When Enzo Ferrari went looking for a body shop to repair his cars in 1964 he met a young talented artisan by the name of Umberto Zanasi. More than fifty years later and the Italians' companies continue to work side by side in Maranello. Zanasi Carrozzeria is Ferrari's official custom body shop (or "Carrozzeria"). Every single Ferrari 288 GTO, F40, F50, Enzo, and LaFerrari was painted here; thousands of special order Ferraris requiring a special paint job have spent time in Zanasi's workshops. And arguably the most important of these was the Carbon Enzo.

According to Danny Baker of Exotic Motors, the original owner, a German man named David was looking to do something truly unique to his brand-new 2004 Ferrari Enzo and sought out Marco Zanasi, the Carrozzeria's current head honcho. For years, Marco had failed to win Ferrari chiefs' approval to apply an exposed carbon-fiber body to a production, prototype or even show car. This was his chance. Shortly after David took delivery of the car, Zanasi started work on the design and concept of the Carbon Enzo. The rules of the transformation were very simple.

Any part of the car colored in the original Rosso Corsa was to become clear carbon fiber, and red carbon fiber was to replace all carbon fiber trim. Even unexposed areas were finished in red carbon fiber, including the door sills and engine bay surrounds. The wheels received a custom carbon fiber overlay, something that in 2005 had never been done by a manufacturer, and Ferrari's own upholsterers also swapped out the black leather interior for red Alcantara. A year later, the transformation was complete and Zanasi's long overdue masterpiece was ready for inspection from then-Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemelo and his various heads of design.

So impressed were they by the finish that it was decided to introduce colored carbon fiber as a factory option under Ferrari's Tailor-Made Program, and it continues to be offered today. (In fact, the Enzo's original owner now has a white LaFerrari trimmed with blue carbon fiber). Ferrari enthusiast and carbon fiber connoisseur Horacio Pagani was also invited to see the Carbon Enzo, inspiring him to mimic the finish on the Zonda, notably the Zonda F, Revolucion and, later, the Huayra. Some have called this the ultimate bespoke Ferrari hypercar. Decide for yourself by checking out these exclusive images or head to Pebble Beach this week where it will be mingling with some of the finest cars on the planet.