Ferrari 849 Testarossa Styling | Page 22 | FerrariChat

Ferrari 849 Testarossa Styling

Discussion in 'SF90/849' started by technom3, Sep 9, 2025.

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  1. SAT4RE

    SAT4RE Formula Junior

    Dec 5, 2003
    601
    Blairsville, GA
    This may be of interest to some. When we remove ourselves from our little microcosm of Ferrari Fanatics and talk to people outside of this realm about these cars, their perspectives are often fascinating, or at least very different, than ours.

    Yesterday evening, with everything ready to go and some time to kill in the cockpit before push, I turned to my First Officer (a former F-15 squadron commander and overall Man's Man) and said I wanted his opinion on something. I had already established that he wasn't much of a car guy. I first asked if he remembered the Testarossa from the 1980s. He did quite well. I then told him that a new one had just arrived, and that I wanted his opinion on its looks. I said nothing about mine or any other's opinions on the car. I then showed him the photos. His first comment was, "My daughter would say it's way too low to the ground!" He then said, "That's a cool looking car. I like it." I then pressed him for more thoughts. At this point, he realized this was an interrogation. He looked at it awhile longer and said, "Well, I don't really like the front with the big hole." I then asked if anything else struck him. He kept staring at it, and, again, said it looked good. "Nothing else?" I asked one more time. "Nope." I then asked what he thought about the vertical stripe. He was fine with that. I then told him that that vertical stripe and the stripe on the nose were much derided. I then specifically asked him if that vertical stripe bothered him. He shrugged, saying "No. It's a good looking car."

    So, there you go. An observation from an outsider, and it was like I had to literally point to the vertical stripe to get him to see what I wanted him to comment on. He seemed to be looking at the whole and not the minutiae. Even then, when it was pointed out, he didn't have any problem with it. Other than the big hole in the front, he liked the car.
     
    Lukeylikey, inox, dhari and 2 others like this.
  2. SAT4RE

    SAT4RE Formula Junior

    Dec 5, 2003
    601
    Blairsville, GA
    Here's a quick follow-up to the above post. I'm sitting here eating lunch with my FO, and he just said to me, "You know, I was in the gym this morning, and started thinking about that black stripe you asked me about, and why it doesn't bother me. It occurred to me that it reminds me of the intakes of the T-38 I used to instruct in. They are basically vertical, and sometimes have a vertical stripe painted along the front of them."

    He likes the look of it, because it reminds him of his old jet.
     
    inox and Boomhauer like this.
  3. MDEL

    MDEL F1 Rookie
    Rossa Subscribed

    Feb 24, 2016
    4,112
    Southern Europe
    Full Name:
    Mario
    Different people view Ferrari cars very differently, and IMO, they can perhaps be subdivided into two categories. Those who know little or nothing about the brand, which I believe are the overwhelming majority, and for whom a Ferrari can be associated with wealth, power, prestige, high performance, beauty, and a lifestyle of luxury and success.
    Then there is the rest. The Ferraristas, who have a deep knowledge of the brand's history, the design, and technical characteristics of many of its models. Those whose emotional connection with Ferrari was established through classic models and who base their aesthetic references on the past. The ones who see Ferrari design as a blend of art and engineering and who have learned to appreciate its deep connection to racing heritage. Those who believe that a Ferrari becomes beautiful when it is very fast or wins and emphasize the performance-driven aspect of its appeal.
    Despite all of them seeing a Ferrari car as an object that should trigger emotion and a sense of magic, there are very different aesthetic criteria, with some liking more classic design elements and others preferring more aggressive and futuristic features. The reality is that in any Ferrari, there are always those who find the design breathtaking and beautiful, those who think it's neither beautiful nor ugly, and the ones who find it hideous.
     
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  4. inox

    inox Formula Junior

    Oct 11, 2017
    624
    This is interesting because the black band in the rear intake reminds also me from some fighter jet. I even tried to search images earlier but didn't really find what I was looking for.
     
