Ferrari has expanded its Icona lineup with a third – the Daytona SP3. It’s the latest model in the series, which reinterprets classic Ferrari designs for the modern era. The Daytona, which debuted at Mugello Circuit during the 2021 Ferrari Finali Mondiali, reaches into the past to find influences from the 330 P3/4, 350 Can-Am, 512 S, and other Ferrari race cars. It joins the Monza SP1 and SP2 in the company’s Icona stable.

The Daytona has a wholly unique design that is the Ferrari’s most aerodynamically efficient model ever built. And that’s without any active aero bits and a more powerful – hotter – engine. Aerodynamics and cooling were vital components of the car’s design, resulting in large openings and intakes. Even the thick butterfly door features a large airbox that channels air to the side-mounted radiators.

Gallery: Ferrari Daytona SP3

The most striking design aspect is the rear, where Ferrari has a stack of vertical bars spanning across it. The taillights are made up of horizontal bars just below the spoiler, though they integrate well with the rest of the blades. Centrally mounted dual exhaust tips poke out high on the aggressive rear diffuser.

The exterior design greatly influenced the interior layout, with the wraparound windscreen enclosing the cabin. The seats are integrated into the chassis with an adjustable pedal box, while Ferrari’s Human-Machine Interface allows drivers to keep their hands on the steering wheel to control 80 percent of the vehicle’s functions.

Ferrari Daytona SP3
Ferrari Daytona SP3
Ferrari Daytona SP3

Powering the Daytona – and needing all that thermal management – is a revamped 6.5-litre V12 borrowed from the 812 Competizione. Ferrari worked to reduce the engine’s weight and inertia, adopting titanium connecting rods, new piston pins with a Diamond Like Carbon treatment, and a rebalanced crankshaft that’s three percent lighter.

The engine, the F140HC, now makes 829 bhp (618 kilowatts) and 514 pound-feet (697 Newton-metres) of torque, making it the most powerful engine Ferrari has ever built. The engine screams to a 9,500-rpm redline, and it pairs to a seven-speed gearbox. The Daytona can hit 62 miles per hour (100 kilometres per hour) in 2.86 seconds. It only needs 7.4 seconds to hits 124 mph (200 kph).

Ferrari Daytona SP3 interni
Ferrari Daytona SP3 interni

Ferrari says it “radically redesigned” the engine’s intake, now with a more compact manifold and plenum. The power is nice, though the engine produces 30 percent fewer pollution emissions and particulate formations than the 812 Comp. Neat.

Ferrari used composite materials for the chassis and body, including carbon fibre and Kevlar. Ferrari also tasked Pirelli with creating a specific tyre for the SP3, optimising the tyre for both wet and dry performance. The Daytona is also the first V12 Ferrari to get the company’s Dynamic Enhancer, which makes driving the car at the limit more manageable and more controllable.

Ferrari doesn’t detail a price or how limited the production run will be, though we expect most, if not all, already have owners. Ferrari did not say when deliveries would begin.