Before inspecting the ingredients of the all-new Daytona, you have to look backwards. Back to Ferrari’s racing pedigree, achieved throughout the 1960s and ‘70s with a very particular set of cars. Namely, the 330 P3/4, 330 P4 and 412 P, which helped the famed Italian marque secure an iconic, complete podium finish in 1967 at the 24 Hours of Daytona – with all three cars finishing side-by-side in Ford’s own backyard. This choreographed win came just six-months after Ford had upset Ferrari at Le Mans, with the performance of their infamous GT40.

Looking back at some of those original racers, it’s not hard to see how the ‘60s is widely hailed as the golden decade of motor-racing, of which so many extreme prototypes were shown to the world for the very first time thanks to newfangled designs and engineering feats. And so, this newly reimagined Daytona seeks to pay tribute to those early racing successes for Ferrari, and some truly beautiful cars.

Classic Cues In Modern Finish

The styling of the SP3 is really something you need to stand back and take in for some time. It’s a rich blend of references from Ferrari’s racing catalogue, but with the obvious modern refinements expected from a multi-million-euro hypercar, and follows the same design philosophy as it’s predecessors in the Icona series, the aptly named SP1 and SP2.

The hulking but smooth front wings harp back to the 512 S and 712, with the mirrors placed further forward on the wing rather than on the doors, for that endurance car feel. All the aerodynamic trickery required to keep a modern Ferrari stuck to the tarmac is present, but thanks to curves rather than angles, it all seems much more muted and tame in terms of styling. The Daytona boasts a beautiful, timeless design throughout. Moving round to the rear you’ll notice long, horizontal slats traced from corner to corner, in which are housed two rectangular exhaust tips. This is a nod to the retro-futuristic 250 P5 concept car from 1968.

In Ferrari’s own words, the SP3 “produces the sense of effortless aesthetic balance that has long been a signature of Maranello’s design history” and looking at the new Daytona, it’s hard to argue with that.

The cockpit is also filled with inspiration from cars such as the 330 P3/4, the 312 P and the 350 Can-Am, while retaining many more modern amenities than those ‘60s racers – like air-conditioning. Even inside the cabin, there’s an air of minimalism and function. The seats are integrated directly into the chassis, with a wonderful wrap-around design.

Unlike most cars, the seats retain a completely fixed posture, and it’s the wheel, pedal box and central instrument cluster that are adjustable to the pilot’s content.

Both the chassis and bodyshell are made entirely from composite materials, a technology derived directly from Ferrari’s Formula 1 programme, that delivers exceptional weight-saving and structural rigidity. This contributes to the Daytona’s rather impressive power-to-weight ratio, in tandem with a rather outrageous engine.

The Powertrain

The Daytona is powered by the F140HC, which simply put, is the most powerful internal combustion engine Ferrari has ever produced. There’s no hybrid paraphernalia or electric motors on the axels, just a roaring V12 engine – a very fitting tribute to the 1960s!

The mid-rear mounted naturally-aspirated V12 delivers a staggering 829bhp (840PS), and pushes power to its rear axel only, via a 7-speed automatic transmission. While borrowing much of the architecture from the front-engine 812 Competizione, the Daytona features a handful of updates. The intake system has had a radical redesign, shortening the manifold and plenum to deliver maximum torque at much higher revs, while the torque curve is optimised at all engine speeds by a system of variable geometry inlet tracts. The Daytona’s impressive 697 nm-torque kicks in at 7250 rpm, with the redline coming in at a screaming 9,500 rpm, delivering that pure Italian theatre that we know and love.

The SP3’s impressive credentials don’t stop there: max speed is a licence-losing 340km/h and you’ll see 100km/h in a mere 2.85 seconds. Which is extremely fast. But for anyone not lucky enough to get on Ferrari’s exclusive client list for the SP3, these performance figures are almost identical to the more affordable V6 hybrid, the Ferrari 296 GTB.

So, can you buy the Daytona SP3? Well, no. You likely opted to give Ferrari an additional €2.000.000 when you also bought your SP1 or SP2 a couple of years back. The Daytona is limited to just 599 examples, and they’ve all been allocated. But if you are lucky enough to spot one out in the wild, see which design cues remind you of those classic 1960s Ferrari race winners.

POWER: 829bhp (840PS) and 697 nm-torque
0-100KM/H: 2.85 seconds
TOP SPEED: 340km/h
MARKET ALTERNATIVES: Is there anything to compete with a one-off 599 limited-edition Ferrari?
PRICE: From €2.000.000 plus local taxes – all sold out