Over the weekend, Zerotohundred was one of the very few Malaysian media invited by Naza Italia and Ferrari to Singapore, for an exclusive Tailor-Made FF appreciation at Seletar Aerospace Park. The event was held at Eurocopter, the world’s leading helicopter manufacturer, where Simon Inglefield, Head of Ferrari Asia Pacific, introduced the unique programme from Maranello that allows customers to create a truly bespoke car.
The Tailor-Made programme continues a long-standing Maranello tradition that first began in the 1950s and 60s; a time where Ferrari clients personalized their cars with huge freedom for materials, colours, and finish. The end result was a genuinely unique car that was tailored to suit the desires of each individual owner. This past has now been revived with Tailor-Made; with owners now being able to specify every last detail of their car – from the exterior livery to cabin trim, with an unprecedented choice of options, accessories, materials, treatments, and colours.
Customer services lie at the very heart of the Tailor-Made programme. Owners are assisted and guided through a selection process by their own Personal Designer who is in charge of guaranteeing that resulting cars are both unique and consistent with the Ferrari brand and tradition. There, they will find a dedicated area that looks and feels very much like a haute couture studio with a huge array of sample materials, treatments and colours to browse. Once the car’s details have been defined, the client can then track all of the various processes involved in its creation, up to the point where they take delivery of their cars. If the owner so wishes, they could of course also head to Maranello to pick their car up in person.
Creativity, research, materials, craftsmanship, and attention to detail – these are all the cornerstones of the Tailor-Made programme. From this, three collections which are inspired by the Ferrari DNA are offered: Classica, Scuderia, and Inedita. The Classica collection provides a modern twist on the styling cues and features of Maranello’s iconic GTs, Scuderia takes inspiration from Ferrari’s sporting history, whilst Inedita lives up to its name by introducing elements of experimentation and innovation in terms of styling, colours and materials.
Clients are given enormous freedom in their decision making, being able to select everything from traditional and luxury materials, of the likes of cashmere, to trendy ones like denim, and high-tech, innovative carbon-fibre, available to them. This allows clients to achieve a level of exclusivity that’s absolutely unprecedented in the automotive sector. In fact, this is the first time many of the materials offered have been adopted and homologated for use in cars.
Classica
In the Classica collection, the styling cues and features of Maranello’s iconic GTs are given a more modern yet still classic look, through the use of the latest materials and production techniques. Elegant pastel colours of the past; the use of vintage leather, or wool, cashmere or velvet; special treatments for the hard areas of the cabin to match the exterior; chromed elements, stitching details and more natural leathers – these are just some of the options available from this collection.
Another icon that’s been given a modern reworking in the Classic collection is the FF inspired by the 250 Europa: it has three-layer Ingrid silver paintwork with dark grey sills and rims. The cabin is a hymn to classicism with a few unusual flourishes mixed in: pinstripe cloth and dark brown semi-aniline leather seats, cashmere roof lining, grey carpet mats, interior trim inserts in the same colour as the exterior, teak-trimmed boot. The overall result is a sublimely classic atmosphere harking back to the original 250 Europa without detracting in any way from its uniqueness and elegance.
Scuderia
Racing has always been the lifeblood of Ferrari which has enjoyed unparalleled success on the world’s circuits since its earliest days. The Scuderia collection is therefore very much homage to the track – a fact reflected in the materials and finishes it includes. The list of options in the Scuderia collection ranges all the way from carbon-fibre trim to technical fabrics, chamois and rubberized leather, Alcantara, microfibres, Kevlar, satin-finish and matte metals.
Clients can work with the Scuderia collection to ensure their Ferraris epitomize the very pinnacle of sportiness. The 250 Testa Rossa, which sold at auction at Pebble Beach in August 2011 for a record $16.4 million, provided the inspiration for the 458 Spider sporting blue and white NART stripes over an historic Rosso Racing body colour.
The latter’s seats are upholstered in the same leather used in the Formula 1 cars of the past – a trim that’s light, breathable and feels very much like chamois leather to the touch. The original 250 Testa Rossa had an aluminium dashboard which has now been given a innovative twist in the form of Alutex, an extremely tough, light fibreglass and aluminium material. The cabin is also trimmed with a diamond-quilted fabric inspired by the original Testa Rossa motif.
Inedita
Inedita does exactly what its name suggests: it introduces novel, innovative styling cues that maintains respect the marque’s core values. This is the most experimental of the three collections and we feel it may well give rise to some of the classic trims and finishes of the future. Denim, bold leather upholstery, suit fabrics and technical fabrics are just a few of the innovative and intriguing options available to owners who choose to personalize their cars from the Inedita collection.
The denim-trimmed Ferrari California is a good example of what the collection offers: pale blue leather alternates with denim trim in certain areas of the cabin and seats as well as on the door panels and lower part of the dash. The areas of the cabin normally trimmed in aluminium are now dark blue carbon-fibre. The car sports a Blu Scozia livery, a historic Ferrari colour here given an all-new matte finish. The wheel rims are unusual too, as their external surface is dark blue while the inside is pale blue in a nod to the contrast seen in the cockpit.
