It all begins with a sketch…

I remember bringing in my 2003 Giallo F360 Modena to my local Ferrari dealership for service.  During the service, I noticed a part of the wheel fender lip wasn’t flush anymore.  Surprised, I learned that when I turned the steering wheel to its limits and driving into sharp corners, the 360’s tires had rubbed on the inside of the fender lip and started to pull it out. 

I was astonished and learned this was quite common.  Even more surprising was the fix to this fender; take off the wheel and roll back the ender lip with a small rolling pin and then tap it back in with a soft rubber mallet.  Simple – easy peasy!

Ferrari Magazine just published this article called Carving The Future about how the design concepts of their prototype came to fruition from early model Ferraris from the 1950s and 1960s like the Ferrari 340 MM.  With just a piece of paper and a pencil, a sketch was created.  Then the creation of a 3D model was created with clay, wood resin, and steel overlay, all shaped with the tools of a rolling pin and soft rubber mallet. 

It allowed me to connect and realize that as sophisticated as things are today with large computational processing power in computers (I know this after working at IBM and Lenovo’s Personal Computing business), it all starts with a sketch. Don’t ever forget that some problems on the most expensive and rare cars can be fixed with simple common sense tools of a rolling pin and a rubber mallet rather than ordering a new fender.  ;-).

The full-scale model took pride of place in the centre of the workshop and would get the occasional touch-up as wedges were added or hollowed out.

Sadly hardly any models survive to the present day. They usually fell prey to wear-and-tear or were often burnt as firewood in the stove because space in the workshops was precious and back then no one was thinking of leaving memories.

Click here to read the article.

If you like this article and want to visit the museums and attractions, please join the Motorsport Lab’s Cradle of Supercar’s Tour in Motor Valley, Italy.  Tour dates are September 1 – 9, 2022. Click here to learn more and get registered.