Category: Driven by Design

Ferrari: My 2018 Year in Review

The 2018 Ferrari 488 Pista (image courtesy of Ferrari)

 

Let’s talk about 2018. Sure, Ferrari’s 70th anniversary in 2017 brought us plenty of 70-year liveries and a slew of global events that had collectors crisscrossing the world. But from the standpoint of design, 2018 was a banner year and one of the most interesting since Flavio Manzoni took the helm of Ferrari Centro Stile in 2010.

The 488 Pista

It may ruffle some feathers when I say that I’m not the biggest fan of the 488 GTB. It debuted in 2015 and is still the latest in Ferrari’s mid-engine V8 product line. The natural expectation is that each successor is a significant improvement. The 488 may well perform better than the 458, but I don’t see it as a leap forward for design – more of a lateral step. The 458 and its Speciale version were extraordinary cars.

I think this has happened before. When the F355 gave way to the 360 Modena, it transitioned Ferrari out of the ‘90s and introduced a strong new design vocabulary – the glass engine cover, ergonomic interiors, softer and more sculpted curves. The 360’s successor, the F430, had high door sills, a bulky backside and seemed lacking in aerodynamics. So, when the 458 came to replace it, it felt like such a leap forward; its low-profile mix of sharp angles and wind-swept curves from Donato Coco at Pininfarina looked cut from ice.

The 488 came along after the 458’s long and successful run, but for me it wasn’t enough of a leap forward – more like a gentle iteration that seemed to suffer from some of the problems I saw in the 430. There’s just something odd about it.

However, my mercurial design preferences were entirely satisfied this year with the unveiling of the new 488 Pista.

The Pista is stunning. It looks brutal from every angle, especially that Sicilian necktie on its hood. That 488’s front end, which looks like a wide-mouthed bass, is now sharper and filled with a downforce wing and screen work, and the middle is neatly pinched closed. Some of bulk and height is also offset by body accents. The back end is wide and ferocious, and both the hardtop and spider versions are some of Ferrari’s most beautiful design work in years.

The Monza

To me, the most exciting Ferrari design development in 2018 was the introduction of Icona – a new series of special, limited-edition cars aimed at top-tier collectors. Last month, I dove deep into the design of its flagship project, the Monza, a retro-futurist barchetta available in both one- and two-seat editions – Monza SP1 and SP2, respectively.

I think the Monza is easily their most exciting designs in years and a startling addition to the bloodline. Manzoni’s team set out to design a chassis that appears drawn with a single pen stroke. The Monza features soft, curving lines from end to end; even the custom five-spoke wheels look like sand dunes carved by desert winds.

And what better place to unveil the Monza than the new Ferrari Centro Stile building? This iconic structure was designed by none other than Flavio Manzoni himself in partnership with London studio Design International.

The Portofino

I was never in love with the Ferrari California; it’s all bubbly and a bit too comfortable. When it debuted in 2008, it became the softest Ferrari since the Mondial. The California T was a welcome update, with sharper lines and a more powerful engine, but a decade after the first Cali hit the road, Ferrari finally launched a new and improved 2+2 hardtop convertible – the Portofino.

I find this car much more inspiring than its predecessor. It cuts a tougher silhouette, with bodywork that thrusts forward and downward, whereas the California came across as neutral, almost sitting back on its haunches. I still wish the Portofino’s backend wasn’t so bulky, but I guess the convertible hardtop needs to go somewhere.

That $48 million 250 GTO

And finally, let’s not forget the sale that reminded the world that Ferrari is still its most valuable heritage auto marque. When Dr. Greg Whitten of Microsoft decided to part ways with his 1962 250 GTO, it sold at the RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction for a staggering $48.4 million – a new world record.

(By the way, that means the car is worth than its weight in gold. Someone did the math.)

What’s next for 2019?

What do you think is in store for Ferrari in the coming year? Will we get an update to the 488? Will the long-rumored Ferrari SUV debut in Geneva? Will they bring back the Dino and finally give the world an “entry-level” Ferrari?

Share your hopes & predictions below.
Follow me on Instagram @drvnbydesign

 

A Deep Dive into the Ferrari Monza’s Design

 

The world’s top Ferrari collectors recently gathered in Maranello for the exclusive launch of Icona (Italian for “Icon”), billed as a new series of special, limited-edition Ferraris aimed at top-tier buyers. Icona promises to be uncompromising on every level – a celebration of pure driving pleasure.

What they unveiled was a retro-futurist barchetta (Italian for “little boat”) called the Monza, and it’s a startling addition to the bloodline. This open-top racer immerses the driver in wind, speed and sound, and will be offered in both one- and two-seat editions – Monza SP1 and SP2, respectively.

 

 

In a car world obsessed with the new and cutting edge – self-driving, hands-free, connectivity, etc. – the Monza is oddly rebellious. It appears to reject many of the advancements threatening to take driving away from the driver and eliminate the visceral thrill of horsepower in your hands.

This V12 barchetta has no proper roof or windscreen, and instead offers a powerful en plein air racing experience with a healthy dash of danger.

