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Car Designs Inspired by Formula 1

July 17, 2012 by Matt

Ferrari Enzo Ferrari Red

Huge, un-fendered wheels. A long, thin nose. Wings at both ends. A single-seat cockpit backed by a prominent intake snorkel. Bulbous side pods.

On paper, the ingredients of a typical Formula 1 racer don’t exactly sound like a recipe for aesthetic success. That said, the sport has always been an extremely high-profile showcase for an automaker’s technical prowess (or lack thereof), so it’s understandable some would attempt to cash in, as it were, on their team’s on-track achievements by incorporating F1 car styling details in their road cars.

Enzo Ferrari. With the 2002-2004 Enzo Ferrari (shown at top), the Modena automaker was perhaps the first to do so overtly. The design cues are obvious, from the side pod-suggesting rear fenders to the anteater-ish nose and prominent front-end aerodynamics. The car was conceived as its manufacturer’s F1 team was in the midst of an unrivaled success streak, notching five driver’s World Championships in as many years from 2000 to 2005, so it’s understandable they would seek to showcase their domination. Whether the car actually works aesthetically is another story, but it’s at least noteworthy.

Mercedes SLR McLaren Silver

Mercedes SLR McLaren. This one’s a bit more of a mishmash of influences. Still, the F1 connection is strong with the 2003-2008 SLR McLaren, as evidenced by the long, thin nose motif running down the hood and the quasi-winged valence. To all that, Mercedes added touches of their classic 300SL Gullwing racer along with then-current Merc themes like the double ovoid headlights. If the car’s styling looks ambiguous, there’s probably a reason it was replaced in short order by the much more single-minded SLS AMG in 2010.

Caparo T1 Orange

Caparo T1. No ambiguity here. The high-strung, 2008-present T1 is an unabashed homage to Formula 1 shapes and engineering. A 1,000-lb car with a 575-hp, 3.5l V8 nestled amidships, its power-to-weight ratio approaches that of an F1 racer as well. If the design gets points, they’ll undoubtedly come from the pre-teenage boy crowd, who spend their study hours drawing such shapes on their notebook paper. Stunning in the purity of its interpretation of an F1 look, but of questionable utility in the “real world.”

Filed under: Aesthetics, Ferrari, Formula 1, Mercedes

2 Comments

  1. John D says:

    Yes, because cars like this are all about ‘utility’… (That was sarcasm, btw… :)

    A few beautiful cars tied together by a common theme. What’s not to like here? I never thought the Enzo was a looker, but it does have a certain appeal with the long and low nose, short cockpit and wide haunches. Hopefully it’s meant to convey that form follows function, but if not, well, if I were Ferrari that’s what I would say about it as it just doesn’t make any sense if that’s not the case.

    Not familiar with the Caparo. Where’s it made?

    • Matt says:

      Well, the T1 did set a Power Lap time on TGUK, but was disqualified for being unable to traverse a typical speed bump. There’s impracticality and then there’s impracticality, you know… :)

      The Caparo’s a British car. Another member of their enviable track car cottage industry…

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