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Ferrari Collector Commissions Custom-bodied 599

All that exists of the car now is this rendering

A 32-year-old FerrariFerrariItaly, 1947 > present233 models
5131 photos
37 videos
collector Cheerag Arya from India and living in Dubai has already amassed a Ferrari 430Ferrari F430Italy, 2004 > 20097 versions
90 photos
, 575MFerrari 575M Gen.1Italy, 2002 > 20063 versions
26 photos
, DaytonaFerrari Ferrari 365 GTB4 Gen.1Italy, 1968 > 19735 versions
86 photos
, 599 GTO, 599XX and F40Ferrari F40Italy, 1987 > 199218 photos
. He has just added another, much more rare Ferrari to his collection. He commissioned Ferrari's Special Projects team to build a custom-bodied Ferrari 599.

All of the running gear comes from the 599 but with a retuned exhaust and suspension. Ferrari has released a sketch of the car, but the real car is still being built. It actually looks quite similar to the regular 599. Most of the other Special Projects cars that we have seen like the P4/5Ferrari P4/5 by PininfarinaItaly, 2006 > present1 photo
and SP12ECFerrari SP12 ECItaly, 2012 > 20123 photos
have used more avante garde styling.

"I told the designers what I wanted and they presented me with a total of 12 designs. I then picked the bits from each that I liked until we got an idea of the car I had in mind. A bit like a wish list," said Arya.

Arya plans to keep the car to himself and does not plan to show it off. Although, that will be hard especially in Dubai. In a city with so many supercars, something different is going to stick out.

"It’s not a recreation of a previous model. The car has a bit of everything in it, both old school and new. Once it’s done, I’ll keep it in Dubai, but will take it to Europe every summer. I won’t be showing it to the world, as it’s a personal thing to me," said Arya.

Arya plans to continue collecting Ferraris even after his one-off. He is considering buying an FFFerrari FFItaly, 2011 > present24 photos
1 video
and ordering the EnzoFerrari Enzo FerrariItaly, 2002 > 20044 photos
2 videos
-successor. He also wants to buy more classic Ferraris.

"From a value point of view, it would have to be a 250 GTOFerrari 250 GTOItaly, 1962 > 19642 versions
8 photos
, but that’s the sensible businessman’s answer. In my heart it would be a 275 GTBFerrari 275 Gen.2Italy, 1966 > 19676 versions
151 photos
. I think I’d buy it just to look at it. I have a real passion for that car. I’ve owned a lot of other supercars, but none of them push the button like Ferrari. There’s no spark there for me. There really is something special about the brand," said Arya.

Arya made his fortune at such a young age by running a factory in Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE and taking over his family's petrochemical business.

The Ferrari Special Projects Program

With its Special Projects Program, Ferrari collaborates with coachbuilders such as Fioravanti, Pininfarina, and Zagato in order to build one-off customized cars on demand. The cars use a Ferrari model as base but are modified according to the customer's wishes.

2006 - Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina

The Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina is probably the first of the one-off models created by the Italian brand. It was made for film director and stock exchange magnate James Glickenhaus based on an Enzo Ferrari. Its styling was inspired by Ferrari's P Series race cars from the 1960s. It made its debut at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elégance 2006.

2008 - Ferrari SP1

The F430-based Ferrari SP1 (Special Project Number 1), was the first one-off special produced by the Ferrari Portfolio Program. The body was designed by former Pininfarina designer Leonardo Fioravanti, at the behest of Junichiro Hiramatsu, a Japanese businessman who was the former president of the Ferrari Club of Japan and an avid collector; he had admired Fioravanti's 1998 F100 prototype.

2009 - Ferrari P540 Superfast Aperta

The P540 Superfast Aperta is the second one-off sports car produced by Ferrari under its Special Projects programme. Designed by Pininfarina and built in Maranello, it was revealed in December 11, 2009. It is based on the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano. The 2-seat convertible has a 6-speed semi-automatic transmission and 5999cc engine. The P540 Superfast Aperta took 14 months to develop and was nicknamed “golden Ferrari”.

2011- Ferrari Superamerica 45

New York collector and Ferrari enthusiast Peter Kalikow ordered the Special Projects Ferrari Superamerica 45. Styled internally by Ferrari Design and engineered and built in-house, the car was specified by Mr Kalikow to celebrate 45 years since he first became a Ferrari client and made its public debut at the Villa d’Este Concorso d’Eleganza 2011.

2012- Ferrari SP12 EC

The SP12 EC was unveiled by Ferrari in 2012. The car was built for Eric Clapton to replicate a 512BB in a modern way. The bottom of the car is black like the 512BB, and it has the car's circular tail lights. The front looks more like the 458 Italia, but the hood is similar to the 512BB. The car's badge indicates that it is the 12th vehicle that Ferrari's Special Vehicles Program has created. The EC are Eric Clapton's initials.