Watch the Ferarri F430’s Designer Walk You Through Designing the Legendary Supercar

Peter Holderith

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I’m an Industrial design major, and I’ve designed a few cars before. They’re pretty good, but I cannot sketch out cars with anywhere near the ease of somebody like Frank Stephenson. Considering he’s one of the most talented automotive designers out there today, I shouldn’t even have to say that. Stephenson has designed several popular cars, including the Fiat 500, Mclaren P1, and BMW’s first MINI.

It’s not common for designers to just walk people through how they did something. The reason for that (I’ll tell you this first-hand) is because most of it is pretty boring. The exciting part about designing a car is sketching it out, modeling it, and watching it appear before your eyes. That’s what Stephenson is showing us in his latest “How I designed” video:

The video — done in real-time — shows Stephenson effortlessly sketching up a near-exact copy of a Ferarri F430 (in pen). He talks us through several of the aesthetic decisions he made designing the car and shares some gripes about modern car design. These gripes include but are not limited to, fake vents.

Most of what we like about the F430, he likes. There’s no disconnect between the designer and the public who appreciates it. Considering his design catalog is so immense, and we’re going through a pandemic, I would expect more of these videos to come. He only has one other design walkthrough out there now, but it’s worth watching, too.

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Peter Holderith

Peter Holderith

East coast writer of car satire. Slightly more serious things written sometimes as well. Interested in most forms of transportation.

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2 responses to “Watch the Ferarri F430’s Designer Walk You Through Designing the Legendary Supercar”

  1. Zentropy Avatar
    Zentropy

    He explains “tumblehome” as a design element that he obviously likes, but which I think is way overdone in today’s cars. Both aesthetically and functionally, I like a more upright greenhouse on a car (like that of the BMW 2002 and Volvo 240). Granted, tumblehome contributes to the exotic look of cars like the Lamborghini Countach and its descendants, but it’s not very practical. However, as safety requirements push occupants further into the cocoon (bulging the sides of the car outward), I’m guessing it’s only going to become more pronounced.

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  2. salguod Avatar
    salguod

    I’m not a great sketcher (one of several reasons that my design career drifted toward engineering), but I do like sketching with a simple ball point pen. A light touch gives you a light line and more pressure gives you a bolder line. You can lightly get your lines down and use a bold touch to finalize your sketch and then add a little shading.

    I haven’t seen these videos yet, I need to take a look.

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