We must have different friends. I know a number of people who like it, a number in the "I can see it growing on me camp", a number who are frustrated by what they consider flaws in the design, and some who think it's just plain ugly. I know they're out there, but I haven't personally spoken to anyone who unequivocally loves the design.
These early buyers “of course we love it”, so they keep F dealer happy and sending more cars their way. Game goes on, despite the odd looks.
I'm sure there are some folks who will buy it despite not being in love with the design. Some are playing the game (nothing wrong with that) and some won't let aesthetics keep them from enjoying a car they otherwise like. But I'm also sure there are people out there who genuinely love the looks, and I know there are people who like it. The looks are divisive. The car is not universally loved. Nor is it universally disliked.
"Luxury Car of the Year" at the Motor Awards 2024. Everybody loves a winner... no? Image Unavailable, Please Login - Dick Lovett Ferrari Swindon
this car will grow on you. The more I look at it, the better it gets. If you've ever seen a 365 daytona, there are soo many little throwback details that this car shares....Change is not easy to accept, when you see this car in person, you'll appreciate it a lot more.
I can't speak for others, but rarely does my opinion of a design reverse. Soften perhaps. Some designs that I'm indifferent to at first grow on me with time. But I can't remember learning to love a design that I disliked at launch. So far, my response to the 12C's black graphics (particularly the Daytona-esque plexi-nose, which I think looks a bit goofy on both cars) has not softened. Not everyone who dislikes the design is a Philistine. It isn't a resistance to change. The 360, the 458, the 599, the F12, the Roma, the 296, the SP1/2, the SP3 - those were all significant design changes and I loved them all instantly. The 12C is the first Ferrari launch I can remember that missed the mark for me. Taste is subjective and this design is divisive. I'm surprised that people on both sides of the argument have trouble seeing that.
Definitely can respect what you say! I can say 12C is retro to me in coupe form and has a vibe to it that my other cars don’t have. We all have different visions but I like to look what you guys have brewing always
I totally get that! I'm glad that a lot of folks like it and I think it's fantastic that Ferrari is building this car. Who cares what I think? Only thing that matters is that you like it.
I might not love the design, but I hope Ferrari can sell every single 12C they can make. That way, at least they will want to take the opportunity to make the next V12 monster and we can continue to enjoy and debate these amazing pure bred beasts.
Just allow the customers to paint the black parts... Who wants them body colored..end of debates.. Why not ferrari listening?.. Aren’t they aware of the fact that lots and lots of people hate that black front part?
Why worry about painting those parts when you can wrap them to match most basic colors and it’s reversible. As for liking a design on first impression or not it’s rare I love an entire design. 458- loved everything but the mustache and that never changed. 488- loved the front but the side inlets looked like aftermarket shenanigans. Pista Speciale were the best looking of the that bunch and the F8 a close second.F12- loved it all but the rear internal organ. The 812 was a bit overdone with the surface details but I did get use to it. The TdF was a tour de force while the 812C took the surface details to a new frontier- lost in space. The 12C is-different. The surface details are fewer and relate more to simple aeronautical design as opposed to the 812 and its extensive French curves. I dislike the front and rear of the coupe of the 12C and the black bits worsen my impression. The spider version I like the rear 2/3. The rear nacelles are much better integrated than the ones on the 812GTS which looks ungainly from certain angles. I do hope Ferrari decides to do a VS version of the car as I seem to gravitate to those designs more(except for the 812C) These are my opinions and as such take them for what they are worth- nothing. In about 10 years we’ll see which of the above cars will be chershed(so far the VS versions, 458, and F12 are doing well)
Because at this point, I feel like they do not care about what most of us want. They don't have to. They are Ferrari. If you don't like the way they do things, you can go somewhere else as far as they are concerned. I feel that is a conflicting outlook, because Enzo's passion and adherence to that policy brought the company to where it was when I found myself awestruck by it as a boy, although he had passed over a decade before then. While many things are happening that I don't enjoy to Ferrari, they are happening to other brands too (small turbo engines, hybrids, screens on everything). However there isn't much of an excuse for the design. It's been going downhill for the most part since Pininfarina parted ways. Sure, some cues here and there aren't bad. And some of the cars look good. But for the most part it's been bad. Nobody should have to explain a car's design and argue how it doesn't look terrible to the extent that is happening with this car. A Ferrari design should evoke passion, not bewilderment.
Did Ferrari ever care about what the customer wants (with the exception of one offs). My impression has been that they always went their way. Am I wrong about that?
Well to give an example from some time ago; LCdM said the FF was produced at the urging of his Ferrari friends. That was the vehicle they wanted and got from Ferrari.
I was not aware of that. I was thinking earlier when Enzo was running things. He doesn’t strike me as someone who tested the waters before releasing something.
Watch this video and meet the lead designer for not only the 12C but also the 812 and F12 His more youthful age as well as his physical size play a role in his designs both exterior and interior.