Maranello, Modena, Italy

The F80 joins the pantheon of icons such as the GTO, F40 and LaFerrari by showcasing the best that the Maranello-based marque has achieved in terms of technology and performance.

Intended for the most discerning clients of the brand, these cars immediately became legends in their own lifetime, making an indelible mark not only on the history of Ferrari, but on the history of the automobile itself.

Ferrari F80 byFlavio Manzoni, won a 2025 Good Design Award from The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design, and Urban Studies.

Every aspect of the architecture is conceived to maximise performance, from the carbon-fibre chassis and extreme aerodynamic solutions, to the new active suspension optimised to let the driver wring every ounce of performance from the car on the track.

The F80 combines all these attributes with uncompromising levels of usability on the road, where it can be driven with ease. This ability shaped every choice made in terms of technology and architecture to achieve the goal, which at first sight seems impossible, of creating a track-oriented supercar that’s just as driveable as a production range model.

The F80 is the product of a creative design study that has led the team of the Ferrari Styling Centre headed by Flavio Manzoni to make a radical change in the visual language of the marque, forging a link between the past and future of Ferrari design.

With the intent of assimilating a host of different elements of the design language and DNA of the brand, this study first turned its attention to the aesthetics of the marque’s F1 racing cars to identify the direction for creating a car with a modern and innovative visual identity that can accommodate a driver and a passenger despite offering the uncompromised experience of a single-seater.

The F80 has a strongly futuristic visual impact with unmistakeable references to aerospace. The architecture is defined by a dihedral cross section with its two bottom corners firmly planted on the wheels.

From the side view, the rear section has a sculpted flow that emphasises the muscularity of the entire rear wing. The front section of the car is defined by more architectural elements: the wheel arch ends with a vertical panel that stands proud of the door paying homage to the visual language of the F40.

Rising out from the volumes of the lower body is the cabin, a floating bubble structure of unexpected volumes, and the product of an exacting study in architecture and proportion.

A whole 50 mm lower than greenhouse of the LaFerrari, the cab has a significant effect on the perception of volume, broadening the shoulders of the car to give the cockpit an even more compact look.

The designers wanted to avoid an anthropomorphic effect at the front of the F80; the headlamps are concealed in a visor element, a black screen serving both aerodynamic and lighting functions that gives the F80 a particularly original appearance.

The short-tail rear of the car has two different configurations during use: with the mobile wing stowed or deployed. The tail lights are set into a two-layer structure consisting of the tail fascia and the spoiler, creating a sandwich effect that gives the rear an extremely sporty character in both configurations.

Some functional features play a very strong role in defining the visual character: the NACA duct channelling air towards the engine intake and lateral radiators, for example, is as iconic as it is functional, and constitutes one of the most original styling cues of the flank.

Another functional but highly symbolic element is the louvred engine compartment spine, where six slots, one for each cylinder of the internal combustion engine, create an unexpected relationship between the geometric lines and sculptural surfaces of the car.

The compact proportions of the cabin were made possible by opting for a cockpit inspired by a single seat racer, creating a visual perception akin to an enclosed Formula 1 car.

A lengthy process involving designers, engineers, ergonomics specialists and Color & Trim experts culminated in an original new solution that sets the driver unequivocally as the protagonist in the cabin and transforms the car into a “1+”.

The decidedly enveloping cockpit is centred entirely around the driver, with its forms converging towards the controls and instrument panel. The control panel is also oriented ergonomically towards the driver, creating a sort of cocoon effect around them.

While ergonomically complete and comfortable, the passenger seat is so well integrated into the trim of the cabin that it almost disappears from view, a result also made possible by the masterful differentiation between the colours and materials used for the driver seat and for the rest of the trim.

A longitudinal offset in the positions of the seats of the two occupants made it possible to set the passenger seat farther back than the driver seat, allowing for a narrower interior space with no penalty in terms of ergonomics and perceived comfort.

This solution let the designers give the car a smaller cabin and reduce the frontal cross section of the car.

Project: Ferrari F80
Designers: Flavio Manzoni, Ferrari Design Team, Ferrari SPA
Manufacturer: Ferrari SPA