When Ferrari calls you, you’re a special type of customer. Special types of customers get special types of cars.
The Pininfarina-designed Sergio embodies that in every way, as mega-expensive supercar will be built in limited production and sold by invite only.
The first of six examples was recently delivered to a customer in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, but you can probably guess that it’s not some average Johar.
In fact, it’s not a person at all.
The SBH Royal Auto Gallery is the first official buyer of the Sergio. The gallery is situated at the Yas Marina Circuit, home of Ferrari World.
The car itself is undeniably spectacular. It equips the latest version of the 458 Spider’s V8, with 605 horsepower pushing the purebred to 60 mph in just 3.0 seconds. That’s hypercar quick.
As for the styling, it’s not as universally praised.
When we reported that the Sergio was headed for limited production three months ago, we hoped the road-going version wouldn’t stray far from the awesome concept. Obviously, it needed a windscreen and side mirrors to be legal, but they seem to have squeezed a few cool elements out of the frame.
We miss the deeply contoured rear vents of the concept (they’ve been relocated to the B-pillar); the oblong taillights and single exhaust are sad subtractions as well. The mesh grill takes away some of the car’s sleek silhouette, giving the front end a slightly rougher look.
In some ways, the Sergio embodies classic Italian styling. It employs the same squat stance as the famed Lacia Stratos, the same car that won the World Rally Championship in 1974, 1975, and 1976. Similarly, the flying buttresses and negative window call to iconic racehorses of Ferrari past.
If Italian cars aren’t your best subject, think Toyota MR2: the Sergio is a dead ringer for the Japanese sports car from the side. And we’re not sure that’s a good thing.
The interior, wheels, and forward roll bar, however, are to die for.
Pricing for the Sergio is still undisclosed, but given the average buyer thus far, and the fact that money alone cannot get you one, it’s probably firmly entrenched in the ridiculous.
The Sergio name comes from Sergio Pininfarina, the revered late car designer responsible for the brand partnership.