Driven Design
A museum-worthy collection of Ferraris exists in its own custom-built space...
(Photo by Olivier Koning.)
It isn’t often that one chances upon a truly museum-worthy collection residing within a home in Hawai‘i — and if one did, it would most likely be in art, artifacts or smaller objects that don’t require their own custom-built space with a footprint equaling the home’s living area.
Built on a corner lot within walking distance from the homeowner’s favorite surf spots, this newly completed modern home by architect Takao Ugai from Focus Design Studio only tells half the story. The 3,800-square-foot garage that serves as the home’s foundation and lowest level reveals why this month’s Spaces and Collections stories have merged into each other as seamlessly as the lines of the cars within.
From street level, this 6,000-square-foot, five-bedroom home rises above the basement garage an additional two levels and utilizes its elevation and sight lines to allow an open-plan living space while preserving a degree of privacy for the home’s residents.
(Photo by Olivier Koning.)
(Photo by Patrick Parsons.)
When it was time to choose a site for the homeowner, Ugai had one major request to fulfill beyond the usual home size and layout needs — and squeezing it all onto a 10,000-square-foot lot, with inches to spare on the setbacks and building envelope. That was: It should be able to not only house the current collection of eight incredible Ferraris plus a few future additions, but also protect them, not be in a flood zone, and still be close to the surf.
As one might imagine with a collection whose aggregate value outpaces the land and home itself, protecting the investment in the collection brings special consideration and design requirements to the forefront. As far as totaling up the collection’s value, fans of supercars are likely cross-referencing these Ferraris and easily breaking the eight-figure mark as the tally rises. And that’s just for this jaw-dropping collection. The home’s construction and furnishings are impressive figures on their own. But really, the cars have a certain magnetic and gravitational pull to them — so it’s back to the garage for us.
Ugai has all the stats on what it took to create this garage for his client. “We had to excavate and move an incredible amount of dirt to create this garage,” he says. The poured concrete alone can support an apartment block above it — so fortified is the garage. Along one side of the garage, windows lining the lap pool let dappled light filter in and dance along the sinuous curves of two of the prized gems: a 1-of-499 SP1 Monoposto single-seater parked next to an SP3. Each one of these V12-powered rockets would be a coveted prize for an automotive museum to acquire — and here they are, side by side.
The SP1 is as close to a street-legal race car as one will find, with its spartan carbon fiber everythingness, and it is reserved for track use on the mainland at factory-sponsored events. The SP3, with hand-painted embellishments and stripes as a tribute to its Italian origins, is maybe a notch below the race-spec — but it is the owner’s favorite of his fleet. He calls out its naturally aspirated, rear-mounted, V12 mid-engine as the source of pure aural delight, elevating it above one of the faster cars in his stable.
(Photo by Olivier Koning.)
(Photo by Olivier Koning.)
Miniature Ferraris represent every car in the owner’s prior and current collection.
(Photo by Patrick Parsons.)
(Photo by Olivier Koning.)
If speed is a metric, the hybrid Ferrari Roma — which has colors of the state flag painted on it as a tribute to Hawai‘i — outpaces its seven siblings by furloughs.
But really, if one has these steeds to choose from, the style points alone leave acceleration and top speed numbers in their wake. Not to be left in the dust, the other notable Ferraris in the fleet — like the factory-customized TDF F12 (which easily commands north of a cool mil)
— hold their own, whether in terms of rarity or exclusivity. Several of the cars boast touches like customization from Ferrari’s in-house team that creates bespoke finishes and accommodates almost any request. “There are limits to what they will do in terms of colors and color combinations, because they do have their Italian design sense,” I am told. Much like being served a cappuccino after 10 a.m. — it just won’t happen in Italy, one can assume.
The collection started in the early aughts when the owner began spending more time in Hawai‘i. Over time, his edication to building a single-marque collection paid off with invitations from the factory to special events. More importantly, it also opened the door to the opportunity to be invited to purchase their limited-run vehicles. Apparently, one doesn’t just mosey over to the local dealer, slide a blank check across the table, and expect to be entertained by Maranello.
(Photo by Olivier Koning.)
Half of the collection, and details of the Daytona SP3.
(Photo by Olivier Koning.)
But the impressive collection alone cannot dominate the space, so we glide up in the elevator to the home’s living and entertaining spaces two levels above. With views of Diamond Head and the ocean beyond, the home’s upper-level houses four of its bedrooms and a private living room distributed on the makai side of the house.
The owner’s suite anchors one end with no shortage of spaciousness, and a bathroom and walk-in closet that spans the structure with a choice of mauka or makai views. One more bedroom is located on the mid-level and serves as the owner’s study and retreat. It houses another collection of sorts — miniature scale models of every Ferrari that he currently or formerly owned, beyond the eight in Hawai‘i.
“Each car comes with a model, and a space to place the ignition key.”
Moving out to the open living space, the custom kitchen and living room are adjacent to the pool deck’s hot tub and sauna that bookend the lap pool itself, and they serve as the setting for the collection’s final piece: a factory-licensed, three-fifths scale Ferrari Testarossa. Its iconic flowing lines complement the rectilinear modern home design from Ugai. The classic shape of this seminal race car reminds us that all design is rooted in beauty — and that is universally appreciated by all who are invited to be in any of this home’s spaces, whether for a meal, to enjoy the view, or pop down to talk shop amongst a few cars, as one does when there are cars worthy of talking about in the garage.
The living room’s Ferrari Testarossa from The Little Car Company serves as a fitting backdrop.
(Photo by Olivier Koning.)
A museum-worthy collection of Ferraris exists in its own custom-built space...
(Photo by Olivier Koning.)