Ferrari has shifted up a gear in its launch plans for the latest of its Icona specials. Invites have been sent out to a select group of valued customers, confirming a November reveal and accompanied by a very cool gift.
The car is widely believed to be based on the LaFerrari Aperta hypercar, but take visual inspiration from the classic 330 P4 racing car from the 1960s. And the invite sent to a few lucky souls would seem to confirm that.
The invite consisted of a Ferrari-branded box containing a letter and and an open-gate metal shift quadrant like the ones seen on classic manual Ferraris. But this shift gate isn’t the usual road car-style quadrant. It’s unusually slim and features a reverse lockout designed to save racing drivers from accidentally hooking reverse during a first-to-second shift (since it has a dog-leg layout) in the heat of the moment. And it looks just like the ones seen on the vintage P4 racers.
An accompanying letter seen in the Instagram post below is addressed to an owner of an SP Monza, the first of the Icona cars that celebrate Ferrari’s past masters, and confirms that the next Icona model is imminent. “We are delighted to invite you to view the car in person at a private Anteprima event to be held in November in Italy,” writes Ferrari’s marketing chief, Enrico Galliera.
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“Until then, please find enclosed a replica cancelletto from the classic Ferrari that inspired our new Icona model,” he continues.
The invite gives no specific date for the unveil, beyond saying it will happen in November, but The Supercar Blog believes the new car will be shown to a select private group on November 15, then revealed to the public on November 21. The Ferrari World Finals event at Mugello racetrack in Italy is being held between 16-22 November.
Although apparently based on the LaFerrari Aperta’s carbon chassis, the P4 tribute is alleged to ditch the hybrid’s electric assistance and use the 9000 rpm V12 from the 812 Competizione. But any ideas that the open-gate gearshift gift means we should expect the car to come with a manual transmission should probably be parked. Like all modern Ferraris, we’d be amazed if it didn’t come with a twin-clutch gearbox.