The new Ferrari SP-8 is a one-off twin-turbo V8 roadster

Ferrari has revealed the latest in its series of Special Projects cars, and this one is certainly special. It’s called the SP-8, named and built to celebrate that rather special award-winning V8 lurking underneath.

It’s spun off the F8 Spider, Ferrari design maestro Flavio Manzoni and his Styling Centre squad working to the Taiwanese client’s request to completely remove the roof. Which of course, required a thorough reworking of the F8’s aero in order to create a proper roadster.

Indeed the removal of the roof meant the designers could “radically restyle” the entire rear section, giving it – says Ferrari – "a full volume with a taut belt line". There’s unpainted carbon fibre at the front wrapping around to that new rear, both sections connected by a central functional area featuring the side air intakes and engine vent.

The entire aluminium grille was 3D-printed, says Ferrari, and designed to better channel air flow to the front radiators. Even the headlights were redesigned, featuring special masks and lenses, rear lights pinched from the gorgeous Roma, and exhaust pipes “given the same treatment as the 296 GTB’s”. 

Further nods to other Ferraris comes in the form of the five-spoke wheels, exclusive to this one-off, said to be a modern take of those used on something called an ‘F40’. Yeah, never heard of it either. In any case they’re said to be lightweight.

What isn’t lightweight of course, is that engine: the same 3.9-litre twin turbo V8 that has won countless engine of the year awards, packing the old 488 Pista’s power (710bhp) and quite staggering acceleration. Yep, it’s ‘Special’ alright.