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" The Ferrari SA Aperta, which honors designers Sergio and Andrea Pininfarina, is the ultimate expression of a purposefully understated &amp;quot;gentleman&amp;#039;s front-engine V-12 Ferrari roadster.&amp;quot; From Pininfarina&amp;#039;s timeless styling cues\u2014featuring stylized rollbars intricately shadowed by inspired flying buttresses, and a low-cut windscreen fronting an open cockpit that is virtually devoid of buffeting\u2014to the heart of the 599 GTO drivetrain, this car is thoroughly impressive, producing the most inspiring sounds I have ever heard in a contemporary Ferrari. With only 80 being built, it is a rare and pure expression of Ferrari&amp;#039;s passion for mating race-bred technology with stunning design, a passion that I&amp;#039;ve shared over a lifetime.   It was the summer of 1972. My father had owned Ferraris by this time, and we were invited to experience a private tour of the factory. Although as a teenager I was drawn to the curvaceous style of the 246 GTS, the car that was by far the most mesmeric to me was the 365 GTS4, aka the Daytona Spyder. Now, decades later, when Ferrari Chairman Luca di Montezemolo announced the new 599 GTS SA Aperta (a modern take on a Daytona Spyder), I knew I had to have one.            Some years ago I escorted my wife on her first trip to Europe. After driving to Maranello for a mandatory visit to the Ferrari factory, she was less than amused when I tried to show her a major portion of Europe in eight days. She&amp;#039;s reminded me many times over the years that, in my rush, I wouldn&amp;#039;t even slow down to inhale the pleasant aroma wafting from any number of Europe&amp;#039;s famed bakeries, much less stop at one of them. So when Steve Harris Imports called me with the option of a spring delivery of the SA at the factory, I decided this would be a great opportunity to make amends.   The Ferrari Factory Delivery Team informed me that my car was the first SA for the North American market and the first factory delivery of the new Spider worldwide. The unveiling was theatrical, as we watched the rollout of our personalized version of the artful design, all captured by Ferrari&amp;#039;s photographer.   We were then ushered to Fiorano where I spent some time lapping a 458 with one of the factory&amp;#039;s talented instructors before I piloted my SA for a few exhilarating laps. We were treated to lunch at the Ristorante Cavallino, followed by an extensive personal tour of the factory and then an invitation to enter the restricted production car engineering building, where our friend Amedeo Felisa, Ferrari&amp;#039;s CEO, came to visit. I told him how very much we liked the SA and he smiled as he remarked that I had said I wanted the first car and I got it.            It was now late in the afternoon and as we were getting in the SA I looked up to see Montezemolo talking to several men in front of my car. I introduced myself, whereupon he walked around the SA, commenting on the nice configuration of the car. He then opened the door and introduced himself to my wife, politely helped her from the car and took several photos with us. He inquired about our travel plans and I told him we would be staying nearby at Villa d&amp;#039;Este for a few days followed by our next stop at the Hotel de Paris in Monaco. He was very kind, his hospitality a matchless end to a perfect Ferrari day.   The next day, the sound of the classic 12-cylinder aria reverberating off the plastered walls of the villas around Lake Como was reminiscent of Italian opera at its best. My wife was appreciative that I was mindful of breaking the Ferrari in gently over our first few day trips around Lake Como and up to St. Moritz, this because she has always enjoyed the delightful sights, sounds and leather-enhanced fragrances of an open-air Ferrari much more than its F1-developed performance attributes.            However, as we were cruising down out of St. Gotthard&amp;#039;s Pass onto a beautiful 4-lane motorway in Switzerland, I looked in my rearview mirror to spot a silver Porsche rapidly approaching. It was a Turbo, and it passed on the left before immediately cutting over directly in front of us. In Utah, with the salt and road debris left over from our winters, this would be considered an act of violence, but on this pristine highway it was merely rude. A glance at my wife for a hint of justification, I dropped down three gears to summon a melodious roar from the 6.0-liter V-12, then pulled alongside the Porsche. Coolly, the driver stared straight ahead as if he was totally unaware of the Black Stallion straining against its reins. The SA, tired of being held back, easily broke into a gallop, putting several hundred yards between ourselves and the suddenly respectful Porsche, before settling back into a trot. But the Turbo snuck up again, banking on the additional speed he was carrying; but this time as he came up to pass we both raced for redline in multiple gears. Just as quickly, the interloper from Stuttgart steadily diminished into the backdrop of the Alps. Ah, another perfect Ferrari day.   The drive down to Monaco was highlighted by our first view of the breathtaking Mediterranean Coast. It was reminiscent of an early &amp;#039;70s memory of two young couples chasing each other near the Italian Riviera in a Daytona Coupe and Spyder. The SA reached 1000 miles as we passed San Remo, and upon our arrival in Monaco, I was reminded that there is really nothing like Casino Square, where years before I had sat one evening with my father and watched the many stunningly beautiful automobiles of diverse manufacture pass through on their way to...well I&amp;#039;m not sure where, as this may be the world&amp;#039;s supreme destination for glamorous cars and people. From our balcony it was satisfying to observe the SA hitched in the middle of the square, rightfully garnering the highest percentage of admirers. The Grand Prix had taken place just a few weeks before. With grandstands still erected, it was great sport to lap the street course late one evening.   The SA had averaged a little over 13 mpg on the combined highway/city drive from Northern Italy down to the South of France, through the cities of Nice and Cannes. We concluded our marvelous journey with a tour through Tuscany. It was late one evening when we arrived back in Maranello where Ferrari had arranged to have the SA left safely behind the factory gates in preparation of its transport to the Rocky Mountains. As I took one last look at my new mount, I realized I had become very attached to Ferrari&amp;#039;s newest Prancing Horse, one that had not only willingly submitted to stopping at bakeries, but had fully earned its place as the most advanced, fastest and most sensational Ferrari roadster to date. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a17649/across-europe-in-a-ferrari-599-gts-sa-aperta/>