Details

RARE 6 Speed Manual

The Classic Car Gallery is proud to present this gorgeous, one-of-a-kind custom car by Castriota Design - the GT Speciale based on a 599 GTB Fiorano. Introduced in 2007, the 207mph 599 GTB Fiorano was Ferrari’s flagship, and, at the time, the most powerful series production road car ever offered by the marque. The front mid-engine V-12 derived from the limited production supercar, Ferrari Enzo providing 612hp and 456ftlb torque. Pininfarina was responsible for the design, and the young Italian American designer Jason Castriota - who later rose to be a Chief Designer at the famed Turinese firm - led the exterior design. The provenance of this car is particularly unique as the original car was special ordered from Ferrari by the aforementioned designer and his father in 2007. The car included several unique custom upgrades from the factory including a prominent and aggressive wire mesh grill and silver painted rear valance with diffuser meant to simulate exposed mufflers; and the car’s special colors were taken directly from the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder chassis number 2561GT. The exterior is a Pininfarina color, Blu Notte Metalizato, and is strikingly offset by the custom Poltrona Rau colored leather interior. The custom red leather interior also featured several one-off custom factory carbon fiber interior trim pieces. The car remained in its original factory guise in the designer’s family until it was passed on to the collection of a friend of the designer in late 2009. In 2011, the new owner approached the designer - who had since left Pininfarina and opened his own design consultancy - with the idea to revisit the design and customize this already special car further. Together they decided upon an aggressive but sophisticated aesthetic that further communicated the car’s extreme performance capabilities without losing sight of the car’s classical GT roots. The comprehensive project would encompass the redesign of the front and rear bumpers, rocker panels, front fenders, headlamps, and wheels. The car was sent to Italy in 2012 to undergo its transformation and was executed by many of same artisans that had worked on other well-known one-offs and prototypes created by the designer. In 2013 CAD designs were finalized, parts and tools were engineered, and carbon parts were laid up, primed and painted. The car’s meticulously hand assembly was completed later that year. The most prominent design changes are evident at the front, where the new, more angular front fenders work in concert with the new dramatic V shaped front bumper creating a shark nose profile. The new headlights feature a slim rectilinear shape, and pair the original bi-xenon lighting modules with new signature LED position lights. The wide set lamps flank a hand assembled aluminum egg crate grille that further enhance the car’s new aggressive shark like expression. The rear of the car is also considerably more aggressive and is notable for its function driven design features that include turbulent air release exhausts behind the rear wheels, a unique underbody diffuser, and heat dispersing exhaust shrouds hand made out of aluminum. Finally, the car’s stance has been improved with new forged aluminum wheels - another standout design feature. Optimized in CAD to ensure optimal strength and lightweight – the new wheels have grown to the dimension of those mounted on the 599 GTO and are shod with GTO spec Michelin Pilot SS tires to ensure greater grip. All of the CAD developed bodywork was executed in carbon fiber and has been precisely fit and finished. The end result is a truly unique custom car with a road presence that perfectly fulfilled the owner’s wishes. Jason Castriota is widely recognized as on the of the premier car designers of today. According to Winston Goodfellow, a head judge at the world’s leading Concours D’Elegance events: Pebble Beach and Ville D’Este, “In my opinion, Jason Castriota is one of the industry’s five hottest automotive designers…and may be the most talented and diverse of them all.” Before opening his own consultancy, Mr. Castriota was a Chief Designer at Pininfarina and was the designer responsible for the one off Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina, the production 599 GTB Fiorano, the Maserati Gran Turismo and Birdcage 75 Concept, as well as several other projects that include the one off Ferrari 612 “K” commissioned by Peter Kalikow, and the bespoke Rolls Royce Hyperion which debuted at Pebble Beach in 2008. He later went on to design the award winning Bertone Mantide One off, and most recently the highly acclaimed SSC Tuatara, which is expected to arrive on the road in 2016. This Custom Castriota Design GT Speciale is truly a unique and special car. • The 599 is considered the last great analog Ferrari V-12 • Extremely rare six speed manual transmission • One of only 20 6-speed cars delivered to the U.S. • Custom ordered, owned and later re-bodied by Jason Castriota • One of only one in Blu Notte Metalizato and Poltrona Rau • Driven less then 4,500 miles since new • Car has extensive documentation on the build process, commission and the customizations including design drawings and design documentation. The original window sticker, factory tool kit, two keys, service paper work and all manuals come with the car. • Features a custom Capristo exhaust, specified and installed by the original owner.