This thread is interesting ... and useful. No car is perfect. Even the designers would say that. Everyone has their own taste. Part of that taste depends on your background, appreciation of industrial objects, and even what year you were born in. I remember when the 458 was shown people hated the "whiskers" in the front and no side scoops. Now what do they think? Taste changes over time. For me, this is a very pretty object designed to be pretty and not necessarily "daring". Leave that to future variations and Lambo's. I see so many classic design clues in this from the 250LM to the 512BB to the 246 Dino GT and even the 360 Modena. It doesn't copy any of those but its in the same family. I'm sure that was the intent: Make something fresh that fits with the past WITHOUT making a "retro" car. I think they succeeded. Lastly, the days of the Miura and the Countach are over. You can't build whatever you want anymore. There's a stack of books 20 feet tall of requirements around the world that a car must conform too. Even with these, designers still find a way to make something attractive. That is the amazing part.
Very simply put: This sketch? Awesome! It works, anyway you look at it. Great aggressive stance. The actual car? Well... nope. Awful, proportions all wrong... so much was "lost in translation"... If you don't see the difference, we better leave it here.
I have never seen a sketch so far removed from the final product ... From a front with curved and rounded wings, we went to a flat front
This front would have been stunning along with the pronounced side as opposed to the Alfa 4C and Evora look
Please stop attributing the F12B to Manzoni. There's a reason the Pininfarina badge is on the side and not on every car afterwards. At the time of the changeover from PF the Manzoni team was infantile. They began adding flaps and gills to every PF design. Now they just miss-mash every other pre-Manzoni design element together and get the marketing team to put it out there as "homage" cars. It may be hard for some to say but the very best move Ferrari can make is to release Manzoni. Fresh start with a true designer of their own making.
I can certainly see a crease over the rear wing on 0856. Maybe we're not talking about the same thing... Image Unavailable, Please Login
If they don't bring back the round tail lights, the sales numbers will be disappointing. It going to give the Acura NSX a boost.
Man if you hate the 296 the other cars theyve put out since the 458 must make you want to take a sledgehammer to them...
I do believe you can fall in love with a design on first sight, a design that just takes your breath away the moment you see it, and it never gets old. Ferrari had that, and in some cases still does. I think the underlining point is, its a Ferrari, it will live forever, Ferrari's do not go to the junk yard, they eventually have new care takers and live on.There is a higher responsibility for the design team to craft something beyond, these cars are more then just vehicles, they are pieces of art that will be collected and owned for as long as I can imagine. The Ferrari's listed below took my breath away when I first saw them, and they still do: 308 GTB 288 GTO 80's Testarossa California Spider 250 SWB 250 TDF Series I Cabriolet F40 Monza SP P80 LaFerrari 360 Modena P4 275 GTB 410 Superamerica Series II To name a few
Given your background and skills I’d love to hear your, and John’s, analysis (@jm2) of the 296 design. Cohesive vs mishmash? Too reliant on previous designs vs forward thinking? Is it true to Ferrari DNA....or divergent?
Just an informational tidbit, that particular view is called ‘plan view’. Now you know. You’re welcome!
When you say the new 296GTB will be at Pebble do you mean displayed IN the concours or displayed outside the concours? Will Ferrari pass up the chance to be at the Quail?
I love the hips and the numbers: hp, torque and weight. Hiding the gaping hole in the side has been the design challenge since adding turbos to the 458. Each subsequent car has done it better. I think this car does it in a generationally better way as the crease in the door allows the vent to receive enough air to in effect move the hole in the side to a scoop on the top. Perhaps my description is not fluid or clear. Suffice to say the hole looks as good as it has on anything since it became necessary. Except maybe for SP48.
We´ve dicussed that many times in the forum but some people won´t give Manzoni (and his team) any kind of credit. Sometimes I think day355 has a personal problem with this man... ;-)
