Ferrari's new Monza SP1 (R) and Monza SP2 are seen in this file photo provided by Italian luxury automaker Ferrari on Sept. 18, 2018. Ferrari launched its two new car models called Monza SP1 and Monza SP2 on Tuesday. (Xinhua)
By Alessandra Cardone
MARANELLO, Italy, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Italian luxury automaker Ferrari launched two new car models here on Tuesday, as part of a mid-term strategy plan unveiled on occasion of the company's Capital Markets Day.
Single-seat Monza SP1 and two-seat Monza SP2 will be the first to be produced in a new segment called "Icona" (Icon), and inspired by the most legendary racing Ferraris in the 1950s, such as the so-called Barchetta (Ferrari 166 MM) and 750 Monza.
Yet, the new models would feature "the most advanced sports car technology" currently available and, according to Ferrari Chief Executive Office Louis Camilleri, the most powerful engine ever built by the company.
Both the Monza SP1 and SP2 and the five-year strategy plan were presented at the company headquarters in Maranello, in the northeast Emilia Romagna region, where Ferrari established its production some 70 years ago, and its luxury cars are still entirely engineered and manufactured today.
"The Monza SP1 and SP2 feature a unique design, and the best weight-to-power ratio of any Barchetta, thanks to the extensive use of carbon-fibre in construction," the company said in a statement.
Equipped with an 810 horsepower V12 engine, both versions of the new super-car would sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.9 seconds, and from 0 to 200 km/h in 7.9 seconds.
Much attention was devoted to the shaping of the new models' body, which shows neither roof nor windscreen, but only what the company called a "virtual wind shield" placed before the seat of the driver (and of the passenger, in the SP2) to deviates part of the airflow.
Such aerodynamic profile "gave designers the freedom to create unique proportions, that would not have been possible on a traditional spider," the company explained.
"The result is the feeling of blistering speed normally only experienced by Formula 1 drivers, which derives from the concept of a cockpit carved from the car's very volume," said the statement.
Ferrari's Design Chief Flavio Manzoni further said the new models were not meant to be "a remake" of old 750 Monza. "It would have been easy to actualize that design, but this was not our goal," Manzoni told Xinhua.
The most crucial thing behind any new Ferrari was the "concept", and then the design would follow accordingly, the renowned car designer explained.
"Here, the crucial concept was to have a Formula 1 style cockpit (such as in the Barchetta) in a road car... to be able to imagine the new model with the pilot sit in the car and not on the car," Manzoni said.
Only after mastering this idea, came the new design of the Monza SP1 and SP2, which Manzoni described as "post-modern."
"In this second phase, we did not want any nostalgic interpretation," he said.
The Monza SP1 and SP2 will be produced in limited editions, and their price would most likely be disclosed at the Motor Show 2018 in Paris next month, according to CEO Louis Camilleri.
Ferrari officials added the company would produce not more than 500 of them.
