The Ferrari P80/C is a one‑off track‑only monster

The 488 GT3-based machine has been re-imagined with no regard to either road or racing regulations as the ultimate Ferrari for track use, for what Ferrari calls “an entirely new and modern take on the Ferrari sports prototype concept.”

Four years in the making, the all carbon-fibre P80/C is the work of the Ferrari Styling Centre which says it drew on inspiration from iconic models such as the 330 P3/P4 and 1966 Dino 206 S in order to fulfil the very specific brief of the – unnamed – client. He or she must have very deep pockets: the chassis and powertrain might be from the GT3 car, but unlike previous Ferrari one-offs, every surface you see is new and unique to this car. And it’s a body you are unlikely to miss…

There are plenty of Ferrari styling themes going on here but the novel new one has to be downward-sloping side air-intake “pockets” which give the car’s profile such a distinctive look. A muscular wedge with a jutting nose and pronounced shoulders, the newest and most exclusive Ferrari has been designed from the start for maximum aero performance of course, and it has the giant splitter, diffuser and fixed rear wing to prove it.

The windscreen is a huge wraparound number in the mould of a Le Mans prototype, while at the rear there’s a homage to its illustrious Ferrari sports prototype predecessors in the form of flying buttresses and a vertical, concave rear screen and distinctive alloy louvres in the engine cover. Very Dino or 250LM.

The curiously-named P80/C should go beyond what Ferrari’s road car-based track cars, like the most recent FXX K La Ferrari, offer.

Ferrari is not so far giving us numbers – for downforce or power – but without having to adhere to GT3 race regulations, P80/C should have far more of both than the GT3 car, let alone a standard 488. We can perhaps speculate that the track-only McLaren Senna GTR – with 825PS and 1000kg of downforce – was in the client’s mind when commissioning the car.

Will it remain a one-off? For such a potent beauty, that would be a shame. And as Ferrari says, its sports prototype of the past have gone on to influence its road cars, none more so than the Dino 206 S and the production Dino 206/246 GT.

So there’s hope this most beautiful Ferrari track car will leave some form of legacy…perhaps one we will see competing for honours in the new hypercar class at Le Mans next year?