Autoblog's man in Monterey, Frank Filipponio, attended the Gooding VIP preview and Ferrari 612 P4/5 unveiling near the equestrian center at Pebble Beach. Finding WiFi in Monterey turned out to be more of a challenge than you would expect, but Frank persevered, and here are his impressions of the much anticipated event, and one of the most unique cars in recent memory.
You can read Frank's full report and see a gallery of his excellent photography after the jump.
"Pretty fancy get-together with an open bar and lots of posh nosh in a huge tent that housed a couple dozen vehicles ready to cross the block Sunday night. Even though there were several incredible Benzes, Bugattis and Rolls-Royces in the tent, everybody was there to see the P4/5, and the reaction when they finally pulled the cover off was pretty overwhelming.
"Most of you probably already know about the car featured here. The 612 P4/5 is a rebodied Enzo that pays tribute to the Le Mans winning 330 P cars of the '60s. It has generated a ton of interest and opinion-sharing since information about it was slowly leaked onto the net. James Glickenhaus was approached by Ferrari and Pininfarina about having a coachbuilt car for his collection. For the privilege of having something handbuilt for him, Jim is a rumored $4 million lighter in the wallet but appears to be pleased as punch with the result.
"The car is even more striking than it's donor car. It will surely draw attention everywhere it goes. Not everybody loves it, but then again, it wasn't created for everybody. The idea of using an iconic supercar as the basis, and creating an homage to a legendary Ferrari race car, was guaranteed to intrigue a lot of people. There are those who will endlessly (and needlessly) argue about how somebody ruined an Enzo or about this being another retro fad, but that's not the point. It is one guy having the car of his dreams, taking an already great car and making it even more special, showing off the design firm's talents in the process.
"The car manages to be modern and retro at the same time, kind of like Lamborghini's recent Miura concept. It has a very sensual flow to its nose, fenders and tail, but a few sharp edges here and there that blend in well and remind you this a 21st Century car. The details seem to work together better in person than in photos.
"Of all the parts, the greenhouse seems to be the weakest point design-wise. The door hinges and the desire for light weight might have made the design a little constrained but the all-black roof seems not to match the rest of th car in my mind. Personally, I'd rather have an Enzo and a P4, but if you only have one open spot in the garage, maybe this is a better choice."
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