Ferrari World Design Contest 2011 enters second phase

The Ferrari World Design Contest, launched in collaboration with Autodesk, has just completed the first phase of its selection process. With entries from over 50 international design schools, the contest saw more than 200 projects arrive at the supercar manufacturer's studios in Maranello. Seven design schools have now been selected as finalists.

The contest's goal is to develop the Ferrari of the future: a pure hypercar using latest generation technologies and materials. The concept must not only be extreme in its architecture and functional aspects, Ferrari's Design Director Flavio Manzoni stipulates it should also be "hyper-light and hyper-fast, hyper-ecologic and hyper-technological".

While the contest's first stage included designs from both sides of the spectrum – geometric and tortuous, with organic forms – geared towards lowering consumption, most were propelled by alternative powertrains – particularly hybrids. These, however, demonstrated lightweight solutions in order to retain the driving characteristics required of a Ferrari.

The finalist schools involved in planning the Ferrari of the future include: IED and IAAD from Turin, Italy; the Royal College of Art in London,UK; the European Design Institute in Barcelona, Spain; Hong-ik University in Seoul, Korea; the DSK Supinfocom in Pune, India; and the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, USA.

Ferrari says the jury's selection process, guided by jury president Luca di Montezemolo, decided unanimously to raise the number of finalists to seven instead of six schools – the initial number scheduled for the contest's final stage – because of the quality of the work presented.

The finalists will now enter into the second phase of the competition, which asks finalists to create three models for their respective schools. The models will be presented in 3D Autodesk Alias and as a 1:4-scale physical model. During this second stage, the students have to pay special attention to details and the interior's development, without leaving the car's functional aspects unconsidered.

The winners will win an internship at Ferrari and cash prizes. Autodesk will also present an award to the student team that best uses its Alias software to both communicate their design intent and demonstrate the process of design. The results of the competition will be announced in July.

By Eric Gallina