This One-Off SP38 is the Most Badass Ferrari in Recent Memory

Ferrari SP38 one-off
[Photo: Ferrari]

When a one-off Ferrari comes along, you can’t help but appreciate it.

Does anyone else feel like world-renowned, once exclusive marques are becoming a bit…common? Once upon a time, companies like Lamborghini were boutique names in the industry, only selling a few hundred units each year. Now, they’re up into the thousands, experiencing year after year of consistent sales growth. Sticking with Lamborghini for a moment, the new Urus SUV is expected to drastically increase sales for the brand. Ferrari is also bringing an SUV to market in the near future, possibly by next year or 2020.

Then there’s the current crop of Ferrari road cars. The 488 GTB and Spider, the Portofino, the 812 Superfast, the GTC4 Lusso, and the LaFerrari hypercar. Last year alone, the company shipped out over 8,000 cars. Not only that, but they all look remarkably similar. Yes, maintaining a “corporate identity” is standard practice in the automotive industry. But this is Ferrari. Every car they make, as well as others like Lamborghini or McLaren or Aston Martin are supposed to feel special. When you know 8,000 other people are driving around in cars roughly equivalent to yours, the car can tend to lose its magic somewhat.

Then there’s the SP38 – Ferrari’s latest one-off creation.

Yes, this SP38 is hugely expensive, but that’s what makes it badass

We live in a globalized society. It’s not enough to just sell a few expensive, exclusive supercars to the monied elite. Ferrari, like any other car company, needs to shift units to survive. That’s why it, and pretty much every other car company, is branching out, particularly into SUVs. After all, SUVs sell.

However, this one-off SP38 marches to the beat of a different drum. Underneath, it does use the running gear from a 488 GTB. That means it has a 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8, pumping out at least 661 horsepower and 561 lb-ft of torque, likely through a 7-speed dual clutch transmission. We don’t know exact specs yet – the car will premiere at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este near Italy’s Lake Como this weekend. There this special Ferrari will be delivered to its new owner, after Ferrari’s Special Projects division went through all the effort to build it.

Of course, if you have enough money, you can pretty much have whatever your heart desires. However, this particular car represents what supercars should be all about. It looks awesome, with its unique rear end, slats over the mid-mounted engine (who cares about rear visability, anyway?). Of course, it’s sure to be devastatingly quick, and it’s just special because of its rarity. As cars become more common, they start to get generic. This Ferrari SP38 appeals to my inner five-year-old, and I’d happily put this car up on my bedroom wall. That’s the closest I’ll ever get to it, anyway, but I’m happy it exists.