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.

Grab a print copy of the mag now!

Range Rover CSK — the original SUV

5 June, 2026

The Range Rover, thanks to Charles Spencer King, went into production in 1970 boasting an iconic shape that would last until 1996. The vehicle that would create the SUV moniker came about because Rover decided it was time to add a bigger four-wheel-drive vehicle, one with a 100-inch wheelbase, to the model range. Land Rover made a 109-inch wheelbase model but the standard vehicle had a 88-inch wheelbase.
The new model would be more suitable for road use than the existing Land Rover, which was considered to be predominantly for rural use. To make sure it could cope on any road it came standard with the Rover 3.5-litre V8 engine. The body design was originally sketched by King and went into production with only a few minor touch-ups by the Rover styling team.
According to King, “The idea was to combine the comfort and on-road ability of a Rover saloon with the off-road ability of a Land Rover. Nobody was doing it.”

Ford’s Mustang – the endlessly hip American dream machine

28 May, 2026

Fifty or so years ago, the only place in New Zealand to see a Ford Mustang was on the racetrack. In a local market severely constrained by a lack of new motor vehicles, the new North American Ford was a dreamy icon boosted by considerable motorsport success.
Import licences for cars were limited, and if Kiwis travelled abroad, the amount of currency they could take with them was restricted. What’s more, those funds could not be used to buy a car for importation back home. Yet it was OK to spend the money on heavy drinking at a London pub, Gucci shoes, sable fur coats, and excessive stays at the Hôtel Martinez at Cannes in France.
However, any rare Mustang that landed on our shores would not be destined to pose around Auckland’s then trendy Queen Street on a Friday night but would more likely be found in the care of well-known racing drivers on the starting grid at local motor racing tracks.

Meet the man who designs Ferraris

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