Ferrari wins big at prestigious iF Design Gold Awards
12Cilindri, 12Cilindri Spider and F80 all win in Berlin
Modern Ferraris in recent years have certainly divided opinion when it comes to design and styling. Take a car like the F80, for instance. When it was revealed at the back end of 2024, the automotive side of YouTube was awash with the usual faces walking around the new car, and while many praised it, many were also critical of the design (especially the bonnet) and the brand’s perceived “insistence on chasing track times”.
Well, now Ferrari can shut up some of its doubters after the F80, along with the 12Cilindri and 12 Cilindri Spider, took home prizes at the prestigious iF Design Gold Awards in Berlin. The Prancing Horse models were the only cars to receive a prize out of the 75 awards given out in total. The F80 won in the supercar category while the 12Cilindri triumphed in the sports car section.
What are the IF Design Awards?
The first iF Design Award was given in 1954 to recognise outstanding design. In the 71 years since, the number of prizes has grown exponentially, and the ceremony is respected as one of the most important and prestigious in the design world. Each year, thousands of designers, architects and companies submit their designs to be evaluated by a panel of independent experts. This year, 10,500 products and projects were submitted from around 70 nations.
Categories cover a number of different fields, with larger spaces like private houses, offices and factories being judged alongside smaller items like smart watches, TVs and desk appliances.
What did the judges say about the 12Cilindri?
The judging panel praised the Prancing Horse, saying: "Ferrari is the quintessence of luxury. Ferraris have always represented the maximum expression of the automobile, and the 12Cilindri is no exception. This design hints at 1950s and ‘60s Ferraris yet is undeniably modern, from its cutting-edge aerodynamics to its ingenious use of graphical elements that wrap its 3D surfaces. Once again, Ferrari has magically succeeded in creating a form that is both thrilling and reassuring."
Ferrari’s modern offerings are being led by Chief Design Officer, Flavio Manzoni and his team at the Ferrari Design Centre, who want to “find cutting edge design solutions without compromising functionality and aesthetics”. Manzoni joined Ferrari in 2010 and has been influential in the development of the LaFerrari, F12 Berlinetta, 488 and Purosangue.
The front-engine, V12-powered 12Cilindri was inspired by the Ferrari Grand Tourers driven by the jet set on the Riviera in the 1950s and ‘60s. The two-seater 12Cilindri has a smoother, more elegant look in contrast to the more edgy and blocky F80. Nevertheless, both are iF Design Award winners, showing that when it comes to design, one size doesn’t fit all.
words: Mike Booth
pictures: Ferrari