When the Ferrari Sergio Concept made its debut over a year ago, few would have thought that this design would ever be seen outside of a motor show. Well, for a few lucky owners, that will soon be a reality.
Ferrari has just confirmed that it will be building just six of these radical-looking barchettas for very fortunate customers – and the bad news is that they are all already sold. A road-going version is likely to be shown at the Geneva Motor Show early next year. That car will likely feature a few additional items to allow it to pass legislation; perhaps a front window and mirrors, among others.
The concept was described by the firm as: A real open-air car with an explicit nod to racing cars, in the sense that a cupola is not fitted to protect occupants, for which two helmets are provided.
The Sergio Concept was based on a 458 Spider and the production car will probably follow suit. Though the design study made use of a carbon-fibre shell, helping to shed some mass, it is unclear if the six customer cars will also use the same skin.
Motivation will come from the firm’s 4,5-litre high-revving, naturally aspirated V8, but expect more power than is available from the cooking variety 458s. It is more likely that the Sergio will have the same output as the 458 Speciale.
If you are wondering about the badge, it is named after Sergio Pininfarina, founder of the famous design house that collaborated so successfully with Ferrari over the decades.
It seems that the firm is keen on building special models in very limited numbers for customers who are loyal to the brand. Witness the Ferrari 512 TRS, of which there is just one in the world and the Ferrari F60America of which there are only 10 in existence.
And when Luca di Montezemolo was still the golden boy of Ferrari, Pininfarina created a one-off 360 Barchetta for him to use, though we’re not sure whether he still has it considering the break up of the two parties.
