Three-seater Ferrari with central steering wheel is one of the rarest cars of all time
- The Ferrari 365 P Berlinetta Speciale is seriously rare
- It had an unusual three-seater setup
- Only two examples were ever made
Published on Dec 12, 2024 at 3:51 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Dec 12, 2024 at 1:01 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
The three-seater 1966 Ferrari 365 P Berlinetta Speciale is one of the rarest cars in the world, with only two ever produced.
Unveiled at the 1966 Paris Motorshow, the 365 P Berlinetta Speciale was as special as its name suggests.
Originally released as a concept sportscar, the vehicle was the first purpose-built, mid-engine, road-going Ferrari.
It helped pave the way for the luxury marque, but back when it was launched it was quite unlike anything we’d seen from Ferrari before.
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Ferrari 365 P Berlinetta Speciale was a first for the luxury marque
In a first for Ferrari, it had a central driving position – a setup that was later popularized by the McLaren F1 and was recently spotted on the upcoming Glickenhaus supercar.
This unusual layout earned it the nickname ‘tre-posti’, which means ‘three seater’ in Italian.
The 365 P Berlinetta Speciale took its chassis and V12 Colombo engine from a race car, namely the Ferrari 365 P2.
This combination of a mid-engine layout with a V12 was something Ferrari had never tried before and something Enzo Ferrari himself was dead against.
Nonetheless, the project – helmed by Sergio Pininfarina – went ahead.
The very first of the two 365 P Berlinetta Speciales – Chassis 8971 – had Garenia White paintwork, while its three seats were kitted out in black imitation leather.
After touring the world with Ferrari, the original 365 P Berlinetta Speciale was snapped up by US Ferrari importer Luigi Chinetti, who sold it to a New York banker before later buying it back.
Only two of the three-seaters were ever made
A second three-seater 365 P Berlinetta Speciale – Chassis 8815 – was made after Chairman of Fiat Gianni Agnelli saw the original at the Paris Motor Show and wanted his very own.
The automaker was happy to oblige and set about making a second model that came with metallic grey paintwork and a black pinstripe running the length of the vehicle.
Agnelli later said the car was ‘fun’ to drive, but admitted its unsuaul layout took some getting used to.
“It had monstrous acceleration,” he said. “You just had to get used to the driver’s seat in the middle.”
Due to the Ferrari 365 P Berlinetta Speciale’s heritage and rarity, if you were lucky enough to find one up for sale today you’d be expected to part with millions to get your hands on it.
Not too bad for a car that Enzo Ferrari didn’t even want to exist, is it?
Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Across her career she's covered a wide variety of topics, including celebrity, cryptocurrency, politics, true crime and just about everything in between.
