The Ferrari Daytona SP3 has a lot of really amazing things going for it, not least of which is its status as one of the Prancing Horse marque’s ‘Icona’ models. The SP3 becomes the latest addition to a 3-car roster currently occupying this revered place in the Ferrari hierarchy. It also continues to embody the spirit of iconic sports-prototype racers from the mid-last-century, just as the Ferrari Monza SP1 and SP2 had done before it.
With immediate and total effect, the Daytona SP3 adopts its silhouette from a trio of Ferrari racing cars which participated in the 1967 24 Hours of Daytona—namely the 330P3/4, 330P4 and 412P. Not only was an outright Ferrari victory achieved here—with the cars managing an already notable 1-2-3 finish—but it also served as the ultimate retort for what had transpired at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans, where fierce rival Ford Motor Company, had achieved the same result with 3 of their GT40 race cars just a year before.
It also comes equipped with the most powerful (purely combustion) engine the company has ever made. Thankfully, Ferrari understands this as well as anyone else, and they’ve only gone and done just that, by mid-mounting the spectacular 6.5L naturally-aspirated V12 engine from the 812 Competizione into the SP3.
Of course, it also has to make more power than the latter, so upgrades such as titanium connecting rods and a revised direct injection fueling system allow the SP3 to produce 829 hp, versus the mere 819 hp the 812 Competizione is able to muster. As a result, the car can go from 0-60 mph in just 2.85 seconds, before blasting on to a 211 mph top speed.
There’s a big question hovering around the Ferrari Daytona SP3 though. Is it really worth £1.8 million ($2.25 million)? If you want to find out, watch the video below and enjoy the glorious sound of its 6.5L naturally-aspirated V12 engine.
