Sensuale: A Bespoke Sports Car Born from a Napkin Sketch (6 Photos)

Nicola Soprano spent years behind the wheel of classic Ferraris, Maseratis, and Ford GT40s before deciding to build a sports car of his own. It all started with a simple sketch on a napkin. The result was the one-off Sensuale—featuring a hand-shaped aluminum body and a Ferrari V12 engine.







The 4.4-liter engine was mounted behind the front axle to achieve a near-perfect 50:50 weight distribution. It links via a torque tube to a rear-mounted five-speed transaxle. Underneath the body lies a frame crafted from oval chromoly tubing.







That engine placement had an unexpected quirk: accessing the ignition distributors proved tricky. To solve this, the windshield was designed to fold open, and the forward section of the dashboard was made removable. The rear glass hinges upward as well, revealing a trunk compartment and a spare tire.



Although the roof panel is removable, the car doesn't skimp on comforts, featuring air conditioning and power windows. Soprano designed the car for regular road use, so he refused to compromise on modern conveniences.

The Sensuale was fitted with custom glass, bespoke headlight and taillight lenses, and 17-inch wire wheels. Perfecting the custom red paint shade took several months alone. Below is the finished car alongside archive build photos preserved by the shop.