Ferrari 599 SA Aperta: The Hidden GTO

Ferrari unveiled the 599 SA Aperta at the 2010 Paris Motor Show and sold all 80 units before any member of the public ever saw a photograph. The buyers — invited privately by Ferrari before the reveal — received a car combining the swept, open-top coachwork of the 599 GTB Fiorano with the 670-horsepower race-derived V12 from the 599 GTO.

To the untrained eye, the SA Aperta looks like a standard 599 GTB Fiorano with the roof removed. In reality it is a convertible version of the 599 GTO — Ferrari’s 670-horsepower, track-focused limited edition — built in exactly 80 units to celebrate Pininfarina’s 80th anniversary. It would prove to be one of the final acts of that partnership before Ferrari brought design fully in-house.

The car was built specifically to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the legendary design house Pininfarina. The “SA” in the name stands for Sergio and Andrea Pininfarina, the father and son whose close relationship with Maranello defined the aesthetics of Ferrari for over half a century. “Aperta” simply means “open” in Italian.

The Pininfarina Legacy

The relationship between Ferrari and Pininfarina is one of the most storied partnerships in automotive history. Since the 1950s, virtually every Ferrari road car has been styled by this Turinese design house. Sergio Pininfarina, who led the firm from 1961 until his death in 2012, described his relationship with Enzo Ferrari as the most important creative partnership of his professional life.

Sergio’s son Andrea succeeded him in leading the firm, and together the two men oversaw the design of some of the most beautiful cars ever built: the 250 GT, the 365 GTB/4 Daytona, the Testarossa, the 348, the F355, the 360 Modena, the 612 Scaglietti, and the 599 GTB Fiorano itself.

The SA Aperta was Ferrari’s way of honoring this relationship at a significant milestone. By choosing the 599 platform — itself one of Pininfarina’s most elegant creations — and transforming it into a dramatic open-top special, Ferrari created a tribute that was as much about the design house’s philosophy as it was about engineering.

The Heart: The GTO’s 670 HP V12

The defining secret of the SA Aperta lies in its engine bay. Instead of using the 620-horsepower V12 from the standard 599 GTB, Ferrari transplanted the absolute ultimate iteration of that engine — the unit developed specifically for the 599 GTO (and derived directly from the 599XX track car).

This 6.0-liter (5,999 cc) naturally aspirated Tipo F140 C V12 produces a monumental 670 cv (661 hp) at 8,250 rpm and 620 Nm (457 lb-ft) of torque.

Because the SA Aperta lacks a fixed roof, the auditory experience of this engine is fundamentally transformed. Without a roof to reflect the sound away, the driver is completely enveloped in the mechanical violence of the F140 V12. The exhaust system, also borrowed from the GTO, features bypass valves that open aggressively, delivering a high-pitched, metallic shriek that is widely considered one of the greatest automotive sounds ever produced.

The difference between driving the SA Aperta with the roof open and the same engine in the closed-body 599 GTO is difficult to overstate. The V12’s mechanical notes — the intake rush, the valve train clatter at high rpm, the complex harmonics of twelve cylinders firing in rapid sequence — are all heard without filtering. It is an immersive acoustic experience that no closed car can replicate.

The Chassis: Stiffening the Roadster

Chopping the roof off a massive, front-engine V12 supercar normally results in a significant loss of structural rigidity, leading to “scuttle shake” and compromised handling.

Ferrari engineers went to extraordinary lengths to ensure the SA Aperta handled exactly like a closed-roof berlinetta. They reinforced the aluminum chassis extensively, thickening the sills and adding bracing around the bulkhead. Remarkably, despite these heavy reinforcements, the SA Aperta weighs only slightly more than the standard 599 GTB.

The suspension was slightly softened compared to the brutally stiff 599 GTO to better suit the car’s Grand Touring nature, but the SA Aperta still features the advanced SCM2 magnetorheological damping system and a highly responsive steering rack. The car utilizes the 6-speed “F1 Superfast” automated manual transmission, executing shifts in a violent, concussive 60 milliseconds.

