Tailoring the American Dream

The latest Tailor Made department can be found in midtown Manhattan, inside the re-designed Ferrari New York showroom on Park Avenue.

Opened last October, it is only the third such outlet in the entire world, after Maranello and Shanghai. It has already proved a great success, with clients already booking up for several months in advance.

“The Grand Opening was a true celebration of the American spirit here in New York City,” says Matteo Torre, President of Ferrari North America. “Here we have a great energy, diverse personalities and inspiring creativity, that will surely be reflected in the cars that will ultimately be produced with the dedicated team that is in place.”

The ‘star’ of that launch event was a special Tailor Made 812 Superfast painted in a stunning asymmetrically-striped  combination of Rosso Corsa, Bianco Sanae, and Blu Montecarlo.

The dazzling scheme took inspiration from the United States' 'Stars and Stripes' flag, uniting the various different states and cultures to be found in the USA.

“It is a fitting symbol of Ferrari creativity and the almost limitless options available to spark the imagination of our clients,” said Torre.

On its inside the car featured a custom black leather, with seats inspired by the classic Ferrari 365 GTB/4 ‘Daytona’ – a car nicknamed after the Florida endurance race.

A horizontal version of the Stars and Stripes is sewn into the back of the seats, with red, white, and blue stitching gracing the seat-edges and the steering wheel.

The Scuderia logo was airbrushed onto its fenders.

Carbon fibre sill and dash plates announced the car’s origins, and sported the Tailor Made logo.

The brand’s elite customisation programme harks back to the very early days of the marque, when buyers would purchase a rolling chassis and engine from the factory and then, together with Ferrari, would choose which carrozzeria (body shop) would be appointed to build the car body, allowing for some customer input.

Although the days of meeting a carrozziere technician are long gone, today’s Tailor Made participants get something pretty close.

Each client is able to meet a specialised Personal Designer who works to fulfill the customer’s vision, creating a vehicle with their distinct specifications that make it truly singular.

Unique exterior livery can be chosen from a broad spectrum of colours, including over 100 shades of red.

Clients can opt to work from one of Tailor Made’s exterior and interior design templates inspired by outré concepts, famed racing cars, or by classic vintage vehicles from the marque’s past.

They can select from a panoply of exclusive materials and trim options for the interior. Special embroideries, stitch patterns, and thread colours for seat bottoms, seat backs, door panels, and dash are all part of the personalisation. Sometimes clients utilise specialists even to customise the very shades of the paint.

Such a myriad of options mean that even the most demanding client can make sure that their beloved car is truly unique to them, the very essence of Tailor Made.