Ethan Jupp

One‑off Ferrari SP38 wows the Goodwood crowds

More than four years on from its reveal, the Ferrari SP38 has had its debut at the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard. Better late than never? Well, the buyers of these incredible one-offs aren’t exactly beholden to let anyone see them, let alone let them be hammered up a hillclimb in West Sussex. The buyer of the SP38, however, is the kind of buyer we like.

It’s designed with a number of references to the Ferrari F40 and has the turbos to back up the looks, being based on the 488 GTB. There’s a hint of a docked F40 in the wing but, really, there’s no comparison. We do like what appear to be teases for what became the 296’s 250 LM-aping shoulders and roofline. Any influences aside, it’s a very compelling thing to look at in its own right.

The only issue with something like this is price. Even the SP3, of which 599 will be made, costs around £2million a pop. What on Earth, then, can one be expected to pay for a one-off? Such is the nature of the Special Projects beast. Price clearly doesn’t put people off, if we’re to take 38 as the number of one-offs up to this car that have been made. Either way, an incredible sight for supercar fans to see at FOS 2022, which they may never see in the metal (or carbon) again.

Photography by Phil Hay