Ferrari F80

Rosario Scelsi is an Italian journalist who has written many articles about classic and modern Ferraris, and one of them, one of my favorites, compares the designs of Pininfarina with those of Flavio Manzoni. Last year before anyone has tested the F80, RS wrote an article titled "Ferrari SP3 vs. F80: A Perfect Comparison of Two Maranello Icons,". Below I've transcribed some of the text excerpts translated into English.

“This is a truly high-flying affair, with a pair of jewels at the pinnacle of the Maranello legend.The Ferrari Daytona SP3 and F80 are two of the finest expressions of the Prancing Horse philosophy. Both limited editions belong to two distinct and prestigious families of the brand.They share the brand, the spirit, and exclusivity, but they are very different."

"Turning the spotlight to performance, there's no doubt that the Ferrari F80 wins hands down, but the analog romance of the Daytona SP3's naturally aspirated V12 engine is priceless and greatly compensates for the performance gap over the other, which is especially evident on the track. The name of the Icon Series model celebrates the memory of the hat-trick achieved by the Maranello-based manufacturer at the 1967 24 Hours of Daytona. Its inspiration was the legendary 330 P4, but the 250 P5 Berlinetta Speciale Pininfarina guided the styling choices for the rear end. The LaFerrari Aperta provided the structural foundation, with radical visual and philosophical changes. Here, for example, the hybrid component is missing. A beautiful way to touch the heart of those who love beautiful cars with a pure, classic style. The look is strong and decisive, yet also sensual and sinuous. Let's just say its forms are simply stunning. Flavio Manzoni did an excellent job.
Under the rear hood beats a 6.5-liter V12, delivering 840 horsepower, as genuine as a true feeling. Its soundtrack is the best you could wish for."

"Decidedly less beautiful, though still a dream, is the Ferrari F80, heir to the various GTOs, F40s, F50s, Enzos, and LaFerraris. Here, it's expressive power rather than stylistic harmony that captures the eye. There's nothing to complain about with the rear view mirror or the three-quarter view, but the full-width black fascia, inspired by that of the 365 GTB/4 "Daytona," connecting the front headlights, raises some eyebrows, almost as much as the front fender design, which disrupts the otherwise decidedly superior profile. For purists, this car is a bit tangled and doesn't capture the eye and heart with the same fluidity as the other. Flavio Manzoni expressed himself less well here. Even the choice of the twin-turbo hybrid V6 doesn't quite deliver on the emotional, historical, and acoustic levels of the other's V12, despite expressing, overall, significantly superior horsepower, which translates into performance from another planet. There's no doubt that the Daytona SP3 exudes more romance and appeal.
"From an engineering perspective, the latest addition to the Prancing Horse line is stratospheric. Every construction detail and mechanical element has been meticulously calibrated, with targeted, nanotechnological choices. The attention to aerodynamics is also sublime, taken to the extreme and enhanced with active components. There's no doubt that the pursuit of optimal downforce and heat flow has impacted the look, making it less fluid than expected. On the track at Fiorano, it seems to fly, here, the Daytona SP3 has to surrender, almost helplessly.”

 

Pre-production model (according to the photographer) by @derek.photography.

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A couple of more views >

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- Derek Photography

 

Full story by Laurent Chevalier is now out in English at the following page:

https://www.forza-mag.com/issues/225/articles/quantum-leap

"Quantum Leap
The F80 isn’t just the best supercar in the world—it redefines what a supercar is.

On a steep country road in the Marche region of Italy, about 30 miles south of San Marino, I wasn’t expecting to experience a revelation, yet that’s exactly what happens. Better still, it’s an apparition, dazzling evidence, an eminently palpable sign that reveals a supreme state of driving. The ten minutes stolen behind the wheel of the F80 during our photo shoot will remain etched in my memory forever—and I’m talking about a level of sensation that relegates to oblivion the last 20 years of testing every supercar on the planet.
To be clear, this Ferrari marks a decisive step forward compared to the likes of Pagani, Koenigsegg, Bugatti, and the Aston Martin Valkyrie, among others. I’m not just referring to its dynamic qualities, but also—and above all—to its ability to generate sensations, to make you experience moments that give the impression of levitation."

 

Can you link an article by him that actually compares Pininfarina with Manzoni? The above on compares two Manzoni designs. Thanks.

 

This article was written in Italian and I translated it into english and posted it here on F.C. Because I don't have it in pdf I'll post it again below.


Ferrari: Pininfarina design vs. Manzoni design
Designing Ferraris is difficult, but Manzoni is up to the task, even if the comparison with Pininfarina is intimidating.

