Statistical odds are probably not in your favour if you’re looking to own a Ferrari Daytona SP3, Maranello’s first naturally aspirated 6.5-litre V12 in a limited production model since 2002ʼs Ferrari Enzo. However, the new Montblanc Ferrari Stilema SP3 Limited Edition co-created with Ferrari Design, paying homage to the marqueʼs latest model in the Icona range, marks the latest chapter between writing instrument pioneer and automotive legend.
With low-set, wraparound windscreens and “double-crested” front wings giving a hat tip to sports prototypes like the 512 S, 712 Can-Am and 312 P, the design of the SP3 references to 1960s race cars with a signature aerodynamically optimised design blending elements of Ferrari’s historic styling with cues from current models.
Co-designed under the direction of Flavio Manzoni, Ferrari’s Chief Design Officer, the Montblanc Ferrari Stilema SP3 Limited Edition 599 leans into the unmistakable Ferrari style lexicon to create a brand-new shape of Montblanc writing instrument.
The Montblanc Ferrari Stilema SP3 expresses the car’s fluid shape through the use of titanium, a material rarely seen in Montblanc pens, for its cap and barrel. The cap top alone mimics the angle of the Ferrari Daytona SP3ʼs nose, while the lined accents on the forepart and barrel are derived from the blades on the car’s bumpers creating a visual illusion.
This DNA is also known as a stilema, referring to the instantly recognisable element in a design revealing its identity and its creator: what makes Ferrari distinct is its architecture and proportions, surfaces, volumes and aerodynamics; all faithfully interpreted on a 146 mm pen.
Ferrari Style, Montblanc Heritage
Explaining the design philosophy, Montblanc CEO Nicolas Baretzki says, “While a writing instrument has a completely different function and construction to a car, our aim was to create a writing instrument that perfectly aligned with the philosophy and design language of the Prancing Horse, even before its technical qualities were revealed.”
Indeed, though the writing instrument is a reinterpretation of the timeless Icona series, among the most exclusive Ferrari collections, the “engine” of the pen is assuredly Montblanc. In fact, the very act of putting thought to paper triggers the area of the brain that governs motor functions, which include the cerebellum, cerebral cortex and basal ganglia ‒ improving memory retention while fine-tuning the cognitive and motor functions of a person.
In the Montblanc Ferrari Stilema SP3, a handcrafted Au 750 solid white gold nib and hidden filling mechanism, expertly made by hand in over 30 steps, expressed of Montblancʼs time-honoured craftsmanship, allowing its user to glide across paper at near speeds of thought.
“Our focus was not only on fluidity of the form but also of function, emphasising the exceptional sensation of holding a high-calibre fountain pen but also one that supports the rapid movements of the hand as it writes, allowing thoughts to flow unimpeded,” says Flavio Manzoni.
The newly positioned ink filling mechanism conveys Montblanc and Ferrari’s shared innovative spirit, complementing the pen’s sleek silhouette, hidden transparent blade slashing through the titanium barrel. Crafted in solid white gold for this edition, the mechanism can only be revealed by pulling the blade back.
Once the tank is full of ink and the blade locked back in place, the Montblanc Ferrari Stilema SP3 is primed and ready to “move off the line”. Montblanc Ferrari Stilema SP3 is offered by special arrangement and on a limited basis. For further information, visit www.montblanc.com.
(Images: Montblanc)
