (and wraparound) elements that sit beneath the light bar, into which the tail-light clusters are integrated. A pair of centrally mounted exhaust tips sit above the dramatic diffuser.

Inside, the driver and passenger sit lower and more reclined than in any other Ferrari road car. The single-piece seats are bolted directly onto the Daytona SP3’s chassis; however, to compensate, the driver is afforded an adjustable pedal box.

The lower half of the dashboard integrates the brand’s Human-Machine Interface (HMI) touch controls, which allows the driver to keep their hands on the steering wheel to control 80 per cent of the vehicle’s functions.