Ferrari 550

The body lines, drawn by Pininfarina’s pencil, clearly evoked those of the new 2+2 model, the Ferrari 456 GT, in their overall concept. However, it also had retro touches from earlier classic cars, such as the double air outlet slits in the front wings, similar to those of the 250 GTO and 275 GTB of the 1960s, while the shape of the rear lights was even more similar to that of the legendary 365 GTB/4 “Daytona” than had been seen on the 456 GT.

The new model had its own identity, with a wide, shallow air intake for the radiator which, together with the integral front spoiler, gave it a hungry shark look when it appeared in the rear-view mirror as it approached the car in front on the road. The styling details gave it a look of aggressive elegance, and while some people were initially restrained in their praise, no doubt because they were expecting a more visually radical car, the car’s dynamic qualities soon overcame that scepticism. After all, here was a practical and comfortable two-seater, with full luggage capacity and overall performance close to that which characterised the revolutionary F40 ‘street racer’ less than a decade earlier.