Ferrari has announced the
presentation of the SA APERTA roadster at the 79th Paris
Mondial de l'Automobile in a week's time. This new open
topped version of the 599 GTB Fiorano leverages the
recent success of the niche 599 GTO (using its engine)
in kick-starting the stalled sales of the V12 engined
sports car but will be a special series model of which a
strictly limited number of just 80 will be built. All
have already been sold.
Ferrari chose to build 80
SA APERTAs in celebration of Pininfarina's 80th
anniversary which is taking place this year. Pininfarina
are entrusted with designing all Ferrari's production
road cars. The SA nomenclature also pays homage to
both Sergio and Andrea Pininfarina whose company and
work have been linked to the most successful road-going
cars ever built at Maranello.
The SA APERTA is a true roadster which allows its
occupants to enjoy the superlative emotions afforded by
the 599 GTB Fiorano's signature front-engined V12
architecture but now within a completely open-top
setting. In fact, it does come with a light soft top
that is designed to be resorted to only if the weather
gets particularly bad.
A low-raked windscreen
and the fact that it crouches lower to the ground than
other Maranello models lend the SA APERTA greater
aerodynamic sleekness that the fixed-roof coupé it is
spun off. Its profile arches back from the A-post to two
aerodynamic fins (evolved from the design language of
the coupé's very distinctive "flying buttresses") that
flow back from the roll hoops which themselves have been
designed to mimic the outline of the seats. There is
further profiling along the centre of the new bootlid
but otherwise the design of the 599 GTB Fiorano remains
unchanged and while it uses the GTO's engine none of
that updated model's styling cues have been carried
forward.
The chassis, Ferrari says, has been redesigned to
deliver a standard of stiffness comparable to that of a
closed berlinetta and there is a negligible weight
difference also, thanks to work done on the chassis
structure.
Thanks to the 670 CV engine from the 599 GTO used
beneath its bonnet, the SA APERTA beautifully embodies
the sporty spirit of the most powerful version of the
599 GTB Fiorano theme, incorporating, says Ferrari, the
most advanced technology to deliver absolutely benchmark
performance and superb driving pleasure. Its interior
too has been designed to be stylish and sporty with
particularly sophisticated materials, trim and colours
used throughout, including a distinctive red stripe that
chases up the middle of the profiled seats and also down
either side. The virtually endless combinations of
customisation available guarantee that each and every SA
APERTA is absolutely unique.
