Students shape Ferrari's future

November 21, 2005 6:06 AM

Students shape Ferrari's future - The 4 winners of the Ferrari design competition have been announced. If these designs are anything to go by, there are exciting times ahead. Now if I could only win the lottery so I could afford one of these...
posted by SharQ (15 comments total)

That first model has an "Oh my got that's a Ferrari" look about it . That one does it for me. For the rest all but the last one leave me cold and I think the last one seems more stang than ferrari.
posted by Rubbstone at 6:13 AM on November 21, 2005

I love the Michelli concept, the way the body is sliced off at the front and rear. It highlights the importance of the frame and other internals. Mid-section is a bit confusing, some of those angles could be re-worked. And those slits on the front hood are sexy.
posted by romanb at 6:15 AM on November 21, 2005

Neat-o! Looks like FerrariWorld lets you vote on the designs, and has a lot more background on the design firms involved (also...it looks like there are links to all the designs, including the non-winning ones).

Tangentally, I was just reading about the design challenge at the LA Auto Show:

"These are some crazy designs, folks. We’ve got a drifting Kia, a Mercedes fit for the Mad Max crowd, a Maybach for wine and cheese aficionados, a super svelte Audi, a hydrogen fuel cell dragster from Kia and more."
posted by tpl1212 at 6:24 AM on November 21, 2005

Ferrariworld's voting was for pre-announcement of the winners, I believe, but yeah, there are some sweet photos on that site, too.

God, how cool would it be to kick off your car design career at Ferrari? That would be one hell of a notch on the 'ole resumé!
posted by SharQ at 6:37 AM on November 21, 2005

Now if I could only win the lottery so I could afford one of these...

I'd buy a Lamborghini first, but I think the Millechili would be second on my list...but now they need a marketing contest to change the name. 'Chili just won't work in the English speaking markets.
posted by spicynuts at 6:39 AM on November 21, 2005

I was dissapointed by the designs. I briefly read the breif for the competition a few weeks ago; I'm sure it said something about looking to the future and not sticking with the conventions of car design of today.

Yet these could all happily be cars build by ferrari - or lexus/ford - today.

The Millechili looks like a GT40, Fiorano like an MR2, the Ascari surprisingly similar the British supercar, the Ascari and the Trediviso like a 575 with some bad stretches on it (influences from early F1 are clear).

I guess they dont challenge me enough or look any different to a million such sketches I've seen before.

As Richard Hammond from Top Gear says, 10 year old kids should design supercars - cos its the 10 year old kid inside the stinkin rich that buys these things (lol he also said supercars needed "more wings and guns on them" lol)

As for what would I buy if I won the lottery. Simple. Aston Martin V12 Vanquish. Theres only one Ferrari and thats Ferrari, Lamborghini aint it. Where as Aston Martin - different league.


posted by 13twelve at 7:13 AM on November 21, 2005

I agree. I'm underrwhelmed. These aren't much of a departure from what Ferarri and others are doing. They're like design tweaks (ooooooh, slits on the grill), not reinventions.

But... put me down for two anyways! One in black with tan and one in red, with perforated black. Thx!
posted by zpousman at 8:55 AM on November 21, 2005

Simple. Aston Martin V12 Vanquish

My friend's dad has one of these. It ain't all that. And who said Lamborghini was Ferrari? I simply said I'd buy a Lambo first, which I would. I've wanted one since I was about 12.
posted by spicynuts at 8:56 AM on November 21, 2005

what I was getting at was Lamborghini was trying to be Ferrari.

You are, of course, free to your choice. I was meerly having my opinion - neither of us are right lol we should probably invest in trees or something...
posted by 13twelve at 9:11 AM on November 21, 2005

Is it just me, or does the Trediviso look like a Chrysler?
posted by BarePaw at 9:23 AM on November 21, 2005

Of course Lamborghini is trying to be a Ferrari, he went up to Ferrari during a party with a list of complaints and Ferrari snobbly replied, "If you don't like it, build your own with a tractor family." And he did.

I personally don't like Ferrari's attitude, from the demands they make to those who buy the car to the "produce one less than the market dictates" approach that takes the car from a sports car to almost like a currency. Lamborghini is more forgiving in this respect and is more accessible to the average rich kid.

I'm also somewhat disappointed about these designs. I think aerodynamic demands will dictate what the car will look like, there's not much leeway when you're working within mathematical models.
posted by geoff. at 9:34 AM on November 21, 2005

Also what's the name of the guy who drives Lamborghinis at crazy speeds on a public access highway in Italy. We're talking 90 degree turns at triple digit speeds, it's amazing to watch. The call his highway "Lastname's Highway".
posted by geoff. at 9:37 AM on November 21, 2005

Ariel Atom. I gotta get me one of those.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:50 AM on November 21, 2005

They're just too glitzy. They look like TransFormers®.
posted by jfuller at 12:08 PM on November 21, 2005

Keep it simple, stupid.
posted by spinoza at 4:21 PM on November 22, 2005