5 cars that are the archetype of Ferrari design

The direction had already been set with the company’s first born: the Ferrari 125 S – for fun – introduced itself to the world in 1947 with a design never seen before. Two units were produced. The first, known as the ‘Ala Spessa’ (Italian for ‘thick wing’) boasted a barchetta-type body – a spider bodywork, without a folding top, with a small windshield – made by Giuseppe Peiretti (an auto body repairer who was born in Modena). The second, called the 125 C – for competition – had instead a two-seater ‘cigar-like’ body with open wheels designed by Giuseppe Busso. Both mounted a 12-cylinder engine with a 60-degree V arrangement designed by engineer Gioachino Colombo, with an engine size of about 1,500 cm³. From these, a few years later, derived the 166 MM – the first barchetta equipped with aluminum bodywork with an attractive, elegant and light design. 

For insiders and many enthusiasts, the Ferrari 250 GTO is the Ferrari by definition. One of the most sought-after cars, the most expensive ever. A GT homologated for racing, a truly Prancing Horse capable of exceeding, in 1962, 280 km/h. The Ferrari 250 GTO is an icon among icons, admired forever and ever. It is also a certified work of art with its load of motorsports stories and a truly enviable palmarès – from the 12 Hours of Sebring to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as the Targa Florio, Tourist Trophy or the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps 500 km. 

Its design was created by Leonardo Fioravanti for Pininfarina. The Ferrari Testarossa is a one-of-a-kind car thanks to its greatly enlarged rear section – dominated by rectangular lights disguised by a series of black horizontal bars – and large side grids that enhanced its sides. It immediately appealed to many, but not to all. In fact, there were those who considered it excessively sensual, closer to the ostentation that characterized Lamborghinis – see Countach – than to the elegance typical of custom-built cars from Maranello. The first Testarossa had only one very protruding rear-view mirror, curiously mounting in the middle of the A-pillar to the side of the windshield. However, in 1986, there was a switch to double mirrors in the classic position. The mechanicals were derived from the previous Ferrari 512 BB, but were refined: the 12-cylinder opposed-cylinder engine here delivered 390 horsepower, capable of propelling the car to almost 300 km/h.

It is the last car to be blessed by founder Enzo in the flesh. It is a fully-fledged supercar, capable – even today – of striking fear in anyone who tries to tame it. Its flashy design was born to meet race track requirements and needs: Naca air ducts, the huge rear wing, the fiberglass bodywork weighing only 46 kg. Behind, under a transparent cover, a supercharged 478-horsepower V8, capable – according to the Road Test carried out by Quattroruote in September 1989 – of reaching 326 km/h. It was the fastest car in the listings of its time. The Ferrari F40 is a wild queen of hearts, a triumph of analog motoring before the arrival of electronics that, today, has us sitting in cars that drive – almost – by themselves, make no noise and are powered by lithium ions.

It is so stunning that it was exhibited at MoMa in New York. And it has never left since that day, becoming part of the permanent collection. One of the strengths of this single-seater was the ‘simplicity’ of its design, which was very good aerodynamically. Designed by John Barnard, in fact, the Ferrari 641 that competed in the 1990 Formula One World Championship was harmonious, visually looking a lot like its 640 ancestor but, compared to it, its external surfaces were less taut and more blunted; particularly in the newly designed nose and side air ducts for cooling the engine and radiators. The side bellies, very low and rounded, started from the sides of the car, widened to 3/4 car and then narrowed again toward the rear, creating the so-called Coca-Cola shape – recalling the glass bottles of the famous drink.