Meet the man who designs Ferraris

10 August, 2016

In a rare interview with Head of Ferrari Design Flavio Manzoni, in the September issue of New Zealand Classic Car, he explains, “There is a very nice phrase of Renzo Piano, the famous architect, that explains that the design is something in between the prudence of tradition and the courage of the future. So it’s always a balance between the two, so you cannot forget such an important history like the Ferrari history, but we have to be really creative in order to imagine that possible evolution, possible transformation of the design, the Ferrari design in a very natural way. So we have also, with our new projects, to anticipate somehow the development of the car industry with very excellent products, so we have to be courageous and respectful at the same time.”

To read the full fascinating interview with Flavio Manzoni, get your copy of the September issue of New Zealand Classic Car here. For now, check out the gallery of Flavio Manzoni and his designs.


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You’re the one that I want – 1973 Datsun 240K GT

In the early 1970s, Clark Caldow was a young sales rep travelling the North Island and doing big miles annually. He loved driving. In 1975 the firm he worked for asked Clark what he wanted for his new car, and Clark chose a brand-new Datsun 240K GT. The two-door car arrived, and Clark was smitten, or in his own words, he was “pole vaulting.”
Clark drove it all over the country, racking up thousands of miles. “It had quite a bit of pep with its SOHC 128 hp (96kW) of power mated to a four-speed manual gearbox,” he says. Weighing in at 1240kg meant the power to weight ratio was good for the time and its length at almost 4.5 metres meant it had good street presence.
Clark has been a car enthusiast all his life, and decided around nine years ago to look for one of these coupes. By sheer luck he very quickly found a mint example refurbished by an aircraft engineer, but it was in Perth.

The originals – the Ledgerwood Collection

Thanks to Central Otago’s dry climate, it’s no surprise to find that Wanaka couple Jim and Daphne Ledgerwood are steadily developing an incredible collection of amazing coupes. ‘The Originals’ they have are as per factory new condition, and their aim is to keep them for everyone to see how it was done back in the day—pure nostalgia.
An occasional email from Jim usually reveals another gleaming addition. The collectors also have an impressive display of American pickups. It’s our gain and US enthusiasts’ loss, as car agent’s adverts proclaim, “Sorry you missed out. Gone to New Zealand!” Some of Jim and Daphne’s cars are almost part of the family, hence their nicknames.