Former Ferrari Designer Dissects The Daytona SP3

Is the design of the new Ferrari Daytona SP3 any good? Well, it’s hard for us to say, but luckily accomplished car designer Frank Stephenson is here with a detailed analysis.  Stephenson’s career of designing iconic supercars means he has a unique point of view of the world of car design to help us unpack this daring Ferrari Daytona SP3. The Ferrari Daytona SP3 is an important car for Ferrari as it marks the end of an era before hybrid power and turbochargers accompany the brand’s iconic V12 engines. But before we dive into the engineering, we must first decide if the Ferrari Daytona SP3 is beautiful.

Designing a supercar is no easy task. The demands of engineering requirements, safety regulations, and production capacity all work in tandem to manipulate the beauty of an original design. The impact of these unique stakeholders means that although Ferrari designers are encouraged to build beautiful cars, however, they must still answer to several external factors. To add to the pressure of car design, the world expects Ferraris to be beautiful much like we expect hatchbacks to be practical.

In Stephenson’s design analysis, he spends time on each part of the Ferrari Daytona SP3 to get a detailed look at every aspect of the car. Stephenson’s reaction to the overall design to very positive, however, he poses many valid critiques. Stephenson is quick to point out areas of the car that are very plain like the front running lights and rear brake light bar. He also focuses on areas that are a little overly expressive like the front bumper air inlets that are home to a few too many strakes.

At the end of the day, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and considering all 599 Ferrari Daytona SP3s are already sold out, the design is certainly good enough for Ferrari’s best customers. How do you like the look of the Ferrari Daytona SP3?