Ferrari is once again showing off its coach-building capabilities with the release of its latest one-off special, the Superamerica 45, which will make its first public outing at this weekend’s Villa d’Este Concours d’Eleganza in Italy. It was built to order for New York billionaire, collector and former owner of the New York Post, Peter Kalikow, to celebrate the 45th anniversary of his Ferrari purchase in 1961.

Even though it was originally believed that the Superamerica would be designed by Pininfarina, the styling is the work of Ferrari Design with the engineering and manufacturing taking place in-house.

The Superamerica 45 is based on the Ferrari 599 and is distinguished by the custom bodywork and a rotating carbon-fiber roof. The latter incorporates a rear screen and works in a similar fashion to the one found in the older 575 Superamerica. Ferrari recently showed a limited edition drop top variant of the 599 called the Aperta, but this model featured a far more simple soft-top cover.

Other custom details include the double air vents on the front wing, a specific chromed front grille and burnished aluminium A-pillars, wing mirrors and door handles. The one-off Italian supercar is finished in an exclusive Blu Antille shade that matches the color of Kalikow’s 1961 Ferrari 400 Superamerica cabriolet nr. 2331SA. The vehicle’s alloy wheels are colored in the same hue while the roof and other carbon-fiber elements such as the front splitter, side skirts and rear diffuser are executed in a darker blue shade.

We don’t have any photos of the interior yet but Ferrari says the blue theme is carried over inside to the dashboard combined with Cuoio leather trim and Blu Scuro carbon fibre details.

It seems the success of the Ferrari FF, the production of which for this year has already been sold out, will affect the 599 GTB Fiorano as well. But in a good way, since it is being reported that Ferrari has cancelled the original plans for a 599 facelift and instead build an all-new car as a replacement. The plan was revealed by Motor Trend magazine, which noted that the new car will be derived from the FF featuring a mightier punch in the performance division. Ferrari plans to launch the new car in late 2012.

The car's naturally aspirated V12 engine will reportedly develop around 700 horsepower and will be based on the FF's 6.3-liter unit, using direct injection in order to be more fuel-efficient than the current 599. Aside from the power increase of around 80 horsepower, the 599's successor will be also lighter, due to the use of an aluminum frame made up of 20 different alloys.

It seems Ferrari will stick with aluminum, although Lamborghini and McLaren have switched to carbon fiber. The magazine quotes Ferrari technical director Roberto Fedeli who admits the car will use some composite panels as well.

The new 599 will make use of a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and a multi-link rear axle as is the case with the California, 458 and FF. The car will also benefit from the fitting of an electronic differential on the rear-axle, which will allow for greater handling flexibility according to the Manettino's position.

In tune with its performance-oriented character, the 599 replacement will not have all-wheel-drive like the FF. However, AWD could be offered as an option on the California in 2013.

By Dan Mihalascu