So exclusivity is the name of the game at Ferrari now. According
to Luca di Montezemolo
, the Prancing Horse belongs to an 'exclusivity culture' that must be preserved by making fewer cars than the market demands.
When's the Schumacher coming then?
This one-off 458 Italia 'Niki Lauda' is the manifestation of di Montezemolo's future vision for Ferrari. Quality not quantity was the official line, with the implied meaning that dealers were to be upselling all extras at any opportunity.
This car goes beyond regular options and even the 'Atelier' customisation possibilities, instead being commissioned by Ferrari's 'Tailor Made' department. In the Ferrari personalisation hierarchy, that's one rung below its 'One-Off' division, which busies itself with building truly bespoke products like Eric Clapton SP12EC.
The 458 Niki Lauda is mechanically identical to a regular Italia rather than being based on the new Speciale. The individual elements are designed to evoke Lauda's Ferrari F1 cars of the 70s; whether gold wheels and the tricolore stripe on a white roof actually make it look like a 312 T is open for discussion, but it certainly achieves Ferrari's aim for more unique cars. And it's been proven already how good 458s look in red with gold wheels, and the situation is no different here.
Stripes galore, inside and out
The interior continues on a similar theme, with the colours of the Italian flag adorning the centre console and seats. No price has been announced for the Niki Lauda 458, but given how far 458 prices can rise with a few options (secondhand 458s are being sold
at over
£200K
when an entirely standard car is £178,526), it must have been an appropriately 'exclusive' figure.
As one-off specials go, the Niki Lauda is actually fairly restrained. Whether future bespoke Ferraris will be as (relatively) subtle remains to be seen. See Ian Poulter's tartanupholstered FF for a slightly more extrovert approach...