Touring Superleggera’s V12 Barchetta: A Ferrari Reborn as Open-Air Art

This Ferrari-Based V12 Convertible Is A Hand-Built Dream

Let’s be real. Most modern supercars feel a bit… samey. They’re often a blend of turbocharged whine and electric motor hum, wrapped in aerodynamic shapes that prioritize downforce over drama. Then there’s Touring Superleggera. The legendary Italian coachbuilder looked at the current landscape and decided to do the most glorious, unnecessary, and beautiful thing imaginable: they built a V12-powered, manual transmission convertible based on a classic Ferrari. And it’s absolutely magnificent.

Meet the Veloce12 Barchetta. This isn’t just a new car; it’s a statement. It’s a rolling sculpture that argues passionately for the soul of driving, and it’s one of the most stunning things we’ve seen all year.

Pure, Unfiltered V12 Joy

In a world racing towards electrification, Touring Superleggera has planted its flag firmly in the past—and we mean that as the highest compliment. The Barchetta is powered by a glorious, naturally aspirated 5.5-liter V12, the heart of a Ferrari 550 Maranello.

Here’s a fascinating twist: while the Veloce12 coupe makes 503 horsepower, the Barchetta is tuned for a slightly more relaxed 478 hp. But before you shed a tear, know this: the performance is identical. Both cars rocket to 60 mph in a claimed 4.4 seconds and will chase the horizon up to 190 mph. The secret? A meticulous, ground-up rebuild of the donor engine and a divine six-speed manual gearbox that sends power to the rear wheels. This car is about the experience, not just the numbers. And with a new Supersprint exhaust, that experience sounds utterly apocalyptic.

More Than Just a Chopped Roof

This wasn’t a simple case of taking a saw to a coupe. Since Ferrari never built a folding hardtop 550, Touring’s engineers started from scratch. They completely re-engineered the entire back end of the car to craft a sleek folding roof mechanism, a huge undertaking that required rethinking the car’s structure.

The result is seamless. The Barchetta retains the gorgeous, elongated proportions of the coupe with a few subtle tweaks for open-air life. The headlights get new lenses to better resist bug splatter on long drives, and the hood scoop is slightly enlarged for better engine breathing—a functional detail that’s also etched onto the gas cap. It’s this obsessive attention to detail that defines the project.

Built for Driving, Not Just admiring

Don’t let the pretty face fool you; this is a serious driver’s car. The body is crafted from lightweight carbon fiber, and it sits on an upgraded suspension with adjustable dampers from TracTive. To haul all that speed down, massive Brembo brakes—with six-piston calipers in front and four-piston in the rear—are fitted. Incredibly, despite losing a roof, additional chassis bracing means this Barchetta is actually more rigid than the original Ferrari 550 it’s based on.

The Ultimate Exclusive Club

Of course, art like this commands a royal ransom. Each car consumes an estimated 5,000 hours of hand-built labor. While the final price tag hasn’t been officially set, expect it to comfortably exceed the coupe’s €750,000 starting point. And that’s before you’ve even sourced a donor Ferrari 550.

The Veloce12 Barchetta is more than a car. It’s a testament to a vanishing art form. It’s for the collector who understands that true luxury isn’t about having the most power, but owning a unique piece of automotive passion. It’s utterly, magnificently, and gloriously pointless. And we love it for that.

image source- https://www.touringsuperleggera.eu/en/models/superleggera-veloce12/

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