Ferrari stunned the automotive world with the unveiling of the limited-edition Monza SP1 and SP2 speedsters inspired by iconic Ferrari race cars from the 1950s like the 250 Testa Rossa. What you're looking at here is also a nod to the Italian automaker's past – but it wasn't built by Ferrari.

Meet the Ferrari 330GT Speciale, a stunning coachbuilding project by restoration firm The Creative Workshop that's 50 years in the making. Based on a 1966 Ferrari 330 GT, it was commissioned by Mexican Jose Fernandez who wanted to pay tribute to legendary automotive designer Giovanni Michelotti.

Fernandez's vision for the project dates back to the 1960s when he picked up a copy of the Ferrari Handbook at a bookshop in Mexico City and a photo of a Type 250 Europa Sports Coupe with a Vignale body caught his eye. He was so smitten with the car that he made a balsa wood model of it in one night. He then gathered more information and photos of the car from Cavallino and Road & Track to revise his model.

However, he wasn't happy with some of the details and decided to make the car wider and added a trunk while still respecting Michelotti's original design. Fast forward to the 2000s, a larger version of Fernandez's reimagined design was made using foam and plastic.

Fernandez then acquired a 1966 Ferrari 330 GT in 2004 and enlisted a mechanic in Argentina to transform it into the car he first envisioned in the 1960s. The project stalled in the 2000s until The Creative Workshop began rebuilding the car in 2015 from the original chassis. The body was rebuilt by hand using aluminium, and the 4.0-liter V12 engine has been modified to deliver 296 hp and 240 lb-ft of torque. Three years later, the fetching Ferrari 330GT Speciale is finally finished and Fernandez is now the proud owner of one of the most unique Ferraris in the world.