Ferrari SA APERTA – Ferrari 599 Roadster revealed

The 599 Roadster is the Ferrari SA Aperta

We weren’t sure. We knew, because Ferrari had said, that the Ferrari 599 Roadster would get an evocative name. Would it be Barchetta, we wondered? Perhaps Ferrari would conjure up a new name for the topless 599? But speculate no more. The open air version of the 599 is to be the Ferrari SA APERTA.

OK, we get the APERTA bit (it means open in Italian. Which Ferrari have used before and is a typical, literal name for an Italian car. Think of the Maserati ‘four door’ as another example), but what’s the SA about? SA is to commemorate 80 years of Pininfarina, with the S and A standing for Sergio and Andrea Pininfarina.

That’s the name out of the way, so what about the car? Actually, there’s not a huge amount to say. It’s a 599 without most of its roof and, unlike the last big, front engined Ferrari to go topless – the 575 Superamerica – which had a trick metal folding roof, the SA APERTA gets a flimsy origami special. Which could well make the SA APERTA another California car.

Interestingly, the SA APERTA seems more 599 GTO Roadster than 599 GTB Roadster. It a lower ride height than the GTB (and a lower windscreen), but it alos gets 661bhp out of its V12 – closer to the GTO than the GTB. Ferrari also says it’s very stiff. In fact they say it’s ‘almost’ as stiff as the tin top. Define ‘Almost’?

So the 599 Roaster seems to be a cracking car. And it will no doubt be a cracking price. We reckon somewhere around £350k. But you can’t have one anyway because all 80 are sold. Of course, there are always going to be cars made ‘available’ by those who choose to sell straight on.

But then you can add £50k to the price.

By Cars UK