Flavio Manzoni

Senior Vice President - Ferrari Design
Ferrari SpA, Maranello (MO), Italy

Born in Sardinia (Italy), Architect and Designer, Flavio Manzoni is Ferrari’s Chief Design Officer. Graduated in Architecture at the University of Florence with a specialization in Industrial Design, he joined Lancia in 1993. Amongst various projects, he worked in particular on the Lancia Dialogos concept. In 1999 he went to Barcelona as the head of SEAT Interior Design and developed the interiors of the Salsa Emoción and Tango concept cars, as well as the interiors of the Altea and León production cars.

He returned to Lancia in 2001 where he was appointed Design Director and worked on the research concepts of the Granturismo, Stilnovo and Fulvia Coupé; under his direction at Lancia the Ypsilon and Musa production cars were developed (both awarded with the “European Automotive Design Award”). In 2004 he took on the role of Fiat, Lancia and LCV Design Director, managing the Grande Punto, Nuova 500, Fiorino and Cubo car model projects.

He left the Fiat Group in 2006 when he was appointed Director of Creative Design at Volkswagen Group in Wolfsburg. Engaged to define the new vision and the new formal language of Skoda, Bentley, Bugatti and particularly Volkswagen Brand, Manzoni was involved in the creation of the concepts Up!, Space Up!, Space up! Blue, E-Up! and the Blue Sport roadster. On the production side, he was involved in the design of some VW models, including the Scirocco, Golf MK VI, the Polo MK VI, the Beetle MK II and the Touareg MK II under the Head of Group Design Walter de Silva.

In 2010 he was appointed Director of Ferrari’s Styling Centre with the specific mission to create the new in-house design center and set up a comprehensive Ferrari design department, including a model making area, a virtual design lab and hiring high-level specialists and professional designers.

The Ferrari Styling Centre is responsible for the in-house design of all new Ferrari production models, including the special XX program version of the LaFerrari hyper car, the FXX-K and a number of one-offs, such as the F12 TRS, 458 MM, J50, P80/C and the recent Omologata. These successful Ferraris have contributed to consolidating the marque’s identity and have been joined by the limited-edition Monza SP1 and SP2, the first creations in a new ‘Icona’ series.

2019 saw the introduction of no fewer than five new models all designed in-house, including the SF90 Stradale, Ferrari’s first PHEV hybrid, and the Ferrari Roma with its signature Italian styling, a contemporary reinterpretation of the carefree lifestyle of 1950s and ‘60s Rome, from which it takes its evocative name.

Among the most recent Models, the Ferrari 296 GTB of 2021. This car represents the latest evolution of Maranello’s mid-rear-engined two-seater berlinetta; the first 6-cylinder engine installed on a road car sporting the Prancing Horse badge. The Ferrari Daytona SP3, launched in 2021, is the second car to join the limited edition Icona series and pays homage to the mid-rear-engined Ferrari V12 sports prototypes that earned the marque its unparalleled motor sport status.

A lecturer at major international universities, cultural institutions, art and design museums, Flavio Manzoni has been inducted in the car design Hall of Fame at the National Automobile Museum in Turin and is the co-author of the book "L'automobile italiana", published by Giunti in 2006. For his work and contribution to the car design world he received the "Navicella Sardegna" award from the Region of Sardinia (2009), the "Architecture Sardinia" prize (2011) and the "Mamuthone ad honorem" (2013). He also received an honorary master's degree in "Literature, Modern Philology and Cultural Industry” at the University of Sassari (June 2019).