automotivebriefs
8:25in productionCh. 1 · Chassis, not car/ 8:25 · ceiling 15 min
Concepts & prototypes · Sports cars

Ferrari Modulo

Paolo Martin · 1970

A car that never drove — but rewired every designer’s idea of what a sports car should look like.

The Ferrari Modulo is a static concept car built by Pininfarina on a de-powered Ferrari 512 S chassis. It debuted black at Geneva 1970. Its wedge shape, sliding canopy and exposed V12 defined a new visual language — one that influenced 1970s car design more than any production model.

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Chapters & takeaways5
  1. 0:53
    Chassis, not car

    It began as a race chassis, then became a sculpture.

  2. 1:57
    Form follows fiction

    Every surface serves the wedge: roof slides, wheels hide, body tapers to a point.

  3. 2:54
    Engine as exhibit

    The V12 is shown, not used — 24 holes frame an engine that does not run.

  4. 3:57
    Award-winning influence

    It won 22 awards and reshaped 1970s styling — before most drivers had seen a wedge in the flesh.

  5. 4:54
    Three shows, two coats

    Black at Geneva. White at Turin and Osaka. A show car, repainted for each stage.

Worth your time?

Yes. Drive the whole thing.

4.5/ 5
What works
  • as-a-visual-statement
  • as-an-influence-on-1970s-styling
  • as-a-coherent-wedge-proposition
What does not
  • drive
  • function
  • accelerate
  • brake
Drive it if
  • design-historians
  • industrial-designers
  • students-of-automotive-form
Skip it if
  • collectors-seeking-drivable-ferraris
  • performance-engineers
The written brief1 min read

What the car is and where it came from

A one-off concept car built by Pininfarina on a stripped Ferrari 512 S chassis (#27), converted to 612 Can Am spec then de-powered. Designed by Paolo Martin. Unveiled black at Geneva 1970.

How it works, in terms someone would actually use

The Modulo is a non-functional concept car. It has no working engine or transmission. Entry is via a sliding glass canopy. Its wheels are partly covered. The V12 is visible through 24 holes in the engine cover — but it is static, not installed.

What it gets right

It solves for visual impact at standstill. Its low wedge profile, canopy entry and exposed engine layout create a singular, coherent statement about speed as form.

What it does not

It does not drive. It has no interior controls, no suspension tuning, no driver feedback. It does not accelerate, brake or corner. It exists only as a static object.

What it changed

It made wedge proportions mainstream in 1970s automotive design. Its silhouette appeared in production cars from Lamborghini to Lancia within five years.

Who it is for, and who it is not

Design historians, industrial designers, students of automotive form. Not for collectors seeking drivable Ferraris, nor for engineers assessing performance.

Is it worth your time

Yes — if you care about how design ideas travel. It is not drivable, but its shape changed how cars looked for a decade.

Same garage · Concepts & prototypes4 of 24
11:02
Alfa Romeo CaraboMarcello Gandini · 1950The Alfa Romeo Carabo is a 1968 concept car designed by Marcello Gandini at Bertone. It debuted at the 1968 Paris Motor Show. It used the chassis of an Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale with a mid-mounted 2.0 L V8 engine and 6-speed Colotti manual transmission. It featured scissor doors — the first known use — and iridescent green-orange colouring inspired by Carabidae beetles. Built in ten weeks using fiberglass, it was never intended for production but was fully functional. It helped establish the wedge shape trend in 1970s supercars and concept cars. Gandini’s design philosophy prioritised vehicle architecture and mechanics over styling.
8:49
Buick Y-JobHarley Earl · 1950The Buick Y-Job is the first concept car — a 1938 Buick convertible built to test design ideas, not sell units. Designed by Harley Earl, it used a Buick Super chassis and featured power-operated hidden headlamps, electric windows, and styling cues that defined Buick for decades. It became Earl’s daily driver after public debut. It changed how mass manufacturers develop cars: by treating design as a public-facing experiment.
10:45
Cadillac SixteenBrian Smith · 2005The Cadillac Sixteen is a 2003 concept car. It has a proprietary 13.6 L V16 engine. It uses a four-speed automatic transmission driving the rear wheels. It references the 1930s Cadillac V-16. It weighs about 5,005 lb. It influenced later models including the Celestiq.
9:24
DMC DeLoreanGiorgetto Giugiaro · 1981The DMC DeLorean is a rear-engine, two-seat sports car designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro and produced by the DeLorean Motor Company from 1981 to 1983. It features gull-wing doors, unpainted brushed stainless-steel body panels, and a 2.85 L PRV V6 engine shared with Peugeot, Renault, and Volvