Pininfarina is the design house behind many of the world’s most iconic cars. While many of them wear the Ferrari badge, there are several others too – like the Fittipaldi EF7 Vision GT. That’s why for this week’s Want we’re taking a look at a tribute car of the company’s most famous designers, Sergio Pininfarina.
The son of the company’s founder, Battista Farina, Pininfarina is one of the greats in sports car history. While his car designs are something of beauty, his real claim to fame comes from a conversation with Enzo Ferrari.
In 1965, Pininfarina convinced Ferrari to use the mid-engine configuration in a production car. This was a first for Ferrari and led to the Dino Berlinetta Speciale prototype in 1967. The following year, the world had its first mid-engine road car built by Ferrari, the Dino 206.
Throughout his lifetime, Pininfarina would go on to pen several Ferrari designs, most notably the F40 and 360.
This is why in 2013, shortly after Pininfarina’s death Ferrari wanted something special to honor him.
Starting with the underpinnings of a 458, Ferrari and Pininfarina worked together to create a masterpiece.
Upon first glance, the concept Sergio still heavily resembles the donor 458. However, the team also worked in several elements from the Dino, along with a pair of Ferrari concepts — the Modulo and Mythos. This gave the car a unique look all its own.
While the softer lines were a styling choice, it also helped the car be more aerodynamics. As a result, a windscreen wasn’t needed. Instead, at 31mph the shape of the Sergio forms a “virtual” windshield deflecting air over the driver.
Since Ferrari never planned to actually produce the Sergio, the Barchetta body style worked just fine. That plan quickly changed though.
Shortly after the unveiling of the concept, Ferrari started working on turning the concept into a production car. Unfortunately, this meant several things had to change.
Still wanting to keep the overall feel the same, designer kept as much as they could. However, the production version leans more on the 458. This includes things like the entire interior, windshield, and several of the safety features.
Regulations also dictate other changes too. No longer could the front bumper hug the ground and the lights needed to be more than just for show. This does change the look of the car a bit, but overall it’s still fairly unique.
Even with the differences, the Sergio is still highly sought after. After the unveiling at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, Ferrari handpicked six very lucky buyers.
This exclusivity didn’t come cheap. While the actual price is unknown, it’s rumored to be around the $3 million mark.
This Sergio will hit the block this week at the RM Sotheby’s auction in Monaco. This will give one more lucky person a shot at owning this rare car. Whoever it is, they’ll need to bring their checkbook. Current estimates put the car at €2.500.000 – €3.000.000 ($3,000,000 – $3,550,000).
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