Ferrari Daytona SP3 2022 Review – International
There are many amazing numbers that tell the story of the Ferrari Daytona SP3, but the most mind-boggling is the $3.8 million price
A Ferrari V12 sounds spine curdling, violent, almost obscene as it approaches 6000rpm, a point at which it seems to be vibrating not just through your soft organs, but your very soul.
The 2022 Ferrari Daytona SP3 is a very limited edition (just 599 will be made) naturally-aspirated V12 supercar, built by Ferrari to celebrate its rich racing heritage from the good old days of the 1960s, and to separate very rich car collectors from large wedges of their cash. The goal was no less than to create an iconic piece of design that will go down in history. And by Jove, I think they’ve done it.
What we like
Sound
Design
Performance
Not so much
Price tag
Road noise
Practicality (but who cares?)
I’m sorry, how much?
The trick with driving a car like the 2022 Ferrari Daytona SP3 is not to ask too many questions – like “what will you do to me if I crash this?” or, even more vitally, “how much is it worth?”
While I could obviously tell that the Daytona – part of Ferrari’s ‘Icon’ series and built to celebrate the famous Ferrari v Ford racing successes of the 1960s and 70s (is going on about your own greatness the opposite of being unable to let go of a grudge?) – was expensive, and quite likely in the seven figures, I really didn’t want to know the price until I’d handed it back in one stunning, eye-widening, scintillating piece.
It actually took about a week to get an official – and very specific – number from Ferrari Australia, which is $3,842,608 plus on-road costs.
Yes, some Australians (they won’t say how many) have agreed to pay that much for a Ferrari they won’t be allowed to drive on public roads, because all 599 of the limited production run are left-hand drive. Oh, and they’re all sold.
So, clearly some people see value in that price. There’s also a chance that they will, thanks to their absurdity and collectability, go up in price over time.
At least there aren’t any options for Ferrari to sting you with. What you see is what you get, and what you see is quite amazing. And what cost butterfly doors, really?
2022 ferrari daytona sp3 412
Super (car) computers
You do, of course, get airbags in the 2022 Ferrari Daytona SP3, but let’s face it, if you crash this thing you’ll probably wish you were dead. I mean, how could you? It would be like shredding the Mona Lisa.
The technology that’s stopping you from doing that is all in the software (and the giant brakes, 398mm front and 380mm rear). The Daytona gets the latest version of Ferrari’s Side Slip Control system dubbed SSC6.1, which somehow manages to get the correct amount of power and torque to the ground, through the rear wheels alone.
I can report that the traction-control light on the dash seems to be working very hard indeed when you dare to put your foot down.
Other technology crammed into the Daytona’s tiny cabin includes the touch-control steering wheel, lifted from the also amazing SF90 Stradale and 296 GTB. Apparently, drivers can actuate 80 per cent of the car’s functions without taking their hands off the wheel, which seems very wise indeed.
You also get a lush and beautiful curved 16-inch HD screen in front of you so you can watch your speed turning into a digital blur.
The most powerful Ferrari ever
Well, there's a bit of hair splitting with this claim, because Ferrari’s clever new hybrid supercars are even more powerful, but there’s no doubt that the 6.5-litre V12 in the Daytona SP3 is the most powerful engine the company has ever created.
It actually traces its origins back to the 6.0-litre V12 that broke cover in the Ferrari Enzo almost 20 years ago, but that one made just 485kW.
The Daytona’s glorious V12 makes 618kW of power at, deep breath, 9250rpm. Now just pause and try and imagine what a Ferrari V12 sounds like as it approaches 9000rpm (a feat made possible by new titanium conrods, new pistons and sliding finger cam followers – you know, the ones you’d find in a Ferrari F1 car). You can’t, really, but I’ve heard it and it’s a sound I won’t ever forget.
The muscular engine also produces 697Nm of torque at 7250rpm and those totals manage to outdo the 812 Competition.
The Daytona puts all of that power through the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.
The big lump is dropped into a carbon-fibre tub, just like the La Ferrari, with which it also shares its wild butterfly doors.
All this means that it is very, very fast – and loud – hitting 100km/h in 2.85 seconds, and 200km/h in just 7.4 seconds, with a top speed of 340km/h.
Limitless acceleration
Is the 2022 Ferrari Daytona SP3 comfortable? Would it matter to buyers if it wasn’t?
The cabin is certainly unusual; it doesn’t have traditional seats, just bits of brightly coloured foam stuck straight to the car’s tub. Not a lot of adjustment there, then, but fortunately you can move the pedal box to make up for short legs (and if you’re really tall, you’re probably not going to enjoy it at all).
Then there’s the noise, which is simply deafening at highway speeds (in France, this can mean 180km/h – the speed at which I was overtaken by an enthusiastic Volkswagen people-mover), with all kinds of wind boom from the removable roof.
It might well have drowned out the stereo, but I never bothered working out how to turn that on, because the noise of the engine is, let’s face it, one of the reasons you’d at least think about buying this car.
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