Exceptionally rare Ferrari Daytona SP3 for sale

Ferrari are the masters of supply and demand. Whatever kind of supercar it decides to launch – particularly the special series stuff – there will always be more people out there eager to buy one than there will ever be cars made. It’s quite some trick. It’s great for residuals, for brand mystique, and for keeping those customers fortunate enough to get an allocation coming back next time. That’s on top of the series production supercars generating more money than ever. It’ll be fascinating to see how the electric model is negotiated; right now you wouldn’t put any sales challenge past Ferrari. 

That car will be shown later this year. For now, however, we’ll focus attention on a Ferrari V12, because there’s little more desirable on planet supercar. When Maranello announces there’s going to be a special model with a 12-cylinder engine, everyone with the means – and plenty without – is desperate to get one. That’s the gravitational pull of history, obviously stretching back to the company’s foundation but also in modern times with the appeal encapsulated by cars like the F50, Enzo, LaFerrari, 599 GTO, F12 TdF and 812 Competizione. The pinnacle, basically, and differentiated from later, more hardcore Ferrari specials – like the F80 and SF90 XX – which boast six and eight cylinders respectively. They’ll be spectacular engines, of course, because they’re Ferrari-built, but they aren’t V12s. 

You’ll remember Ferrari began celebrating the legendary past of its 12-cylinder motors with its Icona range of sports cars back in 2018. The Monza SP1 and SP2 were front-engined, single- and two-seat roadsters, with a Superfast-spec V12 up front and very little else besides. The ultimate roadsters, designed to evoke the front-engined icons of Ferrari’s past. Hence the name, of course, Ferrari embarking on perhaps the most spectacular range of tribute cars ever created. 

The Daytona SP3 followed up those two in 2021, this time with the mid-engined sports prototype stunners of the ’60s as the theme. Specifically it aimed to bring to mind the 330 P3/4, 330 P4 and 412 P, the cars that finished 1-2-3 in the 1967 Daytona 24 Hours and a victory the SP3 commemorated. Power was up to 840hp this time from the 6.5-litre V12 (essentially 812 Competizione spec, with another 10hp), with just 599 units produced. With Daytona SP1 and 2 customers offered a slot ahead of the next tier of special folk, they didn’t hang around long. 

This 2023 car is the first one we’ve seen for sale on PH, and looks even more sensational in the confines of a showroom than in official images. That amalgamation of traditional style and modern features is properly jaw-dropping; it’s a Ferrari that looks more like it belongs in a film or a gallery, rather than one that’ll be due its first MOT next year. The spec is quite close to that seen in the launch pics, complete with the vivid blue seats, albeit with the body painted Rosso Libano. Options when new included some exterior carbon, hardness, a front lift and CarPlay. Yep, even at two million, Ferrari asked extra for that. Naturally. 

This one’s even been driven a couple of thousand miles since 2023, rather than being left in a climate-controlled garage. What miles they must have been. It was UK-supplied, is under warranty until 2027 and the service plan until 2030. No reason not to carry on using an 840hp Ferrari exactly as intended, then, especially with the CarPlay and all. As the advert states, serious collectors prize these things and none of the Icona cars come up for open sale very often. So best move fast if you become a millionaire on Saturday night…