the 458 is the last beautiful ferrari

i was at the dealer yesterday getting yet another issue with the 430 fettled, and had a good walk round the buildings and yard, and got to see 50- 80 cars, models from the 308 to the LaF, and nearly everything in between.
and my conclusion is......that the new offerings, are just not beautiful to me anymore. their 'faces' look like something out of a japanese comic book, their profiles dont flow nicely anymore, the rear ends are often unattractive, and there are way too many ducts, winglets, openings etc.

i know that looks are subjective etc, but at least to me, there are no beauties in the bunch.

it likely wont matter to the sales of course, but still...... i miss pininfarina.

 

I agree. Ferrari's used to be classically beautiful. 206 Dino, 288 GTO, 308 GTB, 355 are standouts for pure beauty. the 458 and 488's are at least getting back to pretty lines, but there are odd angles that do no favors to them..... as an owner sometimes you just want to sit and look at them... and not be driving 150mph. I think the last truly beautiful car Ferrari made was the 355GTB. so sad that mtns. eats all joy from the car.

 

i agree with you. end of an era.

 

Hard to predict the future, but as of now, I also agree. I'm not a fan of the 488, but the 458 is pure art.

I can stare at my 308 for hours, the lines are perfect from nearly every angle. It's a high standard that will be hard to achieve, but I think it can happen again.

 

yes, the 488 is ok but a step back and the pista is aggressive and pleasing but not beautiful

 

The 458 is definitely the last of an era as far as coachworks and non turbo engine works. I love my 15 458 Italia. The lines flow as a Sculpture. You can see it's heritage-Dino,360 etc.There is certainly nothing wrong with the beginning of a new era being the 488. The body works are very close to the 458, the turbo is very strong, the refinements gratifying. Change is usually good as is progress. The Ferrari World was coming to an end with the death of Enzo in Aug.86 with at the time no heir in sight, but it survived, better than ever. The Dino 246GT( my 1st Ferrari) was considered for years a Fiat/Ferrari, but now is sought as the most beautiful Ferrari produced. Generations change. What I worry about is today youth regarding sports cars, where a radio is the most important option, where Ferrari is considering making an SUV & following the downward path of Porsche!

 

430 Scud, 16M, 458, 458 Spider, Speciale (though fish-mouth a little of a challenge), Speciale A, and F12 among the very best most beautiful Ferraris ever made IMO.
The lines on my Grigio Titanio F12 sparkling in the sunshine are among the most sublime automotive art ever created (to me anyway).
Add in the NA engine engines, the crazy Superfast-2 F1 in 16M, or DCT in Speciale...and there is nothing finer in the World.

 

IMO, Maserati's always looked better than Ferrari's

But today's Maser's don't. That's the real pity

 

It is probably the law of diminishing returns at work here: 458 vs. 488.

The designers went too far on the 488. They tried too hard. It is difficult to improve on something that is already at or near peak design.

 

They haven't been pretty since the 166. And for that matter.. if you're not using a mechanical typewriter with its reassuring clicks and dull whirr, you're not doing it properly.

 

Big time!

 

I would agree with that. But the Pista makes up for it. Its really a great looking car -- what the 488 should have been.

 

The 458 is truly beautiful.
The 488 is truly ugly. Great big holes for cooling ruin the side views.

 

agreed. and that door handle?!?! they couldnt come up with a better design???

 

i guess you are inferring that i am some kind of luddite....
actually i am not.
i embrace all sorts of things that are cutting edge and envelope pushing.
i think the porsche 918 is an example of a car doing that AND looking good.

my OP was simply to state my opinion that ferrari have lost the design plot.
they were always the unquestioned standard bearer of automotive beauty......not anymore.

 

Given automotive industry lead times, Pininfarina would have known the relationship was coming to an end well in advance. Their last Ferrari's are masterpieces. In a history of many beautiful Ferrari's, 458 is one of the design all time greats, as are the F12 and TdF.

The current models look lambo inspired despite being evolutions of the previous models. Hate to imagine what the clean sheet designs from the in-house studio will be like.

 

How can one love 458 but hate 488 when theyre 90% identical? Side vents detract on 488 but the front is a step up from the silly 458 catfish wiskers. Rest is identical. my wife does similar thing - she loves hydrox but hates oreos. Same w coke vs pepsi. I get liking one similar thing over another but not diametrically opposed views when theyre so close.

 

90%? That might be a bit over stated. IMO, the 488 is a poor attempt to improve on the already perfect 458. Actually, if the attempt was to ruin the 458, I'd say mission accomplished

 

I agree that a 458 looks better than a 488. The 458 is the best looking Ferrari since the 355.

 

I have had a 360 Spider a 430 Spider and now a 458 Spider. In each case I felt that I was making a slight aesthetic improvement in looks as I got each one. I can't say I'd feel the same way if I moved to a 488. I just can't get past those intakes. The 458 just seems to flow perfectly.

 

UGH. Perhaps. At the moment you can say "last" but you don't know what is to come. I personally have a taste for the older stuff but 360's are finally starting to grow on me... It is sort of a silly comment to choose the one before the latest one to make a statement like that. I think its safer to say "I like the 458 more than a 488". Its sort of on the lines of the next ferrari supercar being "the fastest one ever" - of course it is... Its the newest. I would also say this belongs in the 458/88 section.

Sorry but sometimes I'm a hater.

 

I don't think you're a hater. I agree that aesthetics (or lack thereof) are subjective - glad people like the older models -- but I think Ferrari will be fine without the now Indian (TATA) owned Pininfarina.

 

the 458 just happens to be the last one that i think is beautiful.
and it is even alone within the last group since i am not a big fan of the f12 the FF or the cali.
if i did not like the lines of the 458, then i probably would have said that ferrari lost the plot after the 612.

but the lack of input from pininfarina is striking to me.
PF made designs that usually stood the test of time.
the latest ferrari designs will probably not do so, imo.

 

you think the ownership influences the design ?? really?

 

I have seen ownership dictate the direction a child company takes, especially in the auto industry. I think Mazda is far better off with Ford being gone. I think Proton has been terrible for Lotus.

On the other hand, I think Indian ownership of Jaguar and Landrover have been great.

Truth be told, I don't know for certain. But all things being equal, I like my design houses completely independent (not just theoretically) and beholden to no-one (especially somebody that just bailed them out.) That's just me.