the 458 is the last beautiful ferrari

I think the side vents on the Pista remind me of the horrible vents on the production Countach, which was much less pretty then the LM400 its prototype.

 

I think the 550 was the last beautiful Ferrari. Its all very subjective.

 

The Modificata models - second generation on the same platform - are hit and miss with me. Only the 456M was a more beautiful car than the original to my eyes. The 512M is probably the worst, as that design just looks ridiculous without popup headlights (Yes, I know it's much better as a car). The 430 is a better performer than the 360, and it looks mas macho, but it's not as clean and beautiful as the 360 for me. I'd say the situation with the 458/488 is very similar. Objectively the 488 is better, but not as beautiful as the original.

I am surprised by how much I like the Portofino - it's a pretty car! - so lets wait and see what the next generation mid V8 looks like. It could be amazing.

 

I like the Barchetta a lot.

 

As a professional designer for the last ~30 years I find there to be great difference between words like 'beautiful' 'cool' aggressive' etc...

There are very few 'beautiful' cars made after the 90s. Lots of 'cool' cars and lots of 'aggressive' cars though

For example, as i said above, the 550 is the last 'beautiful' Ferrari in my eyes. But the 458 is 'cool' and the LaFerrari is 'aggressive'

They are not the same thing in my, and most other professional designers i know, opinion.

 

Completely functional and I think very well done. Each to their own but I think they did a great job on this for a modern machine. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Wow...this thread amazes me! Am I am the only one who thinks Ferrari just keeps out doing themselves time and again and over and over!????
Have they had some duds? Yes, but whichever F-car you think falls into that dud category their is someone who drools all over it. That being said here are my Favs: 288 GTO, Dino, F50, F355, Enzo, 599 GTO and of course all the lightweights (360 CS, 430 Scud, 458 Speciale, 488 Pista) and the irony here for me is that the 360's, 430's, 458's & 488's are all bada$$ F-cars in there own rite! I can hardly wait to see whats next for the 488 replacement?

 

For me, the last beautiful cars, in their categories, are: 456M for V12 2+2, 550/575M for V12 GT (I have no preference between the two), the 360 for mid V8, and the F50 for halo car.

I can understand 612 fans, as I love that car too, and the 458 is awesome, but... not really classically beautiful to me. Same for Enzo and LaF.

 

Just because one does not feel a car is beautiful does not mean they feel its ugly. The world isnt so black and white.

Most exotics i find to be cool looking but thats not the same as beautiful. Same as a hot girl is not necessarily a beautiful girl.

 

I prefer the Pista to both he 458 and 488 because it fully embraces the aggressive quality instead of trying to balance it with 'beauty' as the 458 attempts to do, unsuccessfully IMO.

 

I think the 550 Barchetta is the last beautiful Ferrari. However, I think the LaFerrari is the best looking Ferrari made in a while. It's a very complex design and two dimensional photos do it not justice. It's not what I would describe as beautiful, but it's striking and captivating.

 

Well said. I love the LaFerrari for its aggressiveness.

 

There are many kinds of beauty. The internal workings of a Swiss Watch can be beautiful.
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Agreed. I can look at a LaFerrari and see pieces of beauty within it, but as an overall design I dont find it beautiful, just aggressive in a VERY cool way. But Im not trying to dictate what others see. Just what i do.

 

Agree with this. For me the reason the cool and aggressive Ferrari's are not beautiful is that they are not unique. While a 488 can be distinguished from a McLaren or Lambo the visual styling cues are all the same. You can even see the same styling features in a Vette. Ferrari's were beautiful when they set a standard in style as well as performance.

 

I once tried to explain the difference between girls at that beautiful, cute, and hot to an ex-gf. That was quite a useless endeavor.

 

Oh that's easy!

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I have always been attracted to Italian design and for beauty the 456m is real close to the top, having said that I have no idea why I find the FF to be beautiful but then as a young man I found Barbra Streisand strangely beautiful..
D.

 

No doubt imho your best ever post

 

See i think the 458 looks better then the 488 too. Except from 50 ft the 488 is pretty cool looking. Ironically the wife and i didnt care for the 488 spider we drove and my wife stated that if i bought a 488 she didnt want to ride in it. Also among the other cars mentioned I prefer the tools of the 360 over the 430 but prefer the performance of the 430 over the 360 by a long shot. Like the california, cali t and portofino but have dislikes and likes of all 3 cars. Like the 355 over the 348. All that being said the next guy will think something totally opposite of me and thats ok too. At the end of the day i feel pretty privileged to be able to afford to consider the purchase of a Ferrari.

 

Well why would the youth like Ferrari, Im 32 and I bought my childhood dream car the 575 but I would never play all of Ferrari's nonsense games to get new cars while they just selectively give them out to collectors who dont want them. I want an 812 and my local dealer has a perfect spec car, but its not for sale. The owner apparently loves it so much he doesn't want to sell it but he also doesn't have time/room for it at home so he leaves it at the dealer. Meanwhile there's people who want it and willing to pay over sticker( I offered $70k over bc they offered me a spec I didn't want for $70k over) and the people who actually want cars can't get them. I get why all my younger friends with exotics now are driving lamborghini's or mclaren's. Those brands aren't as pretentious as Ferrari and you can actually get your hands on one. It sucks bc growing up all I wanted is Ferrari, I love the history of the brand but at the same time there are other brands that make amazing cars today, that wasn't the case 40 years ago. So unless Ferrari starts investing a little in the younger owners I can see 20-30 years down the road where all the guys like me and my friends are driving other brands. Ferrari isn't the only show in town like 1975 anymore, they need to realize this

 

So do I. I also miss when the cars were designed in a studio rather than a wind tunnel.

Joe

 

I agree the 458 is a very beatiful car. I'm not much of a fan of the way things are going with their current line up. The decision to go with a 4 seater was ill advised as far as looks go. It doesn't stand out much from what other manufacturers are producing. it doesn't turn heads instantly.

 

Everything about the Pista looks fantastic, except those side scoops [in pictures].