A 'Tailor Made' Friendship

Curt Garner and Yahn Bernier’s friendship is forged on a shared passion for Ferrari. The two met at Seattle’s Ferrari dealership about a decade ago after business success – Garner in the food industry, Bernier in gaming software – allowed them to realise their car-buying dreams.

One Prancing Horse soon became many, and then Ferrari Challenge cars entered the picture as the pair tested their limits on track.

Fast forward to 2022, and that Ferrari friendship reached its apogee as Garner and his wife joined Bernier and his wife and daughter on a trip to Tailor Made to create custom Daytona SP3s.

“It was just so fun to do,” says Bernier, 57. “Every time I work with Tailor Made, I have one idea and end up walking out with something different. Which is wonderful. Curt walked in thinking he wanted a silver car and ended up with a blue one. I thought we’d go with green, and we got silver. They simply won’t let you design an ugly car!”

Garner, 55, laughs and nods at his friend’s recollection. “So much of the car world these days is transactional, but what Ferrari has built with Tailor Made provides experiences and connections that are beyond the metal,” he says.

The duo’s custom SP3 journey started with an invitation from Ferrari. As owners of Monza SP2s, Garner and Bernier were among a small group of Seattle-based Ferrari enthusiasts given the chance to purchase one of 599 examples. They pounced.

At their Tailor Made appointments in New York, Yahn chose Glossy Sanusilver with Rosso F1 2004 stripes, Curt opted for Blu Elettrico with Glossy Alluminio Lucido and Rosso Fiorano accents

Both concluded that their cars had to be configured through Tailor Made, which pairs Ferrari clients with experts who help guide and shape the creation, and opted to gather at Ferrari’s Tailor Made offices on New York’s Park Avenue. They were joined by family members as well as long-time advisor Roberto Perrina of Ferrari of Seattle.

“Our appointments were the same day, and I went first in the morning,” says Bernier of his latest Tailor Made adventure. “This time I told my wife and daughter, you choose the colours and I’ll just hold a little veto power.”

Bernier’s first choice of a green hue was politely set aside, and his wife, Beth, and daughter, Cameron, settled on a stunning Glossy Sanusilver hue that makes the largely hand-made car look like a fast-moving bullet.

Hood and tail stripes, along with subtle accents along the front spoiler and doors, were added in Rosso F1 2004. Inside, the seats are upholstered in red technical fabric, with headrest Cavallino Rampante logos stitched in silver, complemented by carpeting in Trilobato nero fabric.

The finished article recalls 250 GTO chassis number 4153GT, one of the most legendary classic race cars in existence.

After a jovial New York lunch that included representatives from Ferrari’s client racing division – Garner is currently competing in the upper echelons of Ferrari Challenge’s Coppa Shell North America series – it was the turn of Garner and his wife, Monica.

Only 599 Daytona SP3s exist, but Tailor Made has made Curt and Yahn's cars complete one-offs

“My position was that the SP3 is such a special car that we should aim for a special build among SP3,” recalls Garner. “I thought, let’s be bold.”

That mandate led the couple to opt for a dazzling Blu Elettrico exterior, with a nose-to-tail stripe in Glossy Alluminio Lucido, and a thin accent strip running parallel in Rosso Fiorano.

“My Monza SP2 is in Rosso Fiorano, and I wanted the two cars to share a connection, and that’s something you can only do through Tailor Made,” says Garner, adding that his SP3’s interior shares that Rosso Fiorano colour overlap.

That evening in New York, the two friends, joined again by family and a few other Ferrari intimates, dined in a private room at one of the city’s top Italian restaurants, a meal complemented, as is Bernier’s custom, with numerous bottles of top Italian wines.

Both men have already logged miles in their SP3s, with Bernier occasionally taking his to work or a car show, while Garner says he and his wife plan to road trip in theirs this summer to the annual car events at Pebble Beach in California. Both are eager to repeat their shared Tailor Made journey.

“I will absolutely do this all over again, and I hope to do it with Yahn,” grins Garner. Bernier nods vigorously. One senses that is less a hope than a promise.