Front cover (Car UK 09/03/22)

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That 296 is ugly! Or should I say


Which one is the Ferrari?
I compare every modern Ferrari to the 458 and I'd still take the 458 every time.. design language is all over the place at the moment. I wouldn't call it ugly but it just doesn't look right. Still so impressed with the Evija & Emira design.
 
I compare every modern Ferrari to the 458 and I'd still take the 458 every time.. design language is all over the place at the moment. I wouldn't call it ugly but it just doesn't look right. Still so impressed with the Evija & Emira design.
What was really useful about seeing the Emira in white was how clearly you could see the form. A new colour also lets you see it anew, refreshing your perception of it.

The thing that struck me the most in white was the crispness of some of the lines and creases, how they have combined that with the soft organic form is just outstanding design work.
 
I compare every modern Ferrari to the 458 and I'd still take the 458 every time.. design language is all over the place at the moment. I wouldn't call it ugly but it just doesn't look right. Still so impressed with the Evija & Emira design.
The one exception is the Roma, beautiful, but I've seen a few now, and they're just huge.
 
The one exception is the Roma, beautiful, but I've seen a few now, and they're just huge.
Totally agree re the Roma - a return to beauty, but I'd not heard it was a bit oversize? That's disappointing...
 
The 296 is not ugly - and it looks better in the flesh than in photos. But those two cover photos seem to have been taken to show off both cars' worst angles.

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... And they have just started taking deposits for the 296 GTS/Spider!

Styling preference is clearly a very personal thing. I think the Roma is one of the worst-looking cars Ferrari have ever made, and I think the 488 is one of the most stunning. Each to his own!
 
The 296 is not ugly - and it looks better in the flesh than in photos. But those two cover photos seem to have been taken to show off both cars' worst angles.

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... And they have just started taking deposits for the 296 GTS/Spider!

Styling preference is clearly a very personal thing. I think the Roma is one of the worst-looking cars Ferrari have ever made, and I think the 488 is one of the most stunning. Each to his own!
And that's half the fun, one man's (or woman's) fugly is another man's phwoarrr! (y)(n);)
 
The problem I have with a lot of what Ferrari has produced this century is there's a lack of consistency in the lines, curves and styling, and all of that is on every single car. At best they still look awkward to me. They don't look beautiful anymore like they used to. They look like they were styled by some kid in junior high who did what they thought would look radical. The fronts especially suffer from this. Ferrari isn't the only one struggling with this issue either, and that syndrome extends to interiors as well.

I think this is one of the reasons why the Emira has caught everyone's attention. It's a beautiful car in the true, classic sense, yet it's still a modern shape. It hearkens back to the beautiful cars that Jaguar produced in the 1950's and early 60's. It also has that feeling of simple beauty that Chapman's original Elite and Elan had. At the same time, it has that sleek functional look of a modern jet fighter. To me the Emira looks like it was designed by Lockheed, while modern Ferraris look like they were designed by a reality show crew. Just one man's opinion of course.
 
... Yet somehow Ferrari still manage to sell nearly 8,500 of their ugly cars designed by a kid in junior high per year.

Come on. The Emira bears absolutely no relation to a Lotus Elite or Elan, or a Jaguar. It looks like a Ferrari - and it's not just me; it's been said many, many times on this forum.

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Which does the Emira look like?
 

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It's not about how it looks at first sight, but rather how the whole design is cohesive and makes sense. Of course the two modern mid engine cars look more similar than some 50 year old front engine cars. Maybe Ferrari even was an inspiration for Lotus. Why not?
For my taste, most modern mid engine Ferraris look good, but I get it when Eagle7 says that there is no consistency in their designs. The Emiras design is just more natural and organic looking, everything makes sense and the designer didn't try to make it look even more brutal looking than their last already brutal looking car. Car design get's more and more exaggerating every time a new car comes out. The Lotus however isn't that. It's design just works.
 
The problem I have with a lot of what Ferrari has produced this century is there's a lack of consistency in the lines, curves and styling, and all of that is on every single car. At best they still look awkward to me. They don't look beautiful anymore like they used to. They look like they were styled by some kid in junior high who did what they thought would look radical. The fronts especially suffer from this. Ferrari isn't the only one struggling with this issue either, and that syndrome extends to interiors as well.

I think this is one of the reasons why the Emira has caught everyone's attention. It's a beautiful car in the true, classic sense, yet it's still a modern shape. It hearkens back to the beautiful cars that Jaguar produced in the 1950's and early 60's. It also has that feeling of simple beauty that Chapman's original Elite and Elan had. At the same time, it has that sleek functional look of a modern jet fighter. To me the Emira looks like it was designed by Lockheed, while modern Ferraris look like they were designed by a reality show crew. Just one man's opinion of course.
As well as what Eagle7 is saying above, where I feel Ferrari have lost direction is losing sight of having a common, unifying design language across the range.

The easiest example to illustrate this (because it was quite extreme and memorable, although not pretty!) was when Chris Bangle introduced the new design language for BMW in the early 2000s. I think the new 5 series at the time was the first iteration, then it was rolled out across the range as each model was refreshed or new one added. It was a highly surfaced approach, branded "flame surfacing" by one journalist, which stuck.

Line up a bunch of recent Ferraris or even from 10 years ago and I don't think you see that level of cohesion - doesn't mean some of them are not beautiful individually but a bit of a missed opportunity in my book.
 
... Yet somehow Ferrari still manage to sell nearly 8,500 of their ugly cars designed by a kid in junior high per year.

Come on. The Emira bears absolutely no relation to a Lotus Elite or Elan, or a Jaguar. It looks like a Ferrari - and it's not just me; it's been said many, many times on this forum.

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Which does the Emira look like?
You just made my case yourself. Look at the Emira, and look past the obvious fact it's mid-engine and so is the Ferrari. Look at the stance, the long flowing curves. Look at the front intake and compare that to the Elite and Elan. There's a simplicity to the flow of the overall style like the Elite, Elan and Jaguar you posted.

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Now compare that to the Ferrari. Look at the clean, sweeping beauty of the area above the rear wheel on the Emira, versus the mess going into and above the rear wheel of the Ferrari. The design of the Emira is tighter, more coherent. The front of the Emira looks balanced, whereas the front of the Ferrari does not.

People today are going to say it looks like a Ferrari because the Emira looks like something Ferrari SHOULD produce, like they used to. In my opinion Ferrari has lost its design/style mojo, and is surviving off its brand status. There are many people who will buy one because it's a Ferrari, and they want to say they drive a Ferrari. Like people who buy a Rolex because they want to say they have a Rolex. They're paying for the status more than anything else.

The Emira is a jewel of a design, and people instinctively feel that when they see it. It's beautiful regardless of price point.
 

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