Ferrari Superamerica 45 unveiled 23 | 05 | 2011
THIS IS THE first official glimpse of the Ferrari Superamerica 45, a one-off Ferrari which made its public debut at the Villa d’Este Concours in Italy at the weekend.
Named to commemorate the 45th anniversary of his first Ferrari purchase, the bespoke creation was commissioned by New York collector Peter Kalikow, the president of a real estate firm.
As you might expect, Ferrari has released few technical details on the car, but the one-off blends elements of the SA APERTA — an extreme open-top version of the current 599 — and the 575M Superamerica.
Ferrari Superamerica 45 though, like the 575M Superamerica originally unveiled in 2003, does get a novel rotating one-piece roof section. Now made in carbonfibre (instead of the earlier car’s glass) and incorporating a rear screen, it swivels to retract under a carbonfibre boot. The solution is more practical than the fabric soft cover of the SA APERTA; it was designed for light use only.
Coloured in the bespoke Blu Antille paint, instead of metallic finish, the Villa d’Este car also gets versions of the SA APERTA’s rear buttresses and double air vents on the front wing. The chrome front grille, aluminium A-pillars, wing mirrors and door handles are also unique.
Other design features include body-coloured alloy wheels, with a diamond finish on the spokes, and a contrasting dark blue splitter, side skirts and rear diffuser. The main blue paint scheme is designed to match the shade of Kalikow’s 1961 400 Superamerica cabriolet. Inside, there’s dark blue carbonfibre trim on the dashboard, and Cuoio (deep beige) leather.
Will the model ever become a mainstream production model? Well Ferrari says no, emphasising the Superamerica 45 is “a unique one-off model”; but given the very public adoption of the complex roof set-up on the 599 there is definitely a very strong hint that a production version could just make an appearance some time in the future.
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Jim McGill