Which Ferrari designs have aged the best...

I know a lot of people like the looks of the Testarossa but I'm sorry, it does not do it for me and probably never will. When you look at what proceeded it -- the 512 Boxer -- it was clearly a step in the wrong direction. Everything that came after it had no design inspiration from it.

It was a breakthrough. It's iconic. But the styling turned out to be a one trick pony what was not repeated nor returned since.

I'm not bashing anyone's car. If it's what you love then love it. But for me it was a styling dead end as we moved to a more curvy era.

 

But it is a design, someone sat down and dreamed that look up.

Today we have endless evolutions and cars designed by wind tunnels.

The Daytona was a truly new look, it was a design, and they did not repeat it. The 550 Maranello was a fresh design. So was the 308.

 

All over the map comments after reading this thread as follows:

Actually the Testsarossa looked very awkward and misproportioned to me, but looks rather sleek and brave now, especially in the white picture in this thread. I think the trend towards larger "super" cars has detracted from the sports car ideal, and while the Testa was too large in its day it looks quite small next to some of the more recent bubbled and blighted monstrosities. Their excessive windshield rakes spoils the designs, and the view out from inside, so to me the cars with the correct windshield rake both visually and for how people actually sit in a car ended sometime in the 90's.

I like the Mondial, presages some of the later model and Testa design cues, without any vulgarity. Also channels some of the Bertone type angles while still retaining the Pinninfarina design flow, especially the subtle arc along the upper belt line.

The 612 looks better by far since its release, but the interior vulgarity was trending in the wrong direction. One could also have a thread like this on best interiors, and ones that have aged better. Simpler and functional was best, probably ended in the 1980's. The 308 QV interior, elegant outside door handles looks way more nicely detailed than the 328 era for example.

I used to think the old vintage Inter's were odd looking, but I am starting to "get" it, these were cars where function and design ideals made friends with each other. Never understood the problem with the Queen Mary's, they always looked great to me, and still do today. The Superfast design cues with a sleeker overall look, also makes the Astons of the period look awkward by comparison. Hard to understand the fascination with the old Astons, with their obsolete suspension designs and front heavy handling dynamic. Used to like the Lusso, but increasingly see its odd curves and weird rear window as less appealing. The 330 GTS looks about perfect in comparison, Fiat 124 resemblance aside which is itself a beautiful car. The Fiat Dino convertible is also looking pretty amazing over time, who cares if it has the Fiat badge!

I think the 360 era onwards represents the video game era of design. This design direction is just getting worse as time unfolds, and the cars that spawned it won't get my nod. 360 is way too wide, and the engine sound is surprisingly honky at normal speeds, not what a Ferrari should sound like, which would be a turbine like sound with lots of mechanical thrash overtones and only a hint of anger at high rpm. Some of the moderns sound angry all the time, no fun to drive a car that is angry. Could be another thread about which Ferrari sounds the best, the 355 might have the balance of tones that ranks it right up there with the vintage 12's.

The 355 may be the last of the post Enzo golden age where volumes were still fairly low and design was still reflecting vintage manufacturing inefficiencies while being kicked into the modern manufacturing era (although the boring generic wheel design ended the classic star style which was as much a signature as the Porsche Fuchs wheels, nothing looks as distinctive since).

 

Ferraris that seem to appeal to me more as they age...
365GTC/4, never used to like that one, definitely has really grown on me lately
612 Scag, didn't like it when new, also has really grown on me, love it with Challenge wheels
360 Modena, wasn't sure it was an improvement over the 355 but love it much more now, wish they would have stayed with the transparent engine covers

Timeless Ferraris
250 PF series one Cab I must say is simply gorgeous, the taillights and rear fender design is just epic
250 California spider, I think the hype is more than reasonable on this one
288 GTO, so muscular, so cool to see the transaxle from behind, one of my all time favorites

Ferraris that lost luster with me
F40, never understood it, still looks like a kit car to me
308, I grew up watching Magnum PI, loved it as a kid, just doesn't do it for me anymore
Original Testarossa, loved it when new, has become badly dated, though I do somehow like the later 512TR version...

There, tried to stick to the original format!

 

This right here. The last pretty V12 GT was the 599. It was designed to look like a car, not an aerospace exhibit. The F12 and 812 are phenomenal performers, but those are faces only a mother could love.