The Chance to Create a New Icon

As Flavio Manzoni, Ferrari’s Head of Design since 2010, stood before a captivated audience at the Icona launch, he said: “The only way to become an icon is to create a timeless masterpiece. When my team and I realized there was the possibility to recreate the myth of a barchetta with a modern approach, the level of excitement, passion and creativity reached one of the highest peaks in eight years.”

Manzoni’s team took inspiration from several classic Ferraris – the 166 S (1948-1953), 375 MM (1953-5) and the 750 Monza by Scaglietti (1954) – but nothing was borrowed directly. The Monza evokes past elegance while remaining decidedly modern and free of nostalgia. Looking over its design, I also see echoes of the 335 S (1957-8), 250 Testa Rossa (1957-1961), and two special projects from Pininfarina – the Rossa (2000) and the Sergio (2013).

 

 

An Exterior Shaped by the Wind

Staying true to the wind-shaped “pebble” speedform of classic barchettas, Manzoni’s team set out to design a chassis that appears drawn with a single pen stroke. The Monza features soft, curving lines from end to end; even the custom five-spoke wheels look like sand dunes carved by desert winds. From the side, one sees a strong two-wave silhouette – a persistent Ferrari design cue carried forth by the team – that highlights the powerful front engine.

 

The distinctive Ferrari two-wave silhouette, seen here on the 458 Italia.
The distinctive Ferrari two-wave silhouette, seen here on the 458 Italia.

 

That engine, by the way, is the most powerful naturally aspirated V12 ever produced by Ferrari. The 812 Superfast’s 6.5-litre has been increased to 810 cv at 8500 rpm.

The Monza achieves balance through a wedge in the body side, counterbalanced by the fuselage shape of the main volume. On the front end, this fuselage volume develops starting from the grille – another recognizable Ferrari design cue – while the headlights are formed out of subtracted material, almost like air intakes. This balanced, natural design that looks like a speedform sculpted by wind is a concept referred to in Italian as bolide.

The car’s two main body sections join along a distinct line, creating an upper and lower volume. This classic Ferrari design cue appears as far back as the ’80s and as recently as the LaFerrari and J50. The effect is that the upper volume appears to float.

A two-volume design created an interesting opportunity at the rear, where they stayed true to the round, pebble shape of original barchettas. (There’s even a tapering roll-bar cover behind each headrest.) A continuous light strip wraps across the whole rear, making the top volume appear to float. From every angle, the Monza’s exterior design is both familiar and futuristic.

Slip Inside a Luxury Racing Cockpit

The interior essence of the Ferrari barchetta bloodline boils down to two key features: a cockpit-driven interior and a co-pilot seat cover. In keeping with this design philosophy, the Monza embeds its driver in an elliptical, open-top cockpit, like race cars past and present. This places him or her in the heart of the vehicle and creates a complete integration of car, driver and nature, for a truly immersive motoring experience.

 

 

The Monza SP1, like the 750 Monza before it, hosts a seat for the copilot when needed, but otherwise operates as a solo racer. In both the SP1 and SP2, a bridge divides pilot and co-pilot, reinforcing the concept that the Monza is first and foremost a driver-focused car.

Inside, exceptional forms and materials abound: A control cluster arranged on a banked, righthand panel allows you to make adjustments while keeping your eyes on the track, and in the absence of a proper windscreen, Ferrari installed a patented device below the driver’s sightline called a Virtual Wind Shield to reduce drag without compromising that wind-in-your-face sensation.

The steering wheel and display are much like the LaFerrari, F12tdf and other newer models: digital displays flank a single, centrally placed RPM dial, while all other controls are built into the steering wheel.

Conclusion: Can I Have One? Please?

I was unsure of the Monzas when they were first unveiled. They were just so…unexpected. Plus, I was never a great fan of the Mercedes SLR Stirling Moss. But the more I read about Flavio Mazoni’s design thinking, the more I fell in love with the Monza concept.

At a cost of roughly $1.82 million and production capped at 499 for each version, owning one (or both) is a rarified experience even by Ferrari standards. But even at such high prices, expect Monzas to immediately skyrocket in value and gain true icon status within a decade or two.

Know where I can see one?
Message me: @drvnbydesign

 

Up Close With a 2002 Ferrari 575M Maranello

 

I met Dan (@dnm814) on Instagram. After a few weeks of me pestering him, he agreed to meet up for a ride and some car talk. His South Beach condo’s parking garage is filled with prancing horses, raging bulls and other high-end rides. We rolled up to Dan’s spot and he tugged the corner of a silky red car cover to reveal his prized 2002 Ferrari 575M Maranello.

Photography: Christian Cipriani

For his first Ferrari, Dan spent quite a while tracking down the perfect spec: F1 transmission (the first to appear in a V12 Ferrari), rosso corsa paint, beige interior with red leather inserts, Tubi exhaust and an x-pipe. He even bought luggage to strap onto the shelf behind the seats.

Just a hair over 2,000 575Ms left Maranello, but fewer than 600 made it to North America and only a few of those were red. When it debuted, it was the ultimate front-engine tourer – a car designed to plow through mountain tunnels and downshift into hairpin turns on its way to a ski chalet in the Swiss alps.

