F430 Designer Says the Ferrari Purosangue Is Good, Actually

Photo: Ferrari

If you’re a crossover hater, you might assume Frank Stephenson would would be on your side. After all, he’s the former Ferrari designer who’s responsible for the F430 and FXX. Now he designs McLarens. So, of course he’s going to trash the Ferrari Purosangue, right? Not exactly.

You have to remember, he also designed the first-generation BMX X5. He may love supercars, but he also knows plenty about SUVs. And since he’s the man BMW tasked with designing its first venture into that space, he’s also the perfect person to break down what Ferrari got right about the Purosangue, as well as what he would change if he had designed it himself.

Right out of the gate (well, after a relatively long introduction, that is), he calls it both a beautiful car and a beautiful Ferrari. “They’ve had a challenge to communicate a vehicle in that segment and still maintain that faithfulness, that adherence to what Ferrari’s all about,” he says. “And my gosh have they done a beautiful job on it.

But he doesn’t just rave about how much he loves the Purosangue. He actually goes into detail, explaining all the little things that make the design work for him. And to be fair, he is critical of a few things other than the fact that he doesn’t think it should be called an SUV. For example, the running lights are a bit too simplistic for his taste. If you’re designing a Ferrari, why not get more creative than a basic straight line?

You’ll have to watch the video yourself to find out what else he doesn’t like. But if you still don’t like the Purosangue, now you know that the guy behind the F430 thinks you’re wrong.

Ex-Ferrari Designer Analyses The Purosangue