I've been on about the Portofino for some time. This is a car designed to look spectacular on the road, not just to defeat the atmosphere. It drew heavily from the TDF, the car that fixed most of what was wrong with the F12. So Ferrari still knows how to make pretty things, but their desire to make the GT12 cars into track monsters has ruined the aesthetics.

 

Absolutely agree on the Enzo. It is truly a classic in the making. Bonus, like a Testarossa, it looks like nothing else.

 

I love these cars more every year - many beautiful Ferraris but at my age I'm stuck with these two and happy for it Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Sorry for the tough situation you are in raider 1968. Anything we can do to help?

 

Well I have a 308 and a 360, so I like both designs. I think the 328 was a logical upgrade, but the 348 was a huge letdown. I was ready for something different, and the performance was terrible for the time. By 1991 the NSX was on the scene, and I don't care how star struck you are by a Ferrari, the NSX was worlds better interns of refinement and reliability, and the performance was amazing given the engine and its displacement. The 355 was better, and I liked it, but the 360 completely torched the landscape and salted the earth, and that was what I wanted all along. Best looking Pininfarina V8 of all time, and it has scorching performance. I will keep my manual 360 until I die. The 308 is fun, but it's pure nostalgia. The performance is that of an antique, and so it will be replaced with another 2+2, probably a 612 OTO, which is another gorgeous car.

 

Thanks Ron but I'll tough it out -it's strange to own 10 year old Ferraris you bought new - they just become part of the family
I also can run my wife's 2009 F1 Maserati with CC brakes from an FF - the grown kids like this the best - also bought new Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I love all of them for many reasons. But ultimately the 308 has the right balance as a daily companion.
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Not too many cars are as good looking as the 308/328 series. Just a great car in all aspects. Perhaps one of the best cars ever built.

 

I think this most reflects my opinion as well...although I have a soft spot for the 308 and think it would be a blast to borrow one and of course the Dino 246 has to be at the top of the list for timeless, although it does look a bit like an old Opel.

TR was my poster car growing up...I still love the side view of it, but the rear looks odd to me now, and I can’t get past the small wheels for its size and the interior.
The 355 does nothing for me...bland styling mixed with more silly dated louvres.
It’s not to say the 360 is the be-all/end-all....it just struck the right balance for me as my first Ferrari. But there’s lots of things I don’t love about it.

 

I'm stuck to the 430 Scud and 599 GTO. The last of a great era!

 

The answer seems to be almost unanimous, the Ferrari “I own is aging the best”, the “one that preceded or followed my car the most dated”.. we all have our biases, it is predictable. The market will sort it out.

 

Unanimous? I certainly never said that.
A 430 definitely looks more current than a 360, therefore is aging better.
And there are ugly duckling quirks about the 360 that have not yet turned into whimsical charm.
My tastes run from the really old to the really current. It’s the middle area that I think styling falls short generally, and not just with Ferrari’s, but other brands too. With a few exceptions, the 70s -90s were not the golden years for cars.

 

What are the ugly duckling quirks about the 360 that you see?

I noticed you talk this poop over here instead of in the 360/430 forum!!!! LOL

 

Louvres? Are you talking about the engine cover?

 

This topic isn’t in the 360/430 forum!!! LOL if you’re implying that I don’t have the guts to speak my mind in the 360 forum about my own car, then you don’t know me very well I couldn’t care less if I offend someone on the Internet with my honest opinion even though I don’t go out of my way to do so.

Quirks? Well, the bulbous oversized headlights, are an obvious example. An interior that’s cheap and dated even for the early 2000’s, esp for an “exotic” car. The stock 18” starfish wheels look anemic.

 

Additionally since I can’t edit this post, here’s some of my “poop”for you.
https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/posts/146132911/

 

The differences are always interesting, as I love the 360's headlights - all the curvy details! - and stock starfish wheels.

That said, I have the modulars and want a set of the Challenge wheels too.

 

Ha! No worry's, I was busting your chops a bit. I am a fan of those aspects of the car you pointed out. The interior is clean and functional which speaks to an elegance to me and I love the headlamp layout with all the different bulbs in there that all have a purpose. This is something that bugs me about the 458. Those lights on the fenders just look like they are trying too hard to me. I like the starfish wheels too on our cars, and run them even though I have a set of modulars to try next. They are soo easy to clean and very light. I think the car is aging nicely and the non-overdone features should continue to appease.

 

One of the things I like least about contemporary Ferrari styling is the headlights. I don't think they will age well.