The 575M: Fast, loud and luxurious

I haven’t ridden in “old” Ferraris for over a decade, back when they were…well, new…and it was interesting to see the 575M show her age: A few wrinkles here and there. Simple interior tech. Steering wheel free of buttons and dials. This was the end of an analog generation swiftly replaced by manettino dials, digital displays and other user-friendly advancements.

With the engine now warm, Dan pulled away from South Beach and hit the causeway toward Downtown Miami as we traded memories about how exciting it was to grow up in a house with a Ferrari. We crossed Biscayne Bay, dropped a gear and opened it up. Each bump rippled through the car’s stiff frame, but every tap on the accelerator unleashed a distinctive howl through the V12’s Tubi exhaust.

Dan said he put about 2,800 miles on the car in one year, during which time it broke down three times. Part of why I wanted to meet up was because I kept seeing his car on Instagram being hauled onto a tow truck. I wanted to hear all the maintenance drama – and boy did he have it.

Gentlemen, start your checkbooks

What’s it like to own a classic Ferrari? In a word: Expensive. In another: Unpredictable. Great adjectives for an exciting woman, but that can be nerve-wracking for a car-owner.

Dan bought his 575M with around 19,000 miles from a dealer in Naples, Florida. He drove it back to Miami in sixth gear and awoke the next day to an odd whistling sound. He consulted an independent Ferrari technician – the best in Miami – who explained that the car wasn’t correctly serviced. He would need a new sixth gear.

To make a long story short, the seller agreed to fix the car for free, but it took eight weeks. The new gear got stuck at customs after its flight from Italy.

Part of what can make owning an exotic complicated is that you can’t just grab parts at NAPA. Dan said he once had to replace the spark plugs on his SLR McLaren and the bill was – wait for it – $21,000. Let that sink in. Aside from questionable service records, expensive repairs are the bane of second-hand exotic ownership.

Another thing: they’re hard to insure. Dan’s secure condo garage – the one teeming with six-figure autos – isn’t safe enough for most insurance companies. He jumped through hoops for two weeks to land a policy from a specialty insurer and paid dearly for the honor.

A labor of love or just labor?

As we made our way east again and hit the crest of the Julia Tuttle Causeway, Biscayne Bay and Miami Beach spread out before us like an infinite, shimmering paradise.

While I’m obviously a Ferrari diehard, Dan turned out to be a little more cynical about the brand. He laments the way Ferrari shuts out new buyers and allocates cars to collectors who don’t even drive them. The brand’s unique ability to make people feel like second-class citizens is well-documented, and they’ve lost powerful buyers because of it.

Ferrari’s stock has doubled in the past five years but they may need some fresh ideas to support another 70 years of success. My vote is for an entry-level car that encourages young people to embrace the brand, the same way you can start with a $50,000 Porsche Boxster and work your way up to a 918.

Ultimately, Dan taught me that owning a classic Ferrari is a bit like marriage: It’s a labor of love. Treat it right and the rewards are manifold – passion and excitement like you’ve never known. But if you get lazy with the upkeep or hit a patch of bad luck, you might lose your shirt and your spouse.

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Ferrari: A Love Meant for Sharing

 

This past weekend, I stopped by the Miami Design District to see “Exotics en Plein Air,” the capstone event of a four-day supercar bash thrown by FerrariChat.com. Outside the new Prada store on NE 41st Street, about a dozen Ferraris from across the decades sat lined up beneath the tree canopy, shaded from the afternoon sun.

Photography: Christian Cipriani

My wife floated in the background enjoying the cars in her own way, which is to say mainly through my excitement. I’m so happy around supercars, especially Ferraris. I feel physically invigorated. Younger. Impassioned. In most settings I’m socially reserved, but I’ll strike up a conversation with nearly anyone at a car event. I chatted with Rob Lay, the founder of FerrariChat.com, then spoke at length with John, the owner of a 458 Italia who was in town from Dallas for the event.

John said he shied away from events for years because he thought people might be “snobbish.” When he finally went, he was surprised to find an awesome community of like-minded people and no pretense. I love supercar meetups for many reasons, but a big one is how they level the playing field and connect diverse people through a shared passion. It’s like a 12-step meeting for car addicts. John was my dad’s age, but we yammered on together like kids in a candy store.

A beam of light in the darkness

I’ve always loved Ferraris, but I didn’t attend car events in Miami until 2017, despite having lived here for the last 13 years. The cars I saw on the road each day and an occasional visit to The Collection with my dad was enough. But in December 2016, my wife and I went to the hospital two days before our son, Jude, was due and came home empty-handed. He didn’t make it. It was the most devastating moment of my entire life, and 2017 was a long, painful year of mourning and recovery.

Late last year, I saw an ad for Supercar Saturdays at Lamborghini Broward and decided I needed to get out and do something for myself. That morning spent running around in the sun taking pictures of beautiful cars reignited something in me—passion, joy, life. I returned home genuinely happy for the first time in months. Since then, I’ve made supercar events a regular part of my calendar and writing about Ferrari is just another outlet for this passion. No money. No agenda. Just me and a keyboard, straight from the heart.

Sharing joy with my loved ones

At the Design District event, I walked around holding Arrow, our six-month-old rainbow baby, showing her all the pretty colors—Azzurro Dino, Bianco Italia, Rosso Mugello and of course Rosso Corsa. We admired the creative striping on special editions like the F12tdf and 458 Speciale, ran our fingers across details that you can only appreciate in person, and privately judged one owner’s aftermarket modifications. I hope I can share my passion with her the same way I would have shared it with Jude.

