This is the new, one-off Ferrari SC40, and it’s a V6-engined tribute to the F40

What you make of this Special Projects Ferrari rather depends on which side of the fence you sit on regarding modern-day homages of stone-cold icons.

So, prepare to have Very Strong Opinions about this: it’s called the Ferrari SC40, and as you can probably tell, it’s a hat-tip to something Ferrari made a very long time ago called ‘F40’.

That car – the last Il Commendatore oversaw, the one most Ferrari enthusiasts will point to as the pinnacle, bit mad – inspired the “sharp, angular lines” of the SC40. As with all Ferrari Special Projects, it’s a pure one-off, designed and built for one discerning client.

That being said, Ferrari didn’t just copy and paste from the Eighties. “The ‘SC40’ script engraved in relief on the side of the wing is a clear homage to the iconic Ferrari supercar,” said Ferrari, “yet the goal was not to create a literal reinterpretation, but rather a model with its own distinct personality.”

Oh, it's distinct alright. Though the bones are very familiar. The deeply, furiously complex and quite brilliant 296 GTB lends its chassis, engine and drivetrain – so a turbo 3.0-litre V6, some electricity, rear-wheel-drive and a healthy 819bhp. It’ll reel off 0-62mph in 2.9s.

But you don’t want to go that fast, not yet anyway. Slow it down and drink in those lines. Ferrari design supremo Flavio Manzoni directed his team to give the SC40 “muscular, squared volumes”, and an “industrial” design aesthetic to mimic the raw, angular language of the F40.

From afar, the silhouette is fairly unmistakable, from its low, long nose to the fixed rear wing. Only here the headlights extend down right into the lower air intake rather than sitting proudly on top like the F40. That intake then spans the entire front bumper. Did Ferrari miss a trick by not reintroducing pop-ups for one night only? You decide.

Elsewhere, you’ll spot the F40’s side air intakes given a modern interpretation here, while at the back sits that familiar wing that extends up from the engine cover. Naturally, the V6 is on display through “smoked Lexan louvres”, just like the F40’s V8.

Kevlar returns in a Ferrari for the interior, redeveloped for this SC40 project in the footwells, behind the seats and on the floor mats. And the steering wheel, dash inserts, engine bay and froot, too. Elsewhere you’ll find Alcantara, and the whole car is – as you can probably tell – finished in a shade called SC40 White.

“The car’s name pays tribute to the F40, the legendary Ferrari supercar unveiled in July 1987. The SC40 echoes its sharp, angular lines, which are skilfully combined with softer surface transitions, giving the car a contemporary feel and a strong, unmistakable identity,” said Ferrari.

What do you make of this ‘strong, unmistakable identity’ that echoes a stone-cold icon?