Buying a new Ferrari is obviously a special experience, but there are always well-heeled folks who think even ticking all the option boxes or selecting a unique paint color aren’t enough to set their car apart from other buyers’. Because of this, bespoke bodywork has become a big business, albeit not in terms of volume but rather money and prestige. Take the recently unveiled and very outrageous Aston Martin Victor, which is very much in this vein, as well as 10 V-12 Ferraris since 2009—a roster that now includes this one-of-one, 812 Superfast-based Ferrari Omologata custom creation.
Of course, for decades, custom bodywork was the norm rather than the exception for rarified European sports and luxury cars, and several coachbuilding outfits might body the same mechanicals—for example, you could have your early 1950s Ferrari 212 Inter bodied by Touring, Ghia, Vignale, Ghia-Aigle, or Pininfarina. But what was relatively commonplace then is nearly unthinkable today given the need for the whole vehicle to work as a system optimized to meet safety standards, aero targets, and so forth.
And this kind of coachwork is even rarer, more expensive, and more customized than ever before. It took two years for Ferrari to go from initial commission to final car, and the Modenese company says the entire exterior is all new save the windshield and headlamps. The customer sought a timeless design that also recalled the company’s racing heritage—the Omologata’s racing stripes and giant meatballs on the hood and doors definitely telegraph that. More important, the Omologata smoothes and settles down the frenetic aesthetic of the 812 Superfast, which is aggressive but perhaps too busy to be considered truly beautiful. The lines of the Omologata—Italian for “homologated,” as a nod to racing-approved road cars—accentuate the car’s overall length and proportions and especially its organic curves, rather than chopping it up visually. If a more classically beautiful Ferrari was the goal, the Omologata succeeds.
While Ferrari says little to nothing about the mechanicals, the basic 812 packs a 6.5-liter V-12 that makes 789 horsepower and 530 lb-ft of torque—and you know the Omologata isn’t going to be any weaker. As such, the new owner can expect their car to hit 60 mph in something like 2.8 seconds, and to cover the quarter-mile in a scorching 10.4 seconds at 139 mph. And, of course, the Omologata will pack all of the other amazing chassis technology of the 812 Superfast.
Inside, special touches include electric blue accents on the seats and a crinkle-paint finish on some interior components that recalls some classic racing Ferraris’ cam covers. The rest is black—surprisingly restrained considering the combination of blank slate and massive customization fee generally promote questionable frivolity. Instead, the Omologata is a coherent, if individualistic, reimagining of the 812 Superfast, and its owner now has a tasteful and classy—and, oh yes, hugely capable—Ferrari for the ages.