Today, an old friend messaged me on Facebook and asked when I was buying my Ferrari. I laughed. “When I have the money, I guess,” I replied. But I’m not in a hurry. Every time I have my heart set on something, it seems to lose its luster the second it’s mine. Perhaps Oscar Wilde was right: “There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.” Arrow is pretty much the only thing I’ve wished for that just keeps getting better.

For now, I’m content to wait, to dream, to anticipate the day I see a prancing horse on my steering wheel, because there’s so much fun to be had between now and then.

 

Leonardo Fioravanti: Designer of Dreams

 

There are many names to know in the annals of Ferrari design, but if you only remember one (aside from Enzo, of course), make it Leonardo Fioravanti, the designer behind some of Ferrari’s most iconic road cars.

Fioravanti worked at Pininfarina for 24 years, first joining the legendary Italian coachmaker and design firm as a stylist in 1964 when he was just 26 years old. From there he worked his way up to managing director.

For 18 of those 24 years he was general manager of Pininfarina’s research arm, Pininfarina Studi & Ricerche, and later he worked as the deputy general manager of Ferrari. In 1989, he joined Fiat’s Centro Stilo as director of design. How’s that for a resumé?

For the purposes of this article I will focus on Fioravanti’s time with Pininfarina, where he not only designed many of Ferrari’s most iconic models, but also introduced new aesthetics that redefined the brand several times over.

Bringing Ferrari into the Modern Era

In 1968, Fioravanti created the Ferrari 365 GTB, popularly known as the Daytona. This was a radically new shape for Ferrari. Instead of a rounded look, he crafted a body of sharp angles around its front-mounted V12, giving the car a distinctly sleek, thin, modern appearance. The Daytona was a line in the sand that shook off the last vestiges of ’50s influence and launched Ferrari’s road cars into the modern sports car era.

He followed this up a year later with the Dino, a marque all its own named for Enzo’s late son, Alfredo, who succumbed to Duchenne muscular dystrophy at just 24 years old. The Dino remains one of Fioravanti’s most recognizable designs, especially the 246 GT iteration, with its deeply set circular headlamps, duckbill nose, sloping backend and low, powerful stance. The shooting comet air intake on each door panel endured across models for the next 20 years.

Putting the Miura on Notice

In 1973, Fioravanti designed Ferrari’s first mid-engine sports car and defined a silhouette that lived on for years to come. The first 365 GT4 BB was shown in Paris in 1971 as a response to the Miura, but the 512 Berlinetta Boxer that debuted in 1976 was a true showstopper that remained in production for over a decade, with more than 2,300 produced. The sharp nose, yellow running lights, white hood louver, twin tail lights and exhaust pipes on each side, two-tone paint job, futuristic engine cover, and other design elements defined a look and feel that carried Ferrari well into the ‘80s.

Before we leave the 1970s, I must tip my hat to Fioravanti’s 308 GTB. This model is often criticized for not standing out enough against the 512 BB or 288 GTO, but it’s both a bridge and an icon in its own right. I mean, it was cool enough for Tom Selleck in Magnum, P.I. – what else do you want?

 

Photography by: Simon Furlonger Cars

 

The Making of a Masterpiece

In 1983, Fioravanti created what is still for me the most beautiful Ferrari ever designed: the 288 GTO. It is, to quote myself: “A perfectly balanced, aesthetically pleasing design devoid of pomp and flourish…a singular achievement of form-meets-function… The car’s rear end is a clean panel with two pairs of equally sized taillights and a simple “GTO” in that wonderfully ’80s font… Four generous fender flares bulge to accommodate its large racing tires, and together with its tight midsection and sharply cut frontend, they create a muscular stance that looks ready to pounce, even at a standstill.”

And yet with all of this to his credit, Fioravanti was far from done. He had two more era-defining masterpieces up his sleeve.

In 1984, he unveiled the Testarossa, with its raked door panel air intakes that look cooler than the Fonz pulling a comb through his hair. It was a design that launched a thousand bedroom posters and boyhood fantasies, and to this day it still looks boldly futuristic. Just three years later, he teamed up with Enzo Ferrari to create a revolutionary design for the brand’s 40th year that became the automaker’s swan song. The result was of course the F40, a monstrous evolution of the 288 GTO that’s not among my personal favorites, but is undoubtedly a legend and adored by collectors worldwide.

 

Photography by (L to R): Andreas Birner, Simon Furlonger Cars, Thiago Bertoldi, Heritage Classics

 

Did he ever make mistakes? Oh sure, a few: the Mondial. The 348. The P5. But along with Giorgetto Giugiaro and Marcello Gandini (all born within months of one another, oddly), he stands as one of the greatest car designers of the 20th century, perhaps as important to Italian culture as Federico Fellini. What do you think of Leonardo Fioravanti’s work?

 

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Inside Miami’s Craziest Ferrari Collection

 

I visited Garage 26 on a rainy Friday morning in early September. This secret supercar bunker overlooking suburban Miami will finish construction in the next month or two, and when it’s done, it will be home to some of finest private automobile collections in the world.

