Ferrari unveils Superamerica 45

This is the Superamerica 45, a one-off Ferrari that will make its public debut at the Villa d’Este Concours in Italy this weekend.

Commissioned by New York collector Peter Kalikow, the president of a real estate firm, the bespoke creation is designed - and named - to commemorate the 45th anniversary of his first Ferrari purchase.

Ferrari has released few technical details on the car, but it blends elements of the SA APERTA - an extreme open-top version of the current 599 - and the 575M Superamerica.

However, like 575M Superamerica originally unveiled in 2003, the Superamerica 45 gets a novel rotating one-piece roof section. Now made in carbonfibre (instead of the earlier car’s glass) and incorporating a rear screen, it swivels to retract under a carbonfibre boot. The solution is more practical than the fabric soft cover of the SA APERTA; it was designed for light use only.

The Villa d’Este car gets versions of the SA APERTA’s rear buttresses - coloured in the bespoke Blu Antille paint, instead of metallic finish - and double air vents on the front wing. There’s also a unique chrome front grille, plus aluminium A-pillars, wing mirrors and door handles.

Other design features include body-coloured alloy wheels, with a diamond finish on the spokes, and a contrasting dark blue splitter, side skirts and rear diffuser. The main blue paint scheme is designed to match the shade of Kalikow’s 1961 400 Superamerica cabriolet.

Inside, there’s dark blue carbonfibre trim on the dashboard, and Cuoio (deep beige) leather. Ferrari describes the car as “a unique one-off model”, a strong rebuff to any suggestion of even a limited manufacturing run. However, the very public adoption of the complex roof set-up on the 599 is a strong hint that a production version of such a car could be feasible.