Well 'yes and no' to that fill the space idea. When the 458 design was first presented to Ferrari I believe there was a fender vent or scoop in that space as had been featured on other earlier mid-engine Ferrari model. However for what ever reason LdM was not happy with this effect. He told Pininfarina to go back and design something else to give a cleaner look to the sides of the Italia. That result was the space clearly illustrated in yellow above a few posts here. LdM was very particular about the details and had to be convinced on the merit of a design feature before he would approve it for a new Ferrari design. Another example of this was the 'flying buttress' effect for the back window area on the 599 GTB Fiorano model. Initially he didn't want that design detail until he learned of the aerodynamic benefits of having it included in the design. Another small detail was the design of the wind deflector mounted behind the seats for the 430 spider. The initial design did not work properly and LdM held up the production until an improved design could be fitted to the spider. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Yep. And based on industry news stories and invites to technology seminars in the Detroit area, I'm sensing autonomy is simply blowing up as a technology. And I assert autonomy will affect automotive design as much as, if not more than advances in engine size reduction, frame/body construction techniques, metallurgy, engine layout, the shift from an IE engine to an electric one, etc. Autonomy changes quite a lot. Exciting times! -F
Thanks for the detailed information. Sounds like LdM fancied himself as a designer, not unlike B. Lutz & L. Iacocca, among others.
When there was a car show coming up be it Geneva or Paris there were lots of meetings between LdM and his staff to chose which cars would appear. Once that was decided he personally passed judgment on the color combinations and trim for each 'show car' that would represent Ferrari at the show. He was very 'hands on' with many decisions that you might think would be left up to other people...
I too appreciate the information. But LdM ceased what had been a strength of the Ferrari aesthetics, the free hand to have a cohesive design as envisioned by the designer with only an up or down final vote. Other applicable terms: unadulterated, no camel, no design by committee, single vision.
I think LdM who we should remember spent time in the past running the F1 team had a good understanding of what advantages aerodynamic efficiency could bring to a car. Even though he didn't have a great appreciation for the older Ferrari race cars. It was the aero excuse that the designer first used to justify the scoop in the side of the Italia. LdM told them to find another way to get that aero result but with a cleaner look to the Italia design. LdM used aero as the unfair advantage that wasn't really visible unless you knew where to look. I agree to the point of a single vision but old traditions and concepts are constantly being challenged for better or worse... Image Unavailable, Please Login
A little late to the party, but wanted to comment on this. I don't like overwrought, but the grey Mazda looks like a lot of "nothingness", smooth surfaces notwithstanding. Or maybe because it's too smooth. Zero personality and will only get worse when "productionized".
No doubt 'things will happen' when the realities of mass production rear it's ugly head, however, I for one still applaud the restraint. It may wind up looking neutered, but I'm expecting their best in execution. The front & rear should retain the 'personality' of the original. Stay tuned, we'll see.
Good point but Toyota sold a lot of 'bland' cars for years and banked 26 Billion dollars for their efforts. Since Toyota has now gone car crazy perhaps Mazda is hoping to fill the void... Even Kia is getting more artistic when it comes to car design!
Hey, he designed the layout of the letters in the quote too! "design:it's important." Speaking of John, I saw a "Cadillac" today on the Interstate. It was clearly a Nissan Altima with a bad bodykit on it and Cadillac CTS badges. Also... the paint was lurid purple with a frozen/matt effect. I thought of John as I mused... "Someone should kill that car with fire." Our fellow FChatter did a much better job with that design. Sorry, no pictures. I don't touch my phone when I'm driving. All the best, Andrew.
I hate basic door handle, thus I decided to change it. And delete other thing like....rear doors https://www.flickr.com/photos/136620090@N04/24322898268/in/album-72157677325302703/ And topless is also good https://www.flickr.com/photos/136620090@N04/38175476421/in/album-72157677325302703/
And some other things like changes in laws. Here is some speculation that autonomous cars might make jaywalking in cities legal again. If this occurs, the downside is that crowds may make the autonomous cars need to yield to pedestrians and have a difficult time transversing the city, thus defeating the purpose in urban areas. http://money.cnn.com/2017/11/03/technology/culture/autonomous-vehicles-jaywalking/index.html Ironically, it was automakers that that invented the "crime" of jaywalking so they could have domain over the streets: https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-forgotten-history-of-how-automakers-invented-the-crime-of-jaywalking-816728195
There are so many unanswered questions regarding autonomous vehicles, and their interaction with the surrounding environment.
That's surprising. Accomplished everything he wanted to there and decided to move on? I thought he'd be there for a very long term. All the best, Andrew.
Frank was headed back to MINI I read a couple months ago, but didn't happen, it seems. Notable 'Frank' Quote: "I'm flat-out NOT fond of modern-day cars, They're going to where ugly cars are the new beautiful. Everybody loves the '50s and '60s in terms of what those cars were like. And we've kind of lost that romance of the design from that period, where the goal was to design a beautiful car, and people would love it at first sight. Nobody had to 'get used to' the design."