Photography: Christian Cipriani

As I walked in, I asked a man which floor I was going to. Later that morning, he was introduced to me as the retired Mexican driver Adrián Fernández, who for decades raced Formula Three, IndyCar and LeMans.

“You’re looking for the fifth floor,” he said, stepping over framed awards piled high beside one of his race cars. Today, he co-owns Fernandez Racing, but that morning I found him and an assistant organizing years of memorabilia in his space on the building’s fourth floor.

Wall-to-Wall Supercars

When the elevator doors opened on level five, my eyes met a lineup of Ferraris that could make the Pope curse.

Against a wall of windows sit the Super Six – both the coupe and Aperta versions of the LaFerrari, followed by the Enzo, F50, F40 and my personal holy grail, the 288 GTO. Just a month ago I wrote about never having the chance to see this car in person, and here I was, face-to-face with her.

I said hello to a few other people browsing the collection but they soon left me alone in a roomful of iconic Ferraris. This is as close to church as I get. I had a supremely peaceful morning walking quietly among these magnificent machines, admiring their design, taking photos, running my hands along the seats and bodywork. It was a special experience.

Completing the Super Six

The latest addition to Garage 26 is an exquisite 1985 288 GTO Berlinetta Scaglietti – chassis 56643 – acquired this summer from California. An in-depth report from the incomparable Marcel Massini details the car’s provenance: Sold new through a Hong Kong dealer to Sam Tramiel, the son of Atari founder Jack Tramiel, and collected in person from Maranello, it was observed during the 1985 F1 Grand Prix in Monte Carlo and later relocated by Tramiel to England, where it was sold to a dealer in California and legalized for U.S. roads. This two-owner vehicle arrived in Miami in 2018 with only 7,600 km (just over 4,700 miles) from new. It is one of just 272 in the world.

Sitting beside the 288 GTO is the collection’s 1990 Ferrari F40, purchased new by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen from Grand Prix Motors in Seattle. Today, it still only has about 2,000 miles on it and is in mint condition.

As you turn the corner to a red wall decorated with an oversized Ferrari logo wall and shelf-after-shelf of scale models, the rest of the collection reveals itself. This side is dedicated to limited-edition, track-focused models like the 360 Challenge Stradale, 430 Scuderia, 458 Speciale, 599 GTO and F12tdf. Squeezed in there are a 550 Barchetta and one of just 80 examples of the 599 SA Aperta. As I opened the door and saw floor-to-ceiling red, I knew this could only be the work of one man.

“Yep,” said the owner. “I bought this car from Michael Fux.”

A Collection of Great Investments

Beyond his collectibles, which also includes a whole wing dedicated to Porsche (918 Spyder, Carrera GT and the insanely beautiful 959, among others), the owner has a significant number of “daily drivers,” like the 812 Superfast, Ferrari FF and more. It’s safe to say he’s dedicated to building one of the world’s best Ferrari collections.

It’s not that he isn’t into other brands, but investments differ from passion purchases. We spoke about Pagani and he said that he was actually in the process of ordering a Huayra Roadster but backed out, and made a good point about why: Paganis cost millions new, so where does the value go from there? I love Pagani, but I don’t know if the brand has been around long enough to prove its potential for significant long-term appreciation the way Ferrari and other brands have.

For now, this collector says he’s content with limited-edition Ferraris and Porsches. And as for the building, it was originally going to be a place where serious collectors could purchase display space for their cars, but now it’s going to be an elegant friends-and-family hangout – a destination for likeminded collectors to appreciate one another’s cars in an atmosphere of luxury, privacy and fun. Sounds like my kind of place.

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Why Ferrari Design Slays the Competition

 

I know I spent my last column taking a hammer to plenty of past Ferrari designs, but it’s a bit like when you talk trash about your own family. They know you still love them. This week, though, it’s all about loyalty. I’m in my rosso corsa gang colors talking about why Ferrari is still the untouchable Boss. 

Remember early Lamborghinis, all sleek and minimal? Through the years they’ve became overwrought, almost Baroque. They dare you to not look, like the automotive equivalent of Bernini’s “Rape of Persephone.” If that famed sculpture captures Lamborghini, Ferrari lives in the moment where the right hand of Hades meets Persephone’s thigh, his fingertips pressed into her marble flesh. You see, at its best, Ferrari renders solid material so exquisitely that it suspends the imagination and appears to breathe life, while brands like Lamborghini continue to rely on deafening maximalism.

There’s no better expression of this design philosophy than the godawful Lamborghini Veneno, which looks like the doodles of a comic book-loving preteen come to life. Half its bodywork is irrelevant to aerodynamics and I honestly think I would feel silly driving one as a grown man. Their other seven-figure misfire, the Reventon, has not aged well either. It’s basically an Aventador with a painfully boring interior, and it’s the only $1M+ car actually losing value.

Other purveyors of boyish maximalism include early Koenigseggs (the new Regera finally tames some of the brand’s sillier design ideas) and the fugly new McLaren Senna. As for the other obvious culprit, Pagani, it took a visit to the factory and the release of the Huayra to bring me around to them. (There’s still no justification for tartan upholstery.)

