The Enzo reimagined.... Jim's Ferrari P 4/5 by Pininfarina

i'm actually happy that you guys are so passionate about this car(p4/5) and topic.it really does shed light into the typical tifosi mentality;and i hope that some other designers,including those at pininfarina read these comments.
thruth be told,other design houses,while respecting the mystique of pininfarina;
have felt that perhaps ferrari design hasn't been 100% lately.perhaps we've erred too,as the market(yourselves) keep lapping up designs churrned of late
with much relish.what keeps designers on our toes is your likes,the consumers;
compared to stylists' fancies,as were the case in the 30s,50s,60s and early 70s.
do maintain your passion for the great classics,but do keep an open mind out
for newer,revolutionary design.thank you.
in trying to gauge ferrari fan interests,mind-set and tastes and i've literarily been crucified,from all areas!
jim,congratulations on your coach-built enzo.it's great that this year alone
so far 3-4 ferraris have been given personal touches by avid fans such as yourself.

 

You infer that you are a designer and come to the conclusion that we "tifosi" are "lapping up" designs. The latter point indicates that you have not really had your ear to the ground and have thus misgaged the reaction of many "tifosi". If you were to educate yourself you will find that certainly the latter designs - F50, Enzo, F430, Modena, and to a lesser extent the 599, have all been critiqued often in unfavorable light. If anything, it shows that many of us are extremely unhappy with Ferrari designs, and the fact that the market keeps buying them as more to do with limited supply and the fact that Ferraris are incredible machines overall, mystique included.
Also as a designer, you should recognize that no design ever becomes truly commercial until the number crunchers and the egos in charge of the client get through proposing/forcing substantive changes to the designers' creation.
Thankfully, Jim' project was allowed to breathe and evolve as it was intended and his vision and Pininfarina's talent is in plain view.
Also, see Kalikow's 612, and above all the Birdcage for further evidence of Pininfarina's being less than "100%".

 

Well said, 355bnut!

@hippo: why won't you apply your strong opinion on the Dino-design-thread?
I'm also very curious with what you could come up with.
I don't want to read pretty talk, I'd like to see pictures of how you think it should be done.

I sure can use some refreshing points of view.
Create some tension to improve creativity!

 

355BNUT,my original thinking was that ferrari have not been 100%.but that's
just the (other/rival)designers and some motoring press.at the end of the day,designers have to listen to all corners,ESPECIALLY THE DIE-HARDS.as muchas i (frustratingly so) tried to imply that maybe we're better off with ALL-NEWdesigns,a whole bunch of tifosis smell blood and attack.ther's nothing wrong with that,it just goes to show the most important market(the owners and die-hards)seem to be madly in love with the current direction of pinin/ferrari.
in a business sense it seems quite pointless to gravitate away as this would alienate you tifosis.i'm ALL FOR CHANGE...but popular opinion wins.
porsche(my 911 comment) tried to change back in the 70s with the 924/914 and especially the 928 series but it almost killed them.fans just couldnt accept that these were "real" porsches;hence the continued success of the 911 series.and that's also why the cayenne looks the way it does.

 

it's constructive criticism that enables us all to go forward..thanks to 355bnut and your posts!
i will try and come up with some "dino" designs(i have to admit there already
IS a modern dino design in production...the f360!)but i shall try to find the time and attempt it anyway and post it to you and 355bnut.PM me your e-mail.tq.

 

I can occur with both your opinions and find the last few posts very interesting to read.
My e-mail is: [email protected]
I hope to see you in the Dino-thread.

Now back to Jim's P4/5 (which I really adore!)

 

I'm not sure I understand what the problem is here.... from my understanding, Mr. Glickenhaus WANTED his car to evoke the styling of the P3/4. At some point in this thread I believe he said something to the effect of "...P3/4 styling ... on an Enzo based chassis." In that sense, mission accomplished. Hippo you seem to think that Pininfarina decided to "copy" the P3/4 because they couldn't think of anything else to do, when in fact they were simply executing the desires of the client. Could Pininfarina/Ferrari make something completely different? Sure. Is that what Mr. Glickenhaus wanted? Nope. Will the P4/5 appeal to everyone? Probably not, but all that matters is that Mr. Glickenhaus is supremely pleased with the end result. After all, he's the one who ponied up the cash, not any of us.

Hippo, on a side note, I happen to agree with you on the Lambo Miura concept. Lamborghini has been known for their wild designs, and creating a 'new-age' Miura is not something I would like to see them do. Whether or not you like the P4/5, Hippo, hopefully you can see the good in this in that Mr. Glickenhaus's car will hopefully convince more collectors to commission custom coach-built cars in the coming years which would open up the doors for designs that might not sell on a large scale.

 

quick question about the unveiling... do i need to show up right at 6:30? or can I be a little late... or is it better to be a little earlier? Also, will there be parking there?

Also what is the dress code like? dress pants and dress shirt? or just a polo? or shirt and coat and tie? Thanks!

 

I'd be early, wear a blue blazer, with tan slacks and a Ferrari logo tie, the real ones, from the Parts Department....LOL!

Only Mr. Bangle wears those safety yellow pants!

And some classic RayBan Wayfarers, like Enzo used to use.....

Have fun, Mr. G.....I want to see the glass roof go up.....like on the proto Birdcage?????? Hinged from one side?

 

This is my last post before they check out the EGT and push the throttles towards the nose.

It will be crowded. Very crowded. At some point the Fire Marshall will close the door and at that point even Enzo will not get in.

Clothes? This is California. Except for very beautiful babes who may come naked all others are asked to wear clothes...

 

I'll be sure to let the lovely lady I'm bringing that it is officially ok to come naked.

