The Ferrari SP38 is a road-legal one-off supercar commissioned through Ferrari's Special Projects programme, built on the chassis and powertrain of the 488 GTB for a client with a documented passion for Ferrari's racing history. Unveiled at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in May 2018, the SP38 represents Ferrari's most uncompromising form of personalisation: a vehicle that shares nothing visually with any other car in production, designed entirely to the specification of a single owner.
Ferrari Special Projects: One-Off Supercars Built for the Few
Ferrari's Special Projects division exists to serve clients who want something that cannot be ordered from a catalogue. The brief is typically simple: use an existing chassis and powertrain, then build something that has never existed before around it. The SP38 follows a lineage that includes the SP12 EC, the SP30 and other ultra-limited commissions, each one a collaboration between the Ferrari Design Centre and a client willing to invest significant resources in a completely unique result. The identity of the SP38's owner has never been officially revealed.
Design: F40 References in a Modern Language
The Ferrari Design Centre team cited the legendary Ferrari F40 as the primary inspiration for the SP38. The clearest homage appears at the rear, where carbon fibre engine cover panels with shutlines slashing across the flanks echo the F40's iconic engine bay glass, though reinterpreted in a far more fluid, sculptural form. The front end references the 308 GTB with slim, inset headlights pushed to the outer edges of the bumper, while mandatory daytime running lights are relocated to a narrow lip below, keeping the face as clean as possible.
The bodywork is finished in a three-layer metallic red developed specifically for this car. The surfaces are entirely smooth and organic, with curves that blend continuously from front to rear without the hard creases or aerodynamic addenda that define most track-oriented Ferraris. Wheels and wheel arches maintain proportional continuity with the 488 GTB family, grounding the SP38 visually even as everything else departs from it.
Powertrain: 660 HP Twin-Turbo V8 from the 488 GTB
Beneath the bespoke carbon bodywork, the SP38 carries the 488 GTB's mid-mounted 3.9-litre twin-turbocharged V8 producing 660 HP and 561 lb-ft of torque. The chassis, suspension geometry, braking system and seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox are all carried over from the production 488 GTB, giving the SP38 the same dynamic foundations as one of Ferrari's most capable mid-engine road cars. The result is a vehicle that performs at the level of its donor but presents an entirely different visual identity at every angle.
Villa d'Este and a Private Collection
After its public debut at the 2018 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, the SP38 passed directly into its owner's private collection. As with most Special Projects commissions, public appearances will be rare. The car exists as both a design exercise and a deeply personal object, one that reflects a specific owner's relationship with Ferrari's history rather than a commercial product.
For those drawn to the idea of coachbuilt and one-off Ferraris, explore the Cars collection at TheArsenale. The Ferrari 296 Corsso Venuum coachbuilt supercar and the Ferrari Purosangue Venuum coachbuilt SUV show how the tradition of bespoke Ferrari coachwork continues today. The Project M Ferrari 308 GTS restomod offers a further dimension of what can be achieved when a great Ferrari chassis is given entirely new clothes.
External references: Ferrari SP38 reveal (Autocar) and Ferrari SP38 F40 inspiration (Motor1).