Horacio Pagani, a Lamborghini disciple, created a worthy competitor with even deeper Baroque theatrics and outlandish futurism, yet I’ve come to respect how far he pushes passion, imagination and obsession with detail. Pagani’s impossible-to-follow naming system is a whole other discussion…

Ferrari, on the other hand, reinvents its design language across a truly diverse selection of models every 7 to 10 years. A new anniversary hypercar sets the tone, and subsequent models borrow from it throughout the design cycle, resulting in a fresh and exciting lineup.

Look at the F355, the car that modernized Ferraris for the ’90s. You can trace its swooping side air scoops, backend design and nose elements right back to the F50. With the Enzo, we see interpretations of its backend, tail lights and front air intakes – as well as its overall angularity – neatly incorporated into the F430.

The 488’s front end, with its nose scoops upheld by thin pillars, comes directly from the LaFerrari. It’s also interesting to see Ferrari continuously rethink how to deliver air to a mid-mounted engine. The 458’s closed-up body design broke from the trend of large openings and went back to the F40 and 288 GTO’s discreet intakes tucked behind the windows. Then the 488 reversed course and brought back wider intakes that actually contain mini-wings to create extra downforce. (As an aside, I love the Sicilian necktie on the front end of the 488 Pista; it reminds me of the F40LM.)

The evolution of Ferrari (left) and the evolution of Lamborghini (right)
The evolution of Ferrari (left) and the evolution of Lamborghini (right)

If you step back and look at Ferrari as a whole, there is a consistent design philosophy with ideas that tie the generations together, but aside from the color red, they don’t rehash too many ideas. They keep it fresh. 

Which is my main issue with Porsche. Whether the 911 has been refined or recycled over decades is in the eye of the beholder, but honestly, they all look the same to me. I can’t be the only one who finds this boring. Speaking of never changing, Lamborghini just keeps making (delicious) wedges (of parmesan). The Countach, Diablo, Murcielago and Aventador reinterpret the same idea. Granted, il toro has an awesome silhouette, but carrying on in the same direction for decades lacks a certain imagination.

This is why Ferrari is the ultimate supercar brand. No other carmaker offers such an interesting, diverse, beautiful and consistently great lineup. Agree? Angry? Leave a comment or connect with me on Instagram @drvnbydesign.

 

One-Off Ferraris: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly

1965 Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 Shooting Brake. Photo by Dom Romney / Gooding & Co.
1965 Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 Shooting Brake. Photo by Dom Romney / Gooding & Co.

 

I long to play Caesar. Not on stage, but in real life, extending my thumb to the crowd to signal my approval or disgust over any number of things. Today, I’m mercilessly judging the world of one-off and super-limited Ferraris, from concept cars to Special Projects. Spoiler alert: most of them get fed to the lions.

Concept Cars vs. Special Projects

First, let’s draw a line between concepts and SPs. Concept cars are inherently experimental – a sandbox where designers, coachbuilders and engineers try out ideas that may or may not make it to production. Special Projects, though, are when Ferrari collaborates with an esteemed collector on an eye-wateringly expensive one-off, with generous input from the buyer. That’s where a lot of them go wrong.

The Winning Gladiator

 

Photo courtesy of Ferrari
Photo courtesy of Ferrari

 

2012 Ferrari SP12 EC – Absolute perfection. There just isn’t a line on this car that doesn’t make me smile. It’s an elegant, sophisticated and stunning modern tribute to a classic Ferrari, the iconic 512BB, and a fitting reward for an ardent celebrity collector. Guitarist Eric Clapton is said to have spent $4.7 million on developing and manufacturing this retro-modern V8 masterpiece, which sits on the chassis of a 458 Italia.

Caesar Approves

 

 

1966 Ferrari 365P Tre Posti Berlinetta Speciale

An epic name for an epic ride that still looks space-age. This car combined relatively subdued bodywork, some of which later ended up on the Dino, with a novel three-seat, driver-in-the-middle layout that debuted 26 years before McLaren “thought” of it.

1969 Ferrari 512S Berlinetta

Alfa Romeo Carabo. Lancia Stratos Zero. Lamborghini Countach. Between the end of the ’60s and early ’70s, everyone in Motor Valley tried to build the perfect pancake. Ferrari stepped in with the 512S, showed them all how it was done, and then got back to business.

2011 Ferrari Superamerica 45

Built for American collector Peter Kalikow and based on the 2010 599 SA Aperta, this one-off Ferrari is basically an approved limited-edition car with that cool flippy glass roof from the original 575 Superamerica. And it’s super sharp!

2014 Ferrari F60 America

Like the 2010 599 SA Aperta, the F60 America is essentially a limited edition open-top version of an approved production model – in this case, the F12 Berlinetta. And both are absolutely stunning, wildly expensive vehicles.

2015 Ferrari Sergio

I love the Ferrari J50 but felt I should give the real nod to its father, the 2015 Sergio. This beautifully designed targa-top looks compact and aggressive, yet deeply refined. I think it should have been a full-blown production model.

2016 Ferrari 458 MM Speciale

Like the Superamerica 45, the one-off 458 MM Speciale wins because the collector who commissioned it didn’t reinvent the wheel. With just a few pinches and cuts, the MM Speciale actually improves on the 458’s design.

