Could it be the world's ultimate supercar? Combining the skills of legendary design house Pininfarina with the pace of an Enzo, Ferrari's latest coupé is set to turn the performance car class on its head when it is unveiled this summer.
Auto Express was granted exclusive access to the futuristic-looking machine, which was inspired by the famous P4 racer of the Sixties. Called the 612 P4/5, the two-seater has the Enzo's V12 engine and is based on a modified version of that car's carbon chassis.
It will make its world debut on 20 August at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in California, and is estimated to have cost at least £2.6million to produce.
Officially, the car is a one-off, but our Pininfarina source admitted that it's much more than simply a concept, as it has been cre-ated to explore the wilder side of the design firm's creativity, as well as Ferrari's future. To do that properly, it was essential to ensure the machine would be road legal.
The P4/5 was sketched out by a team led by Ken Okuyama - the man behind last year's stunning Maserati Birdcage show car and Ferrari's upcoming 599 GTB Fiorano.
An Enzo chassis is wrapped in the carbon bodywork, which incorporates a full roll cage. From behind the wheel, the windscreen, roof and rear of the cabin are all see-through. As a result, there's incredible visibility, and a fantastic sense of space.
The nose is shorter and more aggressive than the Enzo's, while echoes of the classic P4 racer run from nose to tail. At the rear, underbody aerodynamics are clearly visible, and are designed to maintain stability at the predicted top speed of more than 220mph.
Inside, the two-seater has been custom fitted to accommodate even the most demanding owners' needs, and there will be an assortment of hi-tech in-car entertainment for the passenger to play with. Power is kept at the V12 Enzo's original 660bhp, and the six-speed F1-style gearbox also remains unchanged.
Because the curvy new body is said to perform better than the Enzo's in the wind tunnel, the P4/5's acceleration is claimed to be an improvement. What's more, the prototype weighs less than the Enzo's 1,365kg, so the custom-built machine is set to be one of the fastest cars on the planet.
Getting to this point hasn't been easy, though. The first challenge was to find a donor vehicle. Only 399 Enzos were ever built, and a worldwide search turned up an unregistered 2003 model in Beverly Hills with an £800,000 price tag.
Only once it had been bought could the designers start to create the P4/5's shape. The next phase has cost £1.8million so far, and it's still not finished... However, the car is due to hit the road shortly - and is sure to stop traffic when it does!
Matt Davis
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