Ferrari vehicles, with their angular bodies and futuristic aerodynamics, are often compared to spacecraft. The company’s latest aesthetic exercise makes that comparison all the more natural, because the brand’s design director has envisioned something straight out of 1970s science fiction: a Ferrari UFO.
“It all started as a bit of fun,” Flavio Manzoni, Ferrari’s Chief of Design since 2010 told Form Trends. “At first it was a sketch, or rather a series of sketches, then [it developed] into a rendering.”
Manzoni, who sculpted the gorgeous lines of the FXX K, LaFerrari, FF, and F12berlinetta, wasn’t always a car nut. A lifelong sci-fi fan, Manzoni’s fluid, reflective creation you see above was inspired by films like 2001: A Space Odyssey and the TV series Space 1999.
Look a bit closer, however, and you’ll spot subtle hints to Ferrari’s design language, such as the FXX K-style separated rear wing and the red center stripe that references the distinct waistline of the 1970 Modulo concept car.
“I tried to imagine something that can fly in the future, since there will be less and less space available on the ground,” continued Manzoni. “And I focused on creating a little craft that’s different than my childhood dream, when I thought that a car of the future would slip on a cushion.”
In the end, the renderings are little more than an extra curricular passion project by Manzoni, but it harkens back to the beginnings of a prolific designer. Outside of that, it just looks cool.
“I lived in a six-story building, with a large terrace at the top,” he explained. “I thought that one day a UFO would land there. It disturbed me a little, but I was curious.”
Eventually, that curiosity led to pieces of art like the FXX K. Maybe the aliens aren’t so bad after all.