The Superamerica 45, F60 America and 458 MM Speciale win because they gently iterate on approved road cars that already had a ton of R&D. The SP12 EC is basically the only ground-up Special Project that I wholeheartedly approve.

 

Food for the Lions

It’s hard to know who to blame when concepts and SPs go sideways: the designer throwing caution to the wind or the demanding collector who says, “I want this.” Either way, here’s my list of misses. There are many, so I won’t go too in-depth. Just a quick roast for each…

 

 

1965 Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 Shooting Brake

God, why? Just…no. Rule of thumb: If it will make an ugly Chevy, or hearse for that matter, then it will make a terrible Ferrari.

1969 Ferrari 365 GT Nart Spyder

Covered back wheels? Square headlamps? Surely this is a Ferrari in name only. I find this car to be an irredeemable mess and invite any and all counterarguments.

1988 Ferrari F90

One of the Sultan of Brunei’s many crimes again automotive humanity. So bad it was kept secret! It’s all swoops and ovals – not a straight line on the thing. And remember, his patronage also gave us the Mythos.

1989 Ferrari 328 Conciso

An amphibious Miata? I’d rather have a frog. This weird creation is actually from a German design shop and based very vaguely on the 1989 328 GTS. It’s unclear if the shop is still in business.

1992 Ferrari 348 Barchetta Competizione

It takes some skill to turn a track version of Ferrari’s least exciting modern road car into an even less exciting boy racer.

1993 Ferrari FZ93

Possibly a rejected design for the Pontiac Fiero?

 

 

 

1995 Ferrari FX

The Sultan is back for more. His secretly built FX looked like a Bugatti EB10 up front and God-knows-what in the back, with that hole-punched engine cover and tapered rear. The only good to come out of this experiment was an F1-style paddle-shift transmission, which made it to production four years later in the 355 F1.

1996 Ferrari F50 Bolide

I keep a file called “Bad ’90s Bodywork” for things like the 348 Barchetta and this, the F50 Bolide – a bulbous Italian NASCAR.

2000 Ferrari Rossa & 2005 Ferrari GG50

I’m putting these together because they have basically the same front-end, with weird slits for headlights. Thankfully they opened them up a bit for the 599.

2006 Ferrari 575 GTZ Zagato

I’m noticing a trend here. Maybe I just don’t like Zagato.

2006 Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina

Lots of people love this car, but James Glickenhaus is, for me, one of those collectors with more money than taste. His one-off P4/5, based on the 1967 330 P4 endurance racer, looks like a prop from Minority Report. He is, after all, a former film executive. Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus is now coachbuilding its own track cars and – surprise – I’m not a fan.

2008 Ferrari F430 SP1

This was the first time Ferrari invited an esteemed collector to its Special Projects program. Shockingly, the car was designed by Leonardo Fioravanti, the mind behind so many legendary Ferraris. It’s a rare miss for such a talent, but I find the SP1’s back third to be awkward and off balance.

Undecided

 

 

2014 Ferrari F12TRS

Sam Li (@mwvmnw on Instagram) is the son of a Chinese billionaire and has – at last count – infinity cars. Actually, two infinity, since he reportedly buys two of everything, including his one-off (two-off?) F12TRS inspired by the 1957 Testa Rossa and based on the F12. It has some cool design moves, like the exposed engine, and one of the two is painted liquid silver, but ultimately there’s something cartoonish about them that I don’t love.

2018 Ferrari SP38 Deborah

Built for Swiss collector and Corse Clienti racer Deborah Mayer, the SP38 made a splash at the 2018 Concorso d’Eleganza at Villa d’Este. Based on the 488, it features some sharp design cues from the J50/Sergio but I think its boxy backend and slatted engine cover could have been refined into something less busy, like the SP12 EC.

 

Join the conversation on Instagram at @drvnbydesign

 

 

The Magic of Motor Valley

 

 

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If you fly into Milan-Malpensa Airport and start driving south on the E35, past Parma – the home of prosciutto – past the undulating waves of Calatrava’s Reggio Emilia Railway Station, you’ll coast right into Italy’s Motor Valley, the unassuming countryside where legends are born.

Photography: Christian Cipriani

Looks Can Be Deceiving

The valley looks ordinary, even a bit austere. As you drive through, it’s almost impossible to imagine that some of the world’s most flamboyant automobiles – beacons of design and engineering that capture the imagination – emerged from this same terroir like the fine grapes of Champagne and Bordeaux. Yet four definitive supercar marques operate right here within 40 km of one another.

Ferraris of course are manufactured on Via Abetone Inferiore in Maranello, a small hamlet in the province of Modena. Just across the border, in Bologna, longtime rival Lamborghini sits tucked into the little town of Sant’Agata Bolognese, and a stone’s throw south, Horacio Pagani tinkers away in San Cesario sul Panaro like a modern-day Willie Wonka. The valley is also the birthplace of Maserati and Ducati, as well as legendary coachbuilders Zagato, Bertone and Pininfarina, among others.

Horacio Pagani's Tailor Made Ferrari F12tdf parked in front of the Pagani Factory.
Horacio Pagani’s Tailor Made Ferrari F12tdf parked in front of the Pagani Factory.

