13
DESIGN
4
3
the rear bumper and underbody
diffuser. It’s a nice way to cover
up the gaping holes that let heat
escape from the engine.- There’s a lot of delicate,
imaginative surface development
with crisp transition lines adding
character. This one defines the rear
fender profile, nearly meeting ... - ... the low point of this one that
loops around the huge well that
ingests cooling air. - This upswept line allows an exit
channel below, but is there a duct
through the door for hot air from
the brakes? It’s probably just a
styling flourish. - The huge wheels are
astonishingly delicate, almost
exiguous, yet clearly strong. Great. - The black baseplate is a clear
visual reference to F1 cars and
justifies the horizontal cutoff of
the painted panel above it.
1 3. This powerful diagonal straight
line recapitulates the incline angle
of the rear bumper. Altogether,
the whole body is a nice lateral
composition.
1. The transverse blade on
the nose is assertive but not
aggressive. But it needs the
prancing horse badge because
there are no clear marque
characteristics.
2. Front and rear wheel openings
are perfectly circular, centered
on the wheel center ...- ... with, on both front and rear,
a vertical section generating
a little surface crease that
disappears by hub height. - The blacked-out A-pillar looks
enticingly slim from the outside
but in fact is quite massive. - A shark-fin antenna is
effective and amusingly
announces the predatory
capability of the ensemble, a
small sign for a big message:
“Don’t mess with me.” - Yes, this is the backlight as
well as a transparent engine
cover. Rear visibility must be
really bad, but it does look great
in profile. - I love the blunt, strong
warrior’s shields that make up
1. The concave side section
begins right at the front of
the body.
2. Looking like the intakes of an
old-school jet fighter plane, the
necessary rear cooling inlets are
really big yet unobtrusively sleek
in side view.- The transverse roof section is
quite rounded, in marked contrast
to many flat-roofed Italian
supercars from the Lamborghini
Miura onward. - There are crisp peaks on all
four fenders to delineate the car’s
profile. - Sergeant’s stripes? The look of
the headlamp cluster is new for
Ferrari and handled beautifully as
it integrates into the overall form. - The lower body blade is artfully
twisted upward at the ends to
make a kind of low winglet, a
beautifully sculpted detail.- This huge hood-top air outlet
is modified by a high central
section that carries through
into the full-width inlet as a
black buttress. Nicely done. - If this badge weren’t present,
you’d know the national
origin but not necessarily the
maker. This is a break from
the past, which could be good
or bad, according to personal
preferences. It’s a really good
design, whatever your choice. - This sharp trailing edge
is excellent visually and
aerodynamically. - The F1-style baseplate is a
new styling cue for supercars
and allows a slimming of the
painted body sections above
the greasy parts, like the
earliest Ferrari roadsters.
Front View
BY DESIGN/^FERRARISF^90STRADALEFLAVIO MANZONI, 54,
holds what must be the
ultimate job for any Italian
designer: heading Ferrari’s
in-house design group. It
succeeds the long reign
of outside carrozzerie,
principally Pininfarina
but also including most
grand design houses of
yesteryear. Manzoni began
his career in the Fiat group,
moved to Volkswagen’s Seat
brand with Walter de Silva,
returned to Fiat-Lancia,
then became No. 2 at VW
Group before returning
again to Italy as design
leader for Fiat, Lancia, and
light commercial vehicles.
Former Ferrari boss Luca
di Montezemolo 10 years
ago chose him to create the
Ferrari design team and its
impressive modern glass
construct in the center of
the Maranello complex,
increasing his team from
four people in 2009 to
120 today.
Manzoni says Ferrari
design needed to “evolve,
with no strong breaks,”
yet he had to transform
the entire process, from
Ferrari creating the chassis
and letting others clothe
it with a pleasing, more
or less efficient form, to
a completely integrated
design and engineering
effort. The process has
become too complex with
structure, aerodynamics—
both external and internal—
and of course making the
result beautiful. Theserequired trade-offs cannot be
executed by a geographically
dispersed team.
Being literally in the
center of the traditional
Ferrari campus solves all of
that. Working on the firm’s
2016 J-50 to commemorate
the 50th anniversary of
Ferrari in Japan, Manzoni
decided “it was time to
change lamps, to make
them very small.” That
decision has carried over
in the SF 90, as are some of
the aerodynamic solutions
incorporated in that
concept car. The upswept
side line that puzzled me
while writing the foregoing
analysis allows airflow
management that increases
downforce.
“The project was very
complex,” Manzoni asserts,
with many radiators,
including “one for the
electric motor in front,”
requiring the team to
“visually communicate
the elements” composing
the whole. He noted that
there are many traditional
elements in the SF 90, such
as the flying buttresses that
he sees as “essential to a
Ferrari,” but in a different
execution here. The car is as
simple as Manzoni and his
team could make it, but he
notes, with a reference to
the late sculptor Constantin
Brancusi, “simplicity for me
is complexity resolved.”
If this is the first iteration
of new aesthetic for Ferrari,
we’re on board. AMFlavio
Manzoni
Interview