Proving that Ferrari maintains its special-client, coachbuilding capacity, the Italian company has revealed a one-off 599 GTB with a Targa roof.

The customer, Edward Walson (son of John Walson, the inventor of cable TV) was inspired by the special Fantuzzi-designed Ferrari built specifically for the Fellini section Toby Dammit of the three-chapter 1968 film Histoires Extraordinaires.

Walson approached Ferrari in 2008, commenting: “I had always dreamed of designing sports cars, and when I saw this film the decision came of its own accord: one day I would have ‘my’ Ferrari.” From commission to testing at Fiorano took just 14 months. Although based on the standard car’s coupé chassis, the strengthened, open-top ‘P540 Superfast Aperta’ weighs just an extra 20kg, thanks mainly to the extensive use of carbonfibre.

The film took its inspiration from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe, the celebrated American writer of the early 19th Century.

Famous for mystery stories such as ‘Murder in the Rue Morgue’ and ‘The Pit and the Pendulum’, Poe wrote a lesser-known short story titled ‘The Gold-Bug’ that could easily provide a sobriquet for this unique car.

Walson took delivery at Fiorano and, delighted with his commission, said “This is the most special Christmas present of my life.”

Text: Steve Wakefield
Photos: Ferrari