  5. inox

    inox Formula Junior

    Oct 11, 2017
    624
    I might be mixing it also to passenger airplane engine inlets. Those have sometimes chrome circle at the front. I have been wondering how it would look if rear intake black band in 849 would be changed to chrome one.
     
  6. gliazzurri

    gliazzurri Formula Junior

    Jun 11, 2016
    554
    Maryland
    Exactly right and clearly the company is aiming at the former here. Any non enthusiast has a very high chance of seeing some new supercar and saying it looks cool or fast or whatever. For some a crappy bottle of wine is still a good bottle. But the enthusiasts know the difference especially from a lineage standpoint. The other person isn’t wrong. They are just more broadly responsive to anything, not necessarily bespoke design concepts.
     
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  7. Ferrari 360 CS

    Ferrari 360 CS F1 Veteran

    Dec 4, 2004
    6,901
    Cape Town,SA
    Full Name:
    Jacques
    Not sure I agree with this, there are quite a few elements of past cars, not least of which bein the winglets at the back which are very 512S. The front of the car has a similar squared off appearance to a 512Bb.
     
    inox likes this.
  8. inox

    inox Formula Junior

    Oct 11, 2017
    624
    True. Even though 849 is having some bold new elements, it is relating with historical models more than SF90.
     
    RZM_enzo and Ferrari 360 CS like this.
  9. willcrook

    willcrook F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Feb 3, 2009
    2,805
    UK
    a friend who's not a car guy sent me this photo recently, I am not sure if ferrari's styling is as distinctively ferrari as it used to be

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  10. Ferrari 360 CS

    Ferrari 360 CS F1 Veteran

    Dec 4, 2004
    6,901
    Cape Town,SA
    Full Name:
    Jacques
    I find it truly strange the Corvette link because honestly the 12c looks completely different to the C8. Ironically in South Africa where a C8 is much rare than a Ferrari its the Vette thats likely to get more attention.
     
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  11. jumpinjohn

    jumpinjohn F1 Veteran
    Rossa Subscribed

    Mar 22, 2013
    7,773
    Texas
    Full Name:
    John
    Doesn’t mean much to me. I have had several people mistake our 812SF for a corvette….

    Besides, there are people who think taillights on any particular Ferrari look like Camaro lights…
     
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  12. King_P

    King_P Karting
    Rossa Subscribed

    Oct 9, 2021
    106
    @willcrook
    Everyone knows what a rolex is.

    Not everyone knows what an AP or a Patek is.

    Think about it that way.
     
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  13. MDEL

    MDEL F1 Rookie
    Rossa Subscribed

    Feb 24, 2016
    4,112
    Southern Europe
    Full Name:
    Mario
    The Ferrari 288GTO was penned more than 40 years ago by Leonardo Fioravanti( Pininfarina )and is widely praised for its beauty. The car features wide flared fenders and distinct air intakes similar to those of the 849. The prominent black vertical side intake on the 849 flanks, a key styling element used by Flavio Manzoni, seems to fit the 288GTO perfectly. The only problem is that this element, in the case of the GTO, completely distorts the car profile design.




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  14. gliazzurri

    gliazzurri Formula Junior

    Jun 11, 2016
    554
    Maryland
    I’m not sure I understand what you are getting at. What are you not agreeing with? I understand the second line but not the comment in general.
     
  15. DeSoto

    DeSoto F1 Veteran

    Nov 26, 2003
    7,869
    #541 DeSoto, Oct 3, 2025 at 3:04 AM
    Last edited: Oct 3, 2025 at 3:10 AM
    You may like them or not, but I think that if someone doesn´t recognize modern Ferraris must be because he only knows them for Magnum PI and Miami Vice. Excepting the Purosangue for obvious reasons, all the current models are some sort of remake, hommage, etc... of previous cars, Actually, I think maybe they´re playing the retro card too hard. The exception could be the F80, but it´s not a car you´re going to see often anyway.
     
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  16. Gh21631

    Gh21631 F1 Veteran
    Silver Subscribed

    Feb 24, 2011
    9,337
    East
    As it distorts the 849 as well. I know it is all personal opinion but it would look better without. I do need to see this car in person though.
     
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