By Rosario Scelsi 27/07/2021,

Flavio Manzoni's design is also a hot topic online, where users often compare his Ferraris to those created by Pininfarina. The latter, due to its historic connection to the Maranello-based manufacturer, represents an essential reference point in analyzing the style of the "prancing horse" brand.
The list of masterpieces born from the Turin-based atelier's creative flair is endless. The vast majority of them have earned a place in history, as four-wheeled sculptures. A prestigious and cumbersome name, therefore, with which comparisons are impossible, unless one focuses on the most "recent" era of Ferrari. But even here, everything becomes terribly difficult for those who hold the reins of Ferrari design today.
To try to make the comparison more consistent, let's start with 1975, the year the Ferrari 308 GTB debuted. A work of art worthy of the finest tradition, followed by a long trail of other stylistic masterpieces. I'm thinking of the various BB 512, GTO, Testarossa, F40, 348, 456, F355, F50, 550 Maranello, 360 Modena, Enzo, F430, 599 GTB, 458 Italia, and F12 Berlinetta, to name just a few of the cars I consider the most successful from that era. These are models of great charm and personality, easily distinguishable from all the others. Their volumes perfectly encapsulate the essence of elegance, fluidity, harmony, originality, character, grit, compositional perfection, and recognizability. Pininfarina's class makes the difference, and in the aforementioned models, it is clearly evident.

The modern stylistic era of the "prancing horse"
Only the Ferrari Monza SP1 and SP2 by Flavio Manzoni express the same formal balance, but for the others, the comparison is a bit harder to bear. Sure, the 488 and F8 are impressive, but the side was weighed down compared to the 458 by an air intake that perhaps could have been better interpreted. The 812 also represents a stylistic step backwards compared to the F12berlinetta, appearing too loaded with elements that disrupt the fluidity and cleanliness of the lines. Its stage presence is strong, but its beauty is less pure than that of its predecessor, whose aesthetic definition, however, was contributed to by Flavio Manzoni.
The impression is that the Sardinian designer possesses bursts of great genius, but that he is unable to always harmonize them perfectly, as Pininfarina did. The details in his cars are impeccable, but the overall impression is sometimes marred by something, a jarring note. While with Pininfarina there was no doubt that the next "red" would immediately capture the heart for its style, with Manzoni there is always great anxiety and nothing can be taken for granted.

The Road to the Present
There are exceptions: the 458 Speciale is very successful, as are the California T and the Portofino, which outperform the Pininfarina California from which they were inspired. The LaFerrari also competes on equal terms with the Enzo. The Roma is a testament to its formal purity, worthy of the brand's great historical tradition, but its porous body-colored grille is hard to stomach. The headlights also leave room for some doubt.The SF90 Stradale is visually striking, but while the side profile is top-notch, the same cannot be said of the front, especially the rear view mirror. This is significantly improved on the SF90 Spider, which modified the rear window area, making it much more linear and streamlined. One of the few cases in which an open-top, even when closed, outperforms a coupé. The 296 GTB also raises many questions, with its extraordinarily beautiful volumes combined with others that are far less convincing. I'll leave aside my opinion on the Assetto Fiorano's two-tone paint job, which borders on bad taste. Obviously, this is just my personal opinion, like all the others I've expressed before, stemming from my own personal conception of beauty, which may be light years away from yours.

Pininfarina and Manzoni: Two Visions of Ferrari Art
At this point, it's time for conclusions. For me, Pininfarina is unrivaled, but I grew up with the legend of the Testarossa and F40, and this perhaps influences my judgment. Flavio Manzoni, for his part, is a great man with visions that push beyond the norm. He's certainly a champion, meticulously attending to even the smallest details, but in assembling the individual excellences of his designs, he sometimes loses the overall vision, and this is evident in the frequent presence of something that disrupts the fluidity of the dialogue and the coherence of the vocabulary. Perhaps it's something refined and deliberate, but I prefer a less complex stylistic approach. It must be said that the performance evolution of modern Ferraris has increasingly placed greater emphasis on aerodynamic and functional aspects, with repercussions on the purity and harmony of the style. Manzoni has to deal with these aspects more than Pininfarina. Then there are the tastes of emerging markets, but I don't find this a strong motivation, because art shouldn't bow to trends and markets but should set trends and educate markets to the cult of beauty. In any case, Flavio Manzoni's Ferraris are also spectacular.

 

Thanks for the articles guys,

One of the many passages that stick out in the Forza F80 article:

I looked up the author, Mr. Laurent Chevalier, he seems to be a well regarded auto journalist. This is immense praise.

 

Laurent Chevalier is a well regarded auto journalist Indeed..

 

Many thanks. The author very much has an understanding of the impact of the two approaches. Could only imagine the F80 tech in a PF design.

 

The aero would dictate the design anyway. Not to mention that not all PF designs were that great...

 

Not all cars with aero look the same. It doesn't have to be a jumbled mess especially down the sides. Nor have mandatory paint color. Interiors are also designer specific.

 

The F80 was designed by a guy who spent 9 years at PF.

 

Nobody's perfect.

 

As always that is a matter of taste.

 

that is true, but only to curtain extend. Many details could have been different, especially bonnet and front fenders. They could resemble F40 without being higher than a hood, like they are on f40, for example.
I guess we will never know.
Yes both did " hit and miss" .
Let's have this talk in 20 years, if alive