Have you had enough of content on Italian cars, yet? I certainly haven't, and I didn't think you'd be bored yet, either. Owing to the amazing support that you've shown in my previous posts, I suppose I'd reward you with another one!
You're damn right if I'm going to keep doing this until everyone has understood how wonderful Italian automobiles are. Their beauty and charm can be felt, and emotions arise, with one particular artist using their impassioned soul to create a truly outstanding piece of automotive art.
Credits to: Behance - Murray Sharp (Ferrari Stallone Concept)
While perusing through the depths of Twitter, I came across one Murray Sharp, with his creative interpretation of what a successor to the legendary LaFerrari might be. Called the 'Stallone ", which translates to "Stallion " in English (It has nothing to do with Rambo! ), it's an early imagination at the next Ferrari hypercar.
Every decade, Ferrari releases one ultra-exclusive, high-performance halo car to rule them all - both as a technical exercise, and a celebration of the brand's heritage. The excess of the 80s gave us the F40, us 90s kids got the F50, while the 2000s gave way for the Enzo, and the 2010s birthed the LaFerrari.
Credits to: NetCarShow (F40, F50, Enzo, LaFerrari)
As you can imagine, the 2020s will have something equally as exciting, and if you haven't had your dose of "WOW" for the day yet, it's about to start now…
The Thoroughbred Stallion.
"A car maker need be neither an engineer nor a technician. He must be someone who loves his passion for cars and he must be someone who knows a lot about human beings."
~Enzo Ferrari
Credits to: Behance - Murray Sharp (Ferrari Stallone Concept)
Starting with the design, this rendering is a treat for the eyes, and every small detail is something worth celebrating, bit by bit. My interpretation of Murray Sharp's description of the Stallone, is that it's a bit of everything from the past, and the present of Ferrari's legacy.
The Stallone takes inspiration from the hard-edges and purebred engineering of the F40, while combining it with the soul and craftsmanship of the old 250 GTO, and also taking some cues from its "predecessor".
*Credits to: Behance - Murray Sharp (Ferrari Stallone Concept)
The side vents, low nose, and the side profile are a nod to the LaFerrari, creating a bodywork that is nothing less than spectacular. It emphasises the mid-engined nature of the Stallone, pushing the driver as close to the front as possible, reminiscent of piloting a jet fighter.
Maintaining its focus as a performance car, weight must be reduced as much as possible, and that is no exception, even to an imaginative creation like the Stallone. Here, the entire construct of the Stallone can be seen to be made of carbon-fibre, much of it strewn across the exterior, exposed to the elements.
Credits to: CarPixel (Ferrari FXX K Evo)
What sections of the car that aren't carbon-fibre, is painted in the traditional Rosso Corsa (Racing Red ), barring the black-painted roof, another nod to the LaFerrari. A neat little aesthetic detail on the exterior, is the little Italian tricolor flag, just underneath the Scuderia shield, just like a Ferrari FXX K Evo.
As with all Ferraris, the Stallone takes pride of the Prancing Horse's mastery of aerodynamics, with many ducts, inlets, and channels to let the wind gods know who's boss. As with the brand's philosophy, the Stallone needs to be as slippery as needed, while eschewing the addition of any large wings and spoilers.
Credits to: Behance - Murray Sharp (Ferrari Stallone Concept)
"Aerodynamics are for people who can't build engines."
~ Enzo Ferrari
Barring what Enzo may have said decades ago (although they do make very good engines, indeed ), the Ferrari brand is after all, a racing-inspired company, and they'll take very competitive edge they can get to own their rivals.
Credits to: Behance - Murray Sharp (Ferrari Stallone Concept)
The Stallone is no exception, with a "floating" headlight design allowing as much air to pass through the car as possible. Going along the side, note that the Stallone's door handles are recessed inwards to make the sculpted body as smooth as a baby's bottom.
The side vents along the rear 3/4 are generally adopted for cooling the powerplant, while those large "flying" buttresses (seen above the fuel door ) further aid in controlling the air. As with the front, the rear-end flaunts a heavy amount of carbon-fibre.
Credits to: Behance - Murray Sharp (Ferrari Stallone Concept)
Seen here is the large rear-diffuser at the bottom, helping to increase grip, while also reducing drag, surrounding a Formula 1-inspired fog light. Along with the many vents to let out hot air from the engine, is the classically-rounded taillights, conjoined together with a narrow lightbar.
Move further up, and you'll see a marvel of an engine, viewed clearly through the glass. Surrounding the lower half of that window, are some open honeycomb meshes, letting the mechanical bits air out, while also giving us a view on some of the componentry, like the suspension. Flanking those, are two, very prominently placed exhausts.
*Credits to: Behance - Murray Sharp (Ferrari Stallone Concept)
Speaking of, one can only imagine what the next Ferrari hypercar might be powered by. Marenello's engineers have rarely disappointed, and I imagine whatever they're going to create next will be something to truly celebrate. Murray Sharp imagines the Stallone to run on a hybridised V12 engine, just like the LaFerrari, with the hybrid powertrain being an F1-derived KERS-system.
Credits to: Behance - Murray Sharp (Ferrari Stallone Concept)
Little can be seen of the interior, although we can discern that this particular Stallone has been specified with tan leather interior, another classic pairing with the Rosso Corsa paintwork. This rendering clearly took some time to create, as it still has the "old", pre-SF90/Roma interior design.
Just as evolution has it, the Stallone also carries with it many technological advancements that may be expected in the coming years. Those "floating" headlights use laser technology, surely all the better to light up racetracks at night. To help make the Stallone more practical, and to compensate for the lack of a rear window, side- and rear-view cameras have been mounted.
Credits to: Behance - Murray Sharp (Ferrari Stallone Concept)
"I used over 12 different design programs in total to complete this project and six of these programs I had never used before. Large programs including Alias, Vray, Photoshop, and Aftereffects were all learned from scratch during this project."
~Murray Sharp, in an interview with Motor 1
Prancing Horses.
Credits to: Behance - Murray Sharp (Ferrari Stallone Concept)
Unless one works for Ferrari, it's difficult to know what's going to be launched next. With a new generation of Prancing Horses upon us, and Ferrari's own commitments to hybrid, and electrified powertrains - much of what we know now will soon change, as our automotive world moves ever closer to its embrace.
Currently, the most anticipated equine in Ferrari's future stable, is the Purosangue SUV. While I've not fallen for the idea of mass-adoption for SUVs, I can't fault brands like Ferrari for making them.
Credits to: AutoCar (Ferrari Purosangue Render)
As businesses, they have to follow the general trends of the world in order to stay afloat, and in the automotive industry, SUVs are quickly becoming the bread and butter for many companies. If a pureblooded marque like Ferrari has to manufacture SUVs in order to make more money, and in return produce more sports cars for enthusiasts to enjoy, then let it be.
All in all, I'm glad to have stumbled upon this wonderful creation by Murray Sharp, as it gives me hope that our petrol-headed future will be an exciting one to witness!
Credits to: Behance - Murray Sharp (Ferrari Stallone Concept)
I haven't included all of his artwork here, so if you'd like to see other sublime creations by Mr. Sharp, you can check out his Behance page. If you'd like to see more of the Stallone, and read more about how it was created (pics, gifs, and vids included ), then you can check it out here.
If you'd like to see more stuff like this, where I uncover more renderings and 3D artwork on cars, then please let me know in the comments!
Credits to: Behance - Murray Sharp (Ferrari Stallone Concept)
Thanks for reading! For more updates on my blogs, or the more minute things in life, feel free to follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn, and maybe give a shout there as well!
