Feature
The New Ferrari Has Split Opinions — But Does a New Colour Change Your Mind?
Can spec save the day for Ferrari's divisive new model?
September 11, 2025
From red wheels to racing stripes, launch specs can make or break a supercar’s first impression — and sometimes, they become as iconic as the car itself.
When a new supercar makes its debut, the lengths manufacturers go to to get everything right is beyond comprehension. Even once the car itself is complete, they need photos to make an impact, but not so much that the real thing doesn’t wow in the flesh, a location to do it justice, and then there’s the launch spec.
You wouldn’t turn up to a red carpet event in tracksuit bottoms, for the same reason manufacturers don’t launch cars in beige with the smallest wheels available. No, they go big, they go bold, in the hope of burning the image of the car into the minds of prospective buyers. Some cars are launched with a selection of different colours in the images, but some choose one standout spec as a statement, and that spec so often becomes synonymous with that car for the rest of time. Get it right, and you create an icon.
In some ways, the 996 GT3 RS might have the most memorable launch spec, in white with either red or blue wheels, but since that was literally the only way you could spec the car, I chose the 997 instead, in particular the second-generation GT3 RS.
Launched in 2010, the UK press car RO10 HBY was finished in Grey Black (also known as Slate Grey) with Weiss Gold (white gold) graphics and wheels, but all the official launch photos, and the spec everyone remembers (and wants) is Grey Black with red graphics and wheels. Since the original Carrera RS in 1973, RS models have famously flaunted brightly coloured wheels, and to me, the 997.2 RS with its larger, more motorsport-inspired spoiler, just worked in this daring combo. A good launch spec can even make cars in that colour scheme more desirable and valuable, and that is the case here.
Speaking of cars you could only get in one spec, the MC12’s white and blue livery is one of those I mentioned that has become synonymous with the car. It accentuates the MC12’s lines, and seems to visually shorten its long rear end and lessen the impact of that huge integrated rear spoiler. In one sense, it stands out like a sore thumb, but in another, it adds a touch of elegance to a very shouty car.
The spec is so iconic that it was made available as an ‘MC12 Tributo Livery’ from factory for the MC20, at an eye-watering £30,000! Mind you, that’s a drop in the ocean compared to what the real thing will cost you.
The early 2000s weren’t a particularly daring time for car specs, so it was no surprise to see Ferrari’s new lightweight special launched in traditional Rosso Corsa in 2003 — until it had a whacking great white stripe with the Italian Tricolore running down the middle of it, that is.
The talk of the town was that this stripe was hand-painted. In reality, it’s a sticker with clear coat over the top that Clarkson noted Ferrari charged £7,000 for the pleasure of applying. Still, every review you’re likely to see of a Challenge Stradale will feature this colour and stripe combination, and if you see a car at an event, it is an outlier if it isn’t in this spec. Simply put, this spec is almost as big a part of the Challenge Stradale as its BBS wheels and biblical exhaust note.
There are no coloured wheels or stickers here, and there didn’t need to be. When the P1 hybrid hypercar was launched in 2013 ahead of its rivals from Ferrari and Porsche, its Frank Stephenson-penned styling was enough on its own to wow the world, so all that was needed was a great colour, and that colour is Volcano Orange.
Thousands of McLarens have worn Volcano Orange since it was introduced for the MP4-12C when McLaren Automotive was reborn, and it is still available as an MSO colour today if you’re buying a new 750S. With the way it changes depending on the angle and lighting, you could argue there was no better colour to capture the sheer aggression of the P1, and it is a seriously desirable colour should you see one on the market today.
Stirling Green with lime accents. A throwback to Le Mans glory days, about as British as a Sunday roast, and almost every AMR you’ll see is finished this way.
Isle of Man Green. That paint did a lot of heavy lifting while we took our time getting used to those grilles. It’s a seriously popular choice, but the question is, would you pair it with the orange seats? Confession, I probably would.
What’s interesting is that launch specs are rarely just about what looks good. They’re about what a manufacturer wants you to feel. A stealthy dark grey or black says ruthless performance, no nonsense. A bold livery says this thing will destroy any track you take it to. A wildly bright colour? Well that’s usually Lamborghini letting you know they’re still here to party.
These specs often become poster children for the model, slapped on bedroom walls, replicated by owners, celebrated in brochures, and immortalised in scale model form. If you bag a car in launch spec, you didn’t just buy a car; you bought a slice of the brand’s story that you can look back on in magazines and YouTube reviews forever.
Ultimately, there’s nothing quite like the first reveal to etch a car into the memory books of petrolheads for years to come, and launch specs go a long way to making the world go “Wow, I want one of those!”, even if it’s already sold out...
