Posts Tagged "aerodynamics"

Here’s the most talked about aspect of the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta. Ferrari call it the ‘aero bridge’ and it’s supposed to be a device that integrates the best of Ferrari’s learning in the windtunnel while working on F1 cars. A lot of designers we’ve talked to have questioned how this system actually works, suggesting that they (and their engineers) can’t work out how this won’t generate lift. Yet earlier, when we spoke with Flavio Manzoni, he seemed more than confident about the device’s value, calmly quoting facts and figures about it, that made us suspect that it really could work. Here’s a picture from above, below and the side. What do you think?

Posted by Joe Simpson

Although we’ll be doing a full design review after the show, we can’t let a new Ferrari launch go without a mention. The new F12 Berlinetta showcases the first project with Flavio Manzoni at the helm of Ferrari’s internal design studio, as well as a return to cooperation with longtime design partner Pininfarina.

The car is utterly striking in its modernity and clear deference to the aerodynamic needs of a car capable of unprecedented performance. With a familiar front-engined V12, 2-seat layout, the F12 Berlinetta nonetheless ushers in a new era of Ferrari design, characterized here by the massive sculpted doors and the and aerodynamic “aerobridge” front fenders that create a dynamic and dramatic interplay of volumes and shapes that seems to be polarizing many of the designers I’ve spoken with. Size and proportion are beautifully resolved however, looking much more agile and athletic than its predecessor, and in the rear we have a proper hatch that sits over a rear “T” graphic that is reminiscent of past Ferraris, then gracefully transitions into an F1-inspired diffuser (complete with a fog lamp that appears to have been lifted straight off the F2012).

It is a bold statement of intent from Ferrari that design will not be sacrificed for the wind tunnel, but rather  integrated into the process. It’s a rejection of retro thinking and style at Ferrari and a clear planting of Manzoni’s flag in the ground.

By Drew Meehan