Head in the wind

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[ The CAR ]

HEAD IN THE

The sleek silhouette displays an extreme lightness of touch. An important choice was made to split this supercar’s elements into two sections – a sort of upper cover and a lower hull

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Boasting a new, highly distinctive shape with impeccable proportions and sleek lines, the Ferrari Monza SP1 introduces the brand’s new “Icona” segment - and it’s raking in the accolades, with the latest being the Compasso d’Oro in September

by Diego Tamone

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[ The CAR ]

R

eal, authentic beauty is often expressed through simplicity. But as every designer knows, the simplest things are often the most difficult to create. Giving

it shape demands great talent, but when the enterprise succeeds clean, essential lines can crystallize in an exciting instant, immediately becoming a permanent addition to the expressive vocabulary of design. The phenomenon is well known in the automotive world, and throughout the 20th century the philosophy has found practical expression in models described as “instant classics”. Membership of this club is reserved for a select few of the most thoroughbred examples, with an unassailable beauty that renders them immune to the passage of time. Ferrari has created more than one, beginning in the late 1940s when strange opentop vehicles with no windshield and a futuristic profile began to leave the Maranello factory, racking up a series of wins in events across half the world. Not yet 30 years old, Gianni Agnelli named them “Barchette” (“Boats”) when observing the 166 MM of 1948, which a few years later would win the Mille Miglia and the Le Mans 24 Hour race.

Their construction was based on a simple design philosophy – to minimise barriers to a smooth air flow and optimise aerodynamics, and therefore performance. No roof, pillars or hood, just a basic fairing to protect the driver’s head. The Barchetta concept of a sports car sculpted by the wind has recently been revisited by Ferrari’s designers, resulting in a project called “Icona”, designed for a small community of privileged and very wealthy clients who seek to own not just a Ferrari but what is rather one of a limited edition of entirely bespoke Ferrari roadsters, cars that combine cutting edge technology with an aesthetic language that recalls the glories of a distant, celebrated past. The concept has recently been embodied by the Ferrari Monza SP1. Not so much a replica as an interpretation what a “Rossa” could have been like in the mid-twentieth if the technicians and engineers of the time had today’s technology at their disposal. It’s a winning design, and Flavio Manzoni, Ferrari’s Chief Design Officer di Ferrari, has stacked his personal trophy cabinet with accolades gained not for track performance but design excellence, winning the Gold Award at the iF Design Awards in March 2019, the Red Dot: Best of the Best four months

The cockpit, carved out of the

later and the Compasso d’Oro in early September 2020. This

car’s interior, with steering wheel,

prize was launched in 1954 and had previously been won

instruments and air jets. The rest

only twice by the Maranello manufacturer. In the words of

of the controls are located at arm-

the citation, it has now been awarded to a car “able to project

rest level in an extremely simply

itself into the future, drawing on the past without becoming

F1 style. The monocoque carbon

vintage”. www.ferrari.com

fibre seat is upholstered in leather

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[ The CAR ]

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The Ferrari Monza SP1 is one of a special limited series intended for top clients.

The engine is based on the V12 in the 812, boosting performance through improved fluid dynamics.

The car can reach 100 km/h in 2.9 seconds and 200 km/h in 7.9 seconds

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