I on the other hand will be sure to come with clothes on, getting my shirt and pants pressed and cleaned as we speak.

Peter Hatch

 

Safe travels, compadre.........

*waving*

 

I have decided to try my hand at writing an article. Though I have tried to send it to many magazines most seemed extremely disinterested. Here are the introductory paragraphs. I hope you all enjoy.

"You find yourself in the presence of Pininfarina's newest creation. You taste the octane filling the air. You smell the exhaust, feeling it completely fill your lungs. You hear the gentle purr of the idle instantly spike to the redline, she then screams like a banshee. Her curves are timeless, forever to be lusted after. She is dripping in red paint; her blood. That paint seeming to pulse, her aluminum heart sending 660 horses surging throughout her own galloping body. Looking skyward from inside the glass cockpit reminds you of how much power she has lain in your fingertips, limitless.

Only to awaken from your sleep surrounded by the whir of computers and printers. With every word and picture you could find about this beast still spread across your computer screen"

Any critique is more than welcome.

Peter Hatch

 

thanks... i can't wait for the unveiling!

 

See you all in Pebble Beach Friday night.

 

I won't be there till Saturday - please save some P4/5 goodness for me.

>8^)
ER

 

flying out early tmrw morn... with PF invite in hand... see yall Friday evening!

 

How early do you guys think is early enough? 6? 5:30?

Peter Hatch

 

I'm getting there around 5:30.

 

Thank you, will see you then.

Peter Hatch

 

Well I have heard only bad replies from magazines. So I am posting it here in a few minutes.

Please let me know what you guys think

Peter Hatch

 

A Dream From Within A White Envelope.

You find yourself in the presence of the newest creation from Pininfarina. Key in the ignition, lights on. Engine start. Hear her gentle purr, the idle. You can taste the octane in the air. Smell the exhaust, feel it filling your lungs. Her curves are timeless, so reminiscent of her past life. She knows she is a race car. She howls it through her flaming V12 heart. She is dripping in red paint, her blood. That paint seemingly pulsing. Her aluminum heart sending 660 horses surging throughout her own galloping body. Garage door opens, she is unleashed. She purrs as she leaves her cage. You are inside of her, at her mercy.

You take her to the open road where she can stretch her legs. She accelerates like no car ever could. The seat of your pants telling you that you need to lift off the gas, to brake, but you can't. You can only stay there. Accelerating. Looking at her speedometer, 100 is long past. 180, flashes by instantaneously. 220, and here she is in her element, Where she can make you forget, make you feel free of all daily hassles. From inside her you can hear everything. At full speed you hear her roar, as though her kitten like purr had grown into something much more fierce, the lion inside her begging to be driven hard. You see everything around you. Looking skyward from inside her glass cockpit you reminds you of how much power she has lain in your fingertips, limitless.

The sound of the mailbox slamming closed throws you out of your day dream. The mail seemed strange today though. You wipe off your eyes to look at your computer screen. No wonder you had that dream. It’s covered in pictures, videos, and a 200+ page forum thread drowning you in Pininfarina. Lazily you get up. There’s something you feel calling you. Pulling you to the mailbox. Strange. At first glace into the mailbox you see nothing but magazines and junk mail. Walk inside back to your desk, while sifting through it all. Sorting out what is junk, and what is worth keeping. Two stacks, and when you reach that last letter, you realize that you needed to set aside space for a third pile. Your senses were lit ablaze. In your hand you hold a white envelope. It may as well have been made of gold. Stamped on the front, with a bright blue badge. A return address from Italy. You know exactly what awaits you inside. You gently open it, and inside, there it is.

As if it were taken from the depths of the ocean. Deep blue. Lain in the center, a Pininfarina badge. Your heart skips a beat. You take a deep breath as you take in everything there. A blank page other than a simple badge, yet you are completely entranced. You open the folded page. There you find the most beautifully sketched body. She is staring at you. Just as in your dream. She’s begging to be driven. On the opposing side, only words. Words, that send thrills through you that even the concept sketch failed to do. “You are cordially invited by Andrea Pininfarina and James Glickenhaus to the unveiling of the Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina.” Nirvana.

Weeks have passed since you received that letter, since the flame started. You still need to see her, the flame has only grown stronger. Fed by the e-mails and photos, press releases, write-ups. What started as a flame in your heart has begun to engulf your entire being. You can’t wait the meager two days for the unveiling you must see her now. You must douse that fire with the paint that is her blood, her soul. You hide this all inside of you while you turn off the lights and sleep takes you away. Again you wake up having had the dream of her being with you. Flying through time without a care in the world. You go through yet another day. With all things impossible to focus in on.

You return home, just to see those folded blue invitations. You walk over and pick them up, rereading the words over and over. You know it all from memory. You look back at that sketch. She is wanting you, you can feel it. One last night. The next day you wake up. Take a shower. Get dressed. You are ready for her. You sit through an otherwise pointless day to get in your car, key in the ignition. Engine start. You hear the purr. You open the garage. You race down the highway. You pull into Pebble Beach Equestrian Center and park. You join everyone else waiting for her cover to come off, the unveiling.

The cover comes off and all at once you realize. She can’t be yours.



Hope you guys like it.

Peter Hatch

 

Very nice. But in a way I feel as if though she is all of ours since we've been "involved" in the project for so long. Plus you can feel the passion from it, which is more important than actual ownership.

 

Yes, this is basically the pre-article. Since I have not been to the unveiling yet, obviously, I needed to write something to send to Road and Track, Motortrend, Winding Road etc. to see if there was any interest. There will definately be additions made afterwards even if there is still no response.

Thank you

Peter Hatch

 

Very cool. Will you be at the unveiling?