Plenty of people own Ferraris, but how many of them get a keepsake invitation in a shiny Rosso Scuderia box when the Italian automaker has a new halo car to share? This is how Maranello distinguishes between its customers and its friends. Most of us will never be either, but thankfully, at least one esteemed guest of this forthcoming launch appears to have shared the goods with the rest of the class.
An Instagram user by the name of @ferraricollectoraus posted a few images on Monday of a box supposedly sent from the manufacturer, with the caption “If you know you know, count down is on!” A few commenters also claim to have seen the yet-to-be-unveiled car themselves (or have spoken to Ferrari employees who have), with one mentioning that it incorporates technology supposedly derived from the company’s two-time Le Mans-winning 499P.
Here’s where things get interesting. Two of the pictures obviously show a stylized silhouette of the car’s profile, and as soon as I saw it, my mind went to the Ferrari Vision Gran Turismo. That concept was developed for the sim racing franchise of the same name and unveiled in late 2022, months before the 499P first hit the track. It wasn’t real, of course, but in Ferrari’s headcanon, the Vision GT used the same engine as the prototype racer: a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine with hybrid assistance.
Anyone who put away the Saturday before last watching the world’s greatest race knows that the 499P runs in Le Mans’ Hypercar class. And while that category doesn’t necessarily have a road car homologation requirement, as it was initially planned to years before these cars began competing, the idea of a roadgoing spin on the 499P is what we in the industry call a winner. It also may explain that camouflaged mule seen milling about last year.
Consider the obvious appeal there, as well as this unnamed project’s stylistic similarities to the earlier made-for-Gran Turismo design. Plus, the very suggestion that this pie-in-the-sky concept would’ve been powered by an engine just like the race car’s, and it’s not too hard to reach the conclusion that we’re looking at a Le Mans-inspired machine Ferrari’s favorite clients can own. Just like the Mercedes CLK-GTR, Porsche 911 GT1, or McLaren F1 LM, except not legally mandated by motorsport. This one would be just for fun.
That’s my two cents, anyway. We won’t know any of this until Ferrari introduces this thing. According to a comment left by the account that posted these pictures in the first place, that may happen on October 13. June seems awfully early to ask folks to block out their calendars for a party, but I suppose when such an occasion only comes around every, say, 11 years, ample notice is appreciated.
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