[imagesource: Eric van Vuuren]

They say the Daytona SP3 feels like a reminder of what made Ferrari, Ferrari, in the first place.

A return to fire if you will.

The limited series, carbon fibre-bodied and mid-engined V12 two-seater is fuelled by memories of the spectacular late 1960s and early 1970s Sport Prototipo era.

As the newest addition to the marque’s ultra-exclusive, invite-only Icona series, per Robb Report, the “828 hp coupe gives modern contour to both a 75-year legacy and one of racing’s great revenge stories, all in the nose-thumbing, iconoclastic style for which Ferrari is famous”:

Its name derives from the 1967 24 Hours of Daytona, where Ferrari turned the tables on Ford after being humiliated by the Detroit automaker the year before at Le Mans, replicating the famous three-abreast victory on its way to capturing that season’s World Sports Car Championship in perhaps motorsports’ greatest tit-for-tat.

Image: Eric van Vuuren

The Daytona SP3 has also been developed to repay Ferrari’s most devout collectors for their loyalty, especially considering the electrification of the supercar industry.

The sports car is limited to 599 examples priced at $2,2 million each – that’s R37,5 million.

Watch Top Gear give it a whirl:

While some cars putter along, this Ferrari is designed to make you feel the road, not only with its “immediate throttle response and ludicrously prodigious acceleration”:

Entry into the low-slung cockpit requires both forethought and flexibility even when the targa top is removed, since the sculpted seats are fixed directly to the carbon-fiber chassis to save weight and lower the center of gravity; it’s the pedal box, instead, that’s adjustable.

…the most visceral transport back to the days of old-school road racing is the bruising, 6.5-liter V-12, the most powerful naturally aspirated production engine in Ferrari’s history, thundering away a mere hand width or two behind you.

The Daytona can blast from zero to 100 kilometres per hour in 2,85 seconds on its way to a top speed of 339,5km per hour.

It may fly, but it also sticks to the ground pretty well, with an underbody that maximises ground effect as well as a full-width rear spoiler and diffuser.

One downside is a lack of any analogue gauges, which is perhaps a misstep in a vehicle that has worked so hard to recall some of the marque’s most alluringly analogue models.

All in all, though, it looks and feels like good ol’ Ferrari fire.

[source:robbreport]