Ferrari design boss coming to Oz

FERRARI’S design director will make his first visit to Australia in May, to take part in this year’s Vivid Ideas Festival.

Flavio Manzoni, whose key designs include the LaFerrari, the 488GTB and the new GTC4Lusso, will discuss the future of Ferrari design in a special presentation at Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art.

He will also get up close and personal with Ferrari owners and fans at a string of customer and press events.

“This is an incredible event, which by the way is one of the 10 most important events in the world,” Manzoni told Wheels in an exclusive interview at the Geneva motor show.

“I will bring a powerpoint presentation and with the help of sketches, explain our approach to design and how we are thinking about futuristic and modern Ferraris, but always keeping in mind the history and DNA of the brand.”

Vivid is billed as the world’s largest festival of light, music and ideas, and attracted more than 1.7 million people last year. The 2016 Festival will run over 23 nights, starting on Friday May 27.

“I’m looking forward to coming to Australia and I’m very curious and emotional about it,” Manzoni said.

Manzoni joined Ferrari in 2010 after a stint as Volkswagen’s senior designer, and has since instilled a different design culture at the famous Italian brand.

“There is a clear philosophy now that we’ve been developing and we now have an in-house design centre and a complete team of designers and modellers that live and breathe the brand,” he said.

“The most tricky question for us is how do we innovate and make something absolutely new, like LaFerrari and the FXX K, without obviously reinterpreting the lines of our tradition. We have to surprise every time and create something not expected. That’s what I don’t like, to repeat elements of the past.”

Manzoni will be in Australia for five days.

“It’s pretty exciting to get him here because he really doesn’t travel much” said Ferrari Australasia CEO Herbert Appleroth.

“It’s a big thing for us and customers will get a chance to meet the man who leads our design and who penned many of their cars.

“Vivid is the largest cultural design event in the Southern Hemisphere, so as well as Manzoni’s public appearances, it’s an opportunity for a large collection of the design industry to come together.”

Tickets to see Manzoni’s presentation will go on sale to the public on March 20.