When Piero Ferrari opted to personalise his Purosangue, he found inspiration in a similarly ground-breaking model, the 400 Superamerica of his father…
Two revolutionary Ferrari, united over a distance of 60 years by the same distinctive colour. It is a chromatic thread that weaves through over half a century of technical and technological development, and that also sews together the memories of Piero Ferrari.
The colour tone he chose for his personalised Purosangue is called Verde Dora – Dora Green – and is in fact the colour of the 400 Superamerica that belonged to his father, Enzo. A particularly unusual colour, it clearly left itself impressed upon his teenage memory, although he has little memory of the car itself. Indeed, owned and driven by Enzo Ferrari between 1961 and 1962, the car does have a rather mysterious story.
The 400 Superamerica from 1961 in Verde Dora, owned and driven by Piero’s father, Enzo, founder of the marque
It featured various details that distinguished it from the production car, such as the design of the front and rear suspension, which never bore the manufacturer’s name. There were also some differences in its engine, the potent V12 with 340 horsepower designed by Gioachino Colombo with a not quite 4,000 cc (3,967 to be precise) displacement, from which the car took its name. The gearbox and the differential that Enzo had mounted on the car, for example, had a more robust gear change than the standard ones.
It could be considered a kind of experimental model that the ‘Commendatore’ had wanted to test drive in person, without sacrificing the kind of personal details that would enhance its uniqueness, such as the colour of the bodywork and the refined beige leather that dressed the interior.
The fact that the car was something special is not that unusual when you are talking about the 400 Superamerica. Like today’s Purosangue, it was a model that notably broke with tradition for the super sports cars of its time.
While Piero Ferrari's Purosangue may take inspiration from the past, the Verde Dora colour looks contemporary and original, while the carbon roof hints at the performance capability of the car
And with his Purosangue Piero Ferrari, assisted by the Tailor Made designers, has symbolically pulled together the threads that connect the two cars, marked by technical revolution and the individual style of the respective owners.
The Verde Dora colour, because of its originality, seems very contemporary and the delicateness of its reflections does much to enhance the elegant lines of the first-ever four-door Ferrari. The choice of carbon for the roof, instead of the panoramic glass roof, stresses the racing nature of the Purosangue.
This careful balance between refinement and performance is underlined by the choice of the Special Diamond-Cut Forged Rims that, painted in opaque Winter Grey, appear at once muscular and delicate. It is a feature that serves to show even more so the startling ‘floating’ image of the upper part of the body, emphasising the car’s off-road aspect.
Approaching the townlet of Malcesine, the Purosangue follows the Via Panoramica route that skirts one of Italy’s most desired locations
Inspired by Enzo’s 400 Superamerica, a spirit of sporting luxury can be found in the interior, where a desirable ambience is created by Jade brown leather that carefully combines with carbon-fibre inserts on the dashboard and fascia, themselves enriched by delicate copper borders.
The choice to leave the Purosangue’s flanks without the traditional badges was a sober touch of uniqueness by Piero Ferrari, confident that a Ferrari is always recognisable, everywhere and anywhere. It is Tailor Made’s ‘raison d’être’ to bring into being models like this, ones that are ever more personal and unmistakeable. Indeed, the launch of the Purosangue gave life to a new concept: the Couture Selection. Its innovative and varied contents are inspired by the world of fashion and its seasonal and capsule collections. With the launch of each new model, Tailor Made will create a made-to-measure Couture Selection based upon the design, technology and ‘philosophy’ of the car.
Piero Ferrari alongside his elegant Tailor Made Purosangue and the interior’s sporting luxury, created by Jade brown leather that carefully combines with carbon-fibre inserts
A team of stylists and technicians will study new materials and will search out new suppliers able to offer a product that is unique and exclusive to each owner. The Couture Selection will be re-established with each model, with the materials of its predecessor being incorporated into one of the Classica, Inedita, and Scuderia collections of the, already comprehensive, Tailor Made catalogue.
The development of the Couture Selection represents the continued commitment of Tailor Made to creating cars that envelop their owner like a finely-tailored suit, offering that unique and unequalled sensation of feeling fulfilled and in control. And above all, oneself.