Ferrari is calling the P80/C its “most extreme one-off design ever.” The supercar was inspired by the 330 P3/P4 and the 1966 Dino 206 S. For these one-off builds, Ferrari has the tendency to reshape a new exterior over an existing car from the for-sale lineup. For the P80/C, however, they took the 488 GT3 as a point of departure. From there, Autoblog reports they made "radical changes" to the equipment.

Unlike the 488, it has a  cab-forward design which Ferrari says allowed for greater creative freedom which proved highly significant in the design process.

This was a very particular project, even within the context of the One-off Program, given that Ferrari was tasked with creating a track-only car, that retained their Sports Prototype heritage character. Flavio Manzoni and the Ferrari Styling Center set out to create a "Hero Car" with design cues from the 330 P3/P4 and the 1966 Dino 206 S, as requested by the client.

According to The Official Ferrari Magazine, the P80/C project had the longest development period of any Ferrari one-off to date, with work having started back in 2015.