Ferrari’s latest custom job, the J50, celebrates 50 years of unbroken Italian-Japanese relations, at least as far as they apply to imported, heavily taxed Italian sports cars on the island nation.
Of course, Ferrari could create a special model without leaning on an obscure anniversary—in this case, the first Ferrari ever registered in Japan, a 275GTB—but the 10 customers who pony up these kinds of millions apparently prefer their cars to come with a story.
The J50 begins life as the delectable 488 Spider, although not one aluminum body panel carries over from the donor car. While this is Maranello’s first modded 488, the J50’s bent roof is borrowed from the one-off 458 Speciale MM introduced in May, with its wedged windows visually connected to the windshield like a helmet visor. The nose, with its open-mesh grille, carbon-fiber air louvers, and slit-like horizontal LED headlights, is a much handsomer take on the Sergio from 2013. That car, a custom 458 Spider and one of only six, now comes across as a stunted, disjointed exercise next to the J50’s more seamless form.
We like the way the thick, black trim line—a treatment last seen on the F50, along with the 10-spoke wheels—defines the J50’s waist and then fades just ahead of the air intake. And notice how the windows perfectly align with the roll hoops. Every curve and surface formation blends gracefully into the next, which is proof you’re not looking at a limited-edition Lamborghini.
Inside, it’s mostly stock 488 save for special black-and-red seat inserts that echo the tail section, some microsuede over the instrument cluster, and extra red leather accents on the dash. Of course, each of the 10 J50 cars will be color coordinated to the owner’s taste. A two-piece carbon-fiber roof—perhaps the only element that could be compared with the Aventador roadster—can be stored behind the seats.
Ferrari didn’t elaborate on the J50’s mechanicals, other than to mention that the 3.9-liter twin-turbo V-8 now makes 680 horsepower (a 19-hp bump) and that the company squeezed the front radiators closer together. The cars will be finished sometime next year at some ridiculous price.
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