Chris Rees
As the dramatic roofless Monza SP2 makes its dynamic debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, we strap ourselves in for an ultra-fast run up Goodwood’s iconic hill
What more suitable event could there be than the Goodwood Festival of Speed to experience the dynamic debut of Ferrari’s new Monza SP2? Inspired by Ferrari racing barchettas of the 1950s, such as the 750 Monza and 860 Monza, the word ‘speed’ is written into its very DNA. Speed is also what I’m about to experience in no uncertain terms on the hillclimb that sweeps up past the Duke of Richmond’s country house at Goodwood. Helmet on, sun shining, crowds cheering, we line up at the start line with huge anticipation.
A simple wave of the marshall’s hand, and we’re off. The take-off is explosive but controlled, like a slingshot. I can literally feel my cheeks moving with the g-force. In seemingly no time at all, we’ve reached the first right-hand corner, which the Monza SP2 despatches with a directness and speed that you have no right to expect from what is a road-legal car.
Then along the main straight, it’s full power from the 810hp V12 powerplant. Speed builds with remorseless energy, and suddenly I feel like I’m in an aircraft rather than a car. The wind rushes past like a hurricane; the roar of the engine and exhausts sears the air; the sense of freedom is unbridled. Then, with utter confidence, the brakes shed speed in no time at all, as the mind focuses on Molecomb Corner, Goodwood’s notoriously sharp left-hander. Passing the grandstands, I can hear the enthusiastic crowds applauding as we rocket up the hill.
After less than one minute, the chequered finish line ends our run. The experience has been visceral, pure, raw, exciting. What I’m feeling is surely what a racer of the 1950s must have felt at the end of a competition. Which is, in a nutshell, what makes the Monza SP2 so utterly unique.