He worked for Italian car design firm Pininfarina for 24 years.
When discussing iconic Ferraris, the models that usually come to mind are the F40 and Testarossa. And one of the reasons why these Ferrari cars stand out is because of a brilliant mind working behind the design board. That mind belongs to Leonardo Fioravanti, an Italian designer who spent nearly a quarter of a century with Pininfarina before it became a hypercar company, designing some of the most iconic Ferraris of the modern era.
YouTuber Davide Cironi sat down with Fioravanti, letting us get a glimpse inside the mind of the man whose design credits include F40, Testarossa, 288 GTO, and Daytona.
Before imparting his brilliant mind to the industry, Fioravanti's parents urged him to focus on studying instead of drawing. His passion for automobiles started when he secretly took his father's Fiat 1100 Bauletto and Topolino for a spin. During piano lessons, he imagined the pedals as the clutch and accelerator.
As the enthusiasm grew, Fioravanti started racing in a Fiat 500 without telling his parents and finished second place in an international race at Monza. That's when his father gave him the signal to continue racing, reminding him always to be careful.
Davide Cironi Drive Experience/YouTube Davide Cironi Drive Experience/YouTube
The car designer eventually had the opportunity to drive the famed Ferrari F40, which he wasn't a big fan of at that time due to the significant turbo lag. But after overcoming the lag, he said the car ran like a bullet.
His first design gig at Pininfarina for Ferrari was the 250 Le Mans Speciale. As an aerodynamicist, Fioravanti revamped the car's shape, which made it go faster than the standard model and impressed the world.
Fioravanti left Pininfarina in the late 1980s after working for the company for 24 years. But his design influence appears to live on in current models like the Ferrari Daytona SP3, which has a rear end reminiscent of the Testarossa.
We won't spill all the beans, though, and the video interview above is well worth sparing 42 minutes to watch and listen to.
Davide Cironi Drive Experience/YouTube Davide Cironi Drive Experience/YouTube Davide Cironi Drive Experience/YouTube
Keyword: Ferrari F40, Testarossa, 288 GTO, And Daytona Owe Everything To One Man