Ferrari SA Aperta

Why it matters

Unveiled at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, the SA Aperta was Ferrari's tribute to design house Pininfarina and its honorary chairman Sergio Pininfarina and chairman Andrea Pininfarina—the initials S and A supplied its name, while Aperta identified its open form. Ferrari limited production to 80 cars, one for each year since Pininfarina's founding in 1930, and every example was allocated before the public debut. The car combined the 599 GTO's 5,999 cc V12, producing 661 hp at 8,250 rpm, with a specially reinforced open body whose low windscreen, lowered roofline and sweeping rear buttresses gave the front-engined flagship a uniquely dramatic silhouette. Its lightweight emergency roof was intended only for poor weather, making the SA Aperta a true open-air grand tourer. Revised springs, rear anti-roll bar and magnetorheological dampers preserved Ferrari's chassis precision despite the open structure, while the six-speed F1 transmission delivered the engine's response through rapid paddle shifts. With 0–100 km/h acceleration in approximately 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 325 km/h, the SA Aperta retained near-GTO performance while becoming one of the rarest and most collectible modern V12 Ferraris.