Respect Where it is Due

In early summer 2017, I was driving to Pagani on an empty stomach and stopped at a one-man petrol station with no air conditioning in search of food. As I stood in the sun gnawing on warm Parma ham and mozzarella on day-old ciabatta, I reflected on how close I was to Pagani, yet so far from a world of million-dollar hypercars. It’s almost poetic how unglamorous a trip to these factories can be. Whether you’re carrying a camera or a checkbook, it’s an equally humble pilgrimage.

Beyond the gossip and rivalries, the automakers of Motor Valley share the kind of respect one finds between elite athletes. I saw this for myself firsthand when Horacio Pagani arrived for work. He wasn’t driving the latest version of his own namesake hypercar, but rather a tailor-made Ferrari F12tdf painted metallic burgundy with gold-and-white stripes, bronze wheels and a creamy Alcantara interior.

“When I uncovered the car and saw the Ferrari logo, I had the urge to kiss it,” he once said. “Even telling the story now makes me emotional.”

This isn’t just him checking in on the competition. Pagani arriving to his factory in a Ferrari is mutual admiration. It is respect. It is love…

A King in His Own Castle

As much as this column and the world of ROSSO focuses on Ferrari, I highly recommend a visit to Pagani. Outside of perhaps dropping in on Christian von Koenigsegg in Sweden, it’s a rare chance to see an energetic founder walking the floor of his workshop, eagerly greeting tourists and holding court with the world’s top collectors vying to take home one of his outlandish creations. Today, Ferrari and Lamborghini factory visits are more controlled, museum-like experiences (unless you’re an owner), but Pagani still feels open to curious onlookers.

If you love cars and you’re ever in Italy, take a day-trip to Motor Valley. Enjoy its green fields, soft rolling hills and the endless straightaways perfect for testing supercars fresh off the assembly line. From Maranello to Sant’Agata to San Cesario, the pride, love and joy of motoring is everywhere you look.

 

The 288 GTO: Ferrari’s Masterpiece

 

In all my years of Ferrari-chasing, one unicorn remains: the 288 GTO. I have yet to see one in person, which feels somehow fitting since it’s long been my favorite. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, of course, but for me the 288 GTO is still the perfect Ferrari and the most beautiful car ever built.

Photography: Andreas Birner

The 288 was the second of only three Ferraris distinguished as “GTO” – Gran Turismo Omologato or “Grand Tourer Homologated,” a mark that certifies it for GT racing. The other two are the classic 250 GTO of the early 1960s and the 599 GTO from 2010.

Racetrack Strength, High Street Style

With only 272 ever produced, the 288 GTO was a stroke of genius from Leonardo Fioravanti, the man behind some of Ferrari’s most iconic body designs. I’ll dedicate a whole column to him soon, but in the meantime take a look through his insane resume. His work on the 288 GTO may be Pininfarina’s Vitruvian Man – a perfectly balanced, aesthetically pleasing design devoid of pomp and flourish. It’s a singular achievement of form-meets-function.

Fioravanti’s bodywork is at once bold and imposing, yet still minimalist. There’s nothing over-the-top about it. The new 488 Pista carries some of these same qualities, but the 288 does it with more charm and simplicity. Twenty-five years later, it still looks like the consummate gentleman’s racer, capable of seducing whatever curves it encounters…Pista di Fiorano’s or otherwise.

The car’s rear end is a clean panel with two pairs of equally sized taillights and a simple “GTO” in that wonderfully ’80s font (perhaps Ferrari’s best model badge since the 512BB). In lieu of a massive wing is a gentle lip designed to tame the 395 bhp kicked off by its 3.0-liter, twin-turbo V8. Four generous fender flares bulge to accommodate its large racing tires, and together with its tight midsection and sharply cut frontend, they create a muscular stance that looks ready to pounce, even at a standstill.

It’s as if a 308 GTB moved to Miami and met a great plastic surgeon.

Some Things are Better Left Unchanged

For me, the heavily modified 288 GTO Evoluzione that debuted in 1986 was a design oddity, but in it you can clearly see the beginnings of Enzo’s personal masterpiece, the F40. The sharp nose is more filled in and slopes downward, and the rear looks ready to expand into the F40’s broad, flat backend and signature archway wing. These changes are interesting, but it was not an evolution that I celebrate. The leap from 288 GTO to F40 turned an elegant racer into a brash speed machine focused on one task – breaking 200 MPH.

Form & Function in Equal Measure

I believe so strongly in the 288 because numbers-chasing has never been where Ferrari flourishes. The brand shines brightest when it leaves the measuring contests to other marques and instead pursues the perfect marriage of performance and style, never sacrificing one for the other. The F50 in particular looks like a casualty of bad ‘90s design, its face scarred by what one writer called “godawful troll nostrils.” They didn’t quite get their design mojo back with anniversary editions until the Enzo debuted in 2002.
 
The 288 GTO is, in my estimation, still Ferrari’s finest effort, and owners appear to agree since they’re rarely for sale. The next time one appears on the auction block, expect to see the buyer pay $3 million or more for the privilege of preserving this legend for the future.

Join the conversation on Instagram at @drvnbydesign.