The aluminum chassis of the 599 was well-suited to this conversion. Being a spaceframe construction rather than a monocoque, it could be reinforced relatively efficiently through the addition of strategically placed cross-members and sill reinforcements. Ferrari’s engineers had the advantage of designing the open-top version from very early in the 599’s development program, ensuring that the necessary reinforcement points were built into the base structure.

Design: Subtle Aggression and an Emergency Roof

The design of the SA Aperta is a masterclass in subtle modification.

• The Windshield: The windshield is raked back at a steeper angle than the standard 599 GTB, giving the car a lower, more aerodynamic profile.
• The Buttresses: Behind the two seats sit two beautiful, aerodynamic flying buttresses that integrate roll-over protection and smoothly channel air toward the rear spoiler.
• The Nose: The front bumper incorporates larger air intakes to cool the massive GTO engine, and the front grille is finished in a unique silver matrix pattern.

The flying buttresses deserve particular attention as a design element. They are functional — providing the structural backbone that replaces the absent B-pillar and roof — but they are handled with a sculptural confidence that transforms a structural necessity into an aesthetic asset. The buttresses flow from the top of the windshield surround down to the rear deck in a single, continuous curve, creating a distinctive silhouette that references the rear treatment of 1960s racing prototypes.

The “roof” of the SA Aperta is an interesting compromise. Ferrari explicitly stated that the car was designed to be driven open. There is no folding metal hardtop or complex electronic soft-top mechanism. Instead, the car comes with a simple, manually installed canvas soft-top that Ferrari calls an “emergency roof.” It is intended only to be used if the driver is caught in a sudden rainstorm and is only certified for use at speeds up to 130 km/h (80 mph). A carbon-fiber hardtop panel was available as an incredibly expensive option.

This deliberate decision — to design a car intended to be used exclusively in open conditions — reflects a philosophy about what this car is for. It is not a year-round daily driver with occasional open-top aspirations. It is a fair-weather car for warm evenings, mountain passes with the sun on your face and a V12 screaming behind your head.

Interior and Customization

Because of the extremely limited production run, Ferrari gave SA Aperta buyers an extraordinary level of personalization through the nascent Atelier program. Each car was essentially hand-built to the client’s specification, with leather colors, stitching patterns, carbon fiber trim, and exterior paint chosen individually.

The interior, like the exterior, is fundamentally identical to the 599 GTB’s architecture but with bespoke detailing throughout. The bucket seats — necessary to keep the occupants secure in the absence of a roof — are trimmed in a variety of leather and Alcantara combinations. Dashboards were often finished in a contrasting color to the exterior, a typically Italian expression of chromatic confidence.

Exclusivity Guaranteed

Because the SA Aperta was a celebration of Pininfarina’s 80th anniversary, Ferrari explicitly limited production to exactly 80 units globally.

Prior to its public unveiling in Paris, Ferrari invited 80 of their most loyal VIP clients to a private viewing. Predictably, all 80 cars were completely sold out before the general public ever saw a photograph of the vehicle.

That level of demand — the entire production sold before any public announcement — reflects the status of the SA Aperta within Ferrari’s collector hierarchy. This was not simply a limited edition; it was an explicitly invitation-only event for the brand’s inner circle.

Collector Value and Legacy

The 80-unit production cap, combined with the car’s unique status as a GTO-engined open-top grand tourer and a tribute to the Pininfarina partnership, makes the SA Aperta one of the most collectible modern Ferraris. Examples rarely come to market, and when they do, they command significant premiums over the already-substantial standard 599 GTB.

The Ferrari 599 SA Aperta remains one of the least-noticed of the serious modern Ferraris. Its swept roof-off coachwork and standard-looking flanks make it inconspicuous next to winged special editions; only the 670-horsepower V12 and the Pininfarina 80th-anniversary plaque reveal what it is. Examples rarely come to market, and when they do, they command significant premiums over the standard 599 GTB — an appropriate outcome for a car sold out before the public saw it.

In the broader context of Ferrari history, the SA Aperta also represents a significant moment in the relationship between Ferrari and Pininfarina. Just a few years after this car was built, that relationship would effectively end, with Ferrari bringing its design work fully in-house under Flavio Manzoni. The SA Aperta is thus not only a tribute to Sergio and Andrea Pininfarina but, in retrospect, a farewell to one of the most productive creative partnerships in the history of the automobile.