The Designers Pt 6: Flavio Manzoni, Ferrari

“Everything moves so fast at Ferrari. We work at the same speed as an F1 department…”

It’s a creative period for us and there’s a very nice atmosphere at the Ferrari design centre. After five years the foundation is complete, all the specialist skills are covered: exterior, interior, colour and trim and virtual modelling. Everything moves so fast at Ferrari, every day we have to improve our method. We have a huge hangar with all the plates, machines and a presentation room, it’s a perfect place. In 2010 we had five people, including Emanuel Salvatore. We made him head of the virtual modelling department and now he is leading a team of more than 20 guys.

Manzoni’s F12 sketches

Do we still work with Pininfarina? It’s a combination but I have to say that the results of the Ferrari design team are so good, it’s almost natural to develop most of the production projects in-house. Pininfarina is maybe going back its roots working as a coachbuilder for one-offs and limited-edition projects like the F60 for the USA, where the skill is to create a new body for an existing Ferrari. When we develop a new project, because of the increasing complexity of our cars, it’s much more useful to take advantage of the synergy of working in-house with the departments. Geographically there are a lot of advantages, we can meet immediately to discuss design engineering issues. We work at the same speed as a Formula 1 department.

Ferrari 488 GTB

I don’t think an SUV can be a supercar. Ferrari doesn’t want to make anything that follows a trend. We are not followers. Every time we work on a new Ferrari we try to improve on every aspect – including the centre of gravity – so an SUV is not a Ferrari. I don’t understand why so many other brands are doing them. In my opinion it shows a lack of courage. It’s easier to remake a masterpiece of the past than to make a new product conceived with creativity, originality and conviction, and it’s easy to copy a trend.

There will be a new FF, but I cannot reveal when. I think the concept of an incredibly fast and enjoyable four-seat Ferrari is great. You can drive it like a limousine, but when you want to change, it can be like a Formula 1 car. The idea of following the architecture of a shooting brake is still really strong.

Manzoni’s form follows function LaFerrari sketch

Our design team is the right size to cover all the activities. We never share staff with FCA. It’s really dangerous, such contamination. When a designer works for one brand and then goes to another, he can transfer this imprint to other [incompatible] brands. I think it’s important to create a school, a philosophy of how to design. When we work at Ferrari we never think in terms of aesthetics or styling. It doesn’t fit the DNA of the brand. If you start a new project with a styling concept in mind it doesn’t work. First of all you need to understand the clusters of technical content necessary for that specific car. There is no carry-over from one car to another. Every model has a unique chassis and set-up.

Ferrari 488 interior

The beauty of this company is that there is a process of continuous research. Of course we start from a package where the architecture of the car and main dimensions are clear, but during the development of the design, there are so many aspects that change. For instance, on one occasion after working with the aerodynamicist the whole company had to reorganise all the relevant technical components under the hood, so there is always room to make changes to find the perfect compromise between technical and aesthetic.

Ferrari F12 TdF

We never follow one philosophy like ‘kinetic design’ or ‘flame- surfacing.’ These are slogans. Design is a form of language, which needs to transmit the soul of the project, so we’re not so strict on the use of a kind of family feeling. We don’t want to have to apply the same design criteria, repeated one hundred times. We have to be more free, to take care of the processes of the brand. It’s a subtle balance.

We’ve done some projects with design schools before, and we are doing another one with five schools, and this is important to find good talent. Normally what I look for is a really gifted designer, able to imagine, not to sketch, to find something. I don’t know if it’s a special gift but when I was a young boy it was really natural for me to imagine, to have a vision. My father was a great sketcher and an architect. He taught me many things. When I was six years old I was already sketching in perspective. The ability to dream and think about something that is completely new is not easy. Most students are influenced by Mannerism, a conservative approach.

Ferrari 488

The visionary minds of the 1970s inspired me when I was young, like Syd Mead for instance. I was dreaming, looking at his ability to imagine a future completely different from today. Now it is not the same. Most of the students are cautious. There is mental pollution. A curiosity about the world, not just cars, means a more creative mind. A humble approach is really important too. My colleagues are like this and so work together well. I’m a bit upset about so-called novelties that are not new. I would like to see more bold designs. We never make fake things. Every intake we make is because we need it. Look around and there are so many fake air intakes, even closed ones – this is not design.

Flavio Manzoni

Role Senior VP design Ferrari
Age 51
Nationality Italian
Location Maranello, Italy
Education University of Florence, Italy

Flavio’s cars of 2015

Concept
1. Porsche Mission E
2. Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6
3. Citroën Aircross

Production
1. Alfa Romeo Giulia
2. BMW 7 Series
3. Ford GT

Car Design Review 3

This interview is taken from the Car Design Review 3 yearbook. Published annually by the writers of Car Design News, the book rounds up all of the major car-design trends seen in the past 12 months, counts down the best production and concept car designs of the year and features interviews with 18 of the best car designers working today, plus an in-depth interview with Syd Mead, this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award winner.

Click to order your copy of Car Design Review 3.