Has Ferrari Lost It's Luster?

Ferrari is no longer cars for the enthusiasts. They are gaudy fashion statements for the tech entrepreneur and designer hand bag crowd.

I remember years back i wanted to upgrade my wardrobe so i went to a mall, I wanted a look that was sharp, tasteful, and simple. All I could find in these designer outlets were clothes that were flamboyant, gaudy, and obnoxious looking.

I feel like Ferrari is going in that direction. Be as obnoxious looking as possible to get as much attention as possible. Doesn't have to look good as long is it gets attention. I hear all of the journalists use the word "striking"

 

So Ferrari is the new Lambo?

 

Pretty much. Or at least they are trying to be. Numbers aside, I feel like Pagani went the direction Ferrari could and should have gone. Classy, elegant cars, with an extreme attention to detail, that just ooze passion. Art on wheels. Timeless.

Instead we get an ugly mashup of Tron and Legos.

 

Another take on the topic.

 

Well their design is going in that direction. I’ve said that for some time on here.

 

Apt description.

This is why I want Ferrari to bring back Pininfarina. Whatever PF's shortcomings, and they certainly don't knock everything out of the park, I don't think I'd be describing the cars as an ugly mashup of Tron and Legos.

 

It is true that negativity is attractive on social media, yet I do not think it can influence our perception of these ugly cars. I do not use any of them and still I am very disappointed by the last designs. (The most social thing I use is just Ferrarichat, ahah).
Bye.
Nic

 

There are several former Pininfarina designers at Ferrari Centro Stile.

(Deleted his name ) has always been driven by a strong passion for design and sculpture, which guided his academic and professional path. He studied Fine Arts before moving to Milan to pursue industrial design. In 2001 he moved to Turin, where he completed his studies at IED and joined Pininfarina in 2005.

Over the next decade, he contributed to several Ferrari projects, including the

458 Italia as main designer—a model that introduced a new design direction for Ferrari's V8 berlinetta, combining clarity, proportion, and aerodynamic integration.

Through projects he collaborated on, such as the 458 Spider, FF, F12berlinetta, GTC4Lusso, and the Sergio concept car, he developed a strong professional foundation, refining a design approach rooted in precision, proportion, and performance.

In 2015, he joined Ferrari's in-house design team in Maranello, marking a new phase in his career. His first project was the SP38, a one-off based on the 488 GTB that pushed Ferrari's design language to its limit while remaining iconic and instantly recognizable.

In 2019, he was lead designer of the F8 Tributo, followed by the F8 Spider. That same year, he was appointed Head of Exterior Design for all mid-rear-engine Ferrari models.

The 296 GTB, unveiled in 2021, was the first project fully developed under his direction. It reinterprets the essence of Ferrari's 1960s berlinettas-compact, technical, and performance-driven-projected into a contemporary vision.

Later that year, the Daytona SP3 was revealed, inspired by Ferrari's historic sports prototypes. With its extreme proportions and strong identity, it represents a synthesis of engineering and form.

In 2023, Ferrari returned to Le Mans with the 499P, its first factory entry in fifty years. Carlo and his team helped define its visual character, balancing performance, identity, and clarity.

In 2024, he led the development of the F80, Ferrari's latest supercar, defined by a scientific and essential design language. Its floating-disc architecture and advanced aerodynamics translate complexity into pure form.

In 2025, the 296 Speciale arrived—a berlinetta focused on maximum driving engagement, shaped with precision, balance, and intensity.

 

Sounds like he was promising, with good potential.
I wonder what happened - Early /fluke/luck ran out? Committee-ized?

 

For me, personally, new Ferrari has lost its luster but, Luca/Pininfarina era cars have gained more luster. Hence, my current car being a 458 with no intent or desire for anything newer.

 

Yup 100%
The Scuderia was the last Ferrari built…….the new stuff…..meh!

 

I always try to avoid to be critical because I don’t like it, but it seems that this guy miss the studies that made Sergio Pininfarina and Leonardo Fioravanti: mechanical engineering.
If you don’t have a deep understanding of mechanics, fluid dynamics and else, I guess you can be tempted to sketch things just for the sake of being different, or shocking, or to make some strange design associations - like car details that remind a fighter jet or a coffee machine or a UFO.
If instead you’re just focussed on cars and know how they work, deeply, probably you’re more inclined to design something that works well and is beautiful and does nor need to suggest anything different.

In my opinion this is the point: the Fcars we love the most just are those cars without suggesting anything else. A 250 SWB or a 275 GTB or a BB or a F355 or a 308, just look complete as they are, they do not suggest anything else than themselves.
Instead all these new things remind something else: to me a Roma reminds some Astons and I don’t see any need to name a car after a town to associate it to the(forever lost) dolce vita. Amalfi is possibly the worst name association of all. The 849 reminds you the FLegos, the rear of the 296 is a newer 250 LM, the FF and other recent front engined seem Bat mobiles, I’ve seen a SP3 in the museum and is all but beautiful.

 

He's at Ferrari now. Read his resume.

 

Seems they’re a bit damned if they do/damned if they don’t. The 296 design isn’t over the top or over designed and people tend to dislike it for a myriad of reasons. Design being at the top of the list. I personally don’t love anything post F8, but the 296 design has grown on me a bit. I just came back from Corsa Pilota at Leguna Seca and the capabilities on that car certainly makes up for the design being a bit on the duller side. I love the Speciale esthetically and I do feel that’s what the 296 should have been. All that said, it seems when Ferrari keeps things simple it’s TOO simple and when they go in, they go too far. They need to find balance but this generation is def a misstep. I believe they will recover. Performance wise they are killing it.

 

That is exactly my point.

Was the 458 a fluke?....
..... and now, an ever-growing committee or focus group of 13 year-olds is in the design room at all times?

 

I’ve heard that several ex-Pininfarina people were working at Ferrari, which is well and good, but it’s not likely that the final designs are the same as if Pininfarina was still designing the cars.

I mean, I dunno. Regardless of the qualifications/pedigree of the individuals who make up the design team at Ferrari today, the post-Pininfarina designs don’t float my boat. SP3 Daytona, F80, new TR…I get Tron and Legos. Maybe I’m wrong and Pininfarina would give us the same; hard saying not knowing, I guess.

 

Promote this man. I love everything on that list except the black mask on the F80. And I have a feeling that wasn't his...