Ferrari Monza SP

Ferrari Monza SP at a glance

The Monza SP shares its basic engineering with the Ferrari 812. All Ferrari models are listed in the Ferrari catalogue.

History and the Icona series

Ferrari presented the Monza SP1 and SP2 in 2018, for the 2019 model year, and displayed them at the Paris motor show that autumn. They were the first members of the Icona series: limited cars that combine current technology with the look of historic models. The second Icona car was the Daytona SP3, unveiled in 2021.

The name recalls the racing barchettas of the 1950s, and Wikipedia names three main references: the 750 Monza, the 250 Testa Rossa and the 166 MM. Like those cars, the Monza SP is low and open, with a long bonnet and no roof at all.

Production ran from 2019 to 2022, and 499 cars were made. According to Wikipedia, the owners of all 499 cars were later invited to buy a Daytona SP3.

The 1950s Monza racing cars

The name goes back to a family of Ferrari sports racing cars of 1953–1957. Most of them used four-cylinder engines designed by Aurelio Lampredi, after the Formula 2 rules of 1952–1953 had led Ferrari away from its small Colombo V12. The best known is the 750 Monza of 1954, with a 3.0-litre four-cylinder engine of 191 kW (260 PS) and a weight of 760 kg. It took its name from its first race, at Monza, won by Mike Hawthorn and Umberto Maglioli. Its body was drawn by Pinin Farina, and Scaglietti built cars with a faired-in headrest behind the driver. The 750 Monza is also remembered for a tragedy: Alberto Ascari was killed in one during an impromptu test at Monza in 1955.

These cars were very successful. Ferrari won the World Sportscar Championship in 1953, 1954 and 1956, and in 1956 an 860 Monza won the 12 Hours of Sebring, while two more finished second and third in the Mille Miglia.

SP1 and SP2: one seat or two

The names simply describe the number of seats. The SP1 is a true single-seater, with the driver placed to one side of the car. The SP2 has two seats separated by a central section. The second seat adds weight: the SP1 weighs 1,500 kg at the kerb, the SP2 1,520 kg. Mechanically the two versions are the same.

Design and the Virtual Windshield

The Ferrari Styling Centre under Flavio Manzoni designed both cars. The body is made of carbon-fibre composite, strong enough to allow a large clamshell bonnet. Small doors open upwards, scissor-style.

Instead of a windscreen, Ferrari developed a patented system it calls the "Virtual Windshield". It is designed to deflect the airflow away from the driver, so that the open cockpit stays usable at speed without glass.

All cars were painted at Carrozzeria Zanasi in Maranello. In 2020 the Monza SP1 won the Compasso d'Oro, the Italian industrial design award; the prize was accepted by Flavio Manzoni and Jane Reeve.

Engine and performance

The engine is the naturally aspirated 6,496 cc V12 of the 812 Superfast, tuned for 7.4 kW (10 PS) more. It produces 596 kW (810 PS) at 8,500 rpm and 719 Nm at 7,000 rpm and drives the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. When the cars were launched, this made them the most powerful V12 road cars Ferrari had built; the 812 Competizione of 2021 later went further, with 610 kW (830 PS).

Ferrari also quoted 2.9 seconds from standstill to 60 mph.

Chassis

The chassis is based on that of the 812 Superfast, with the engine mounted behind the front axle and the gearbox at the rear. The car is 4,657 mm long, 1,996 mm wide and only 1,155 mm high, on a 2,720 mm wheelbase.

Timeline

Compared with the 812 Superfast it is based on, the Monza SP gives up the roof, the windscreen and, in the SP1, the passenger seat. In return it gains 7.4 kW (10 PS) and a carbon body. It is a car for open-air driving on fine days rather than a grand tourer.

Legacy

The Monza SP started a new line of Ferrari limited editions. The Icona cars draw on Ferrari's heritage: the Monza SP recalls the barchettas of the 1950s, and its successor, the Daytona SP3, the sports prototypes of the 1960s. For more on Ferrari's past, see our history of Ferrari and the article on the 750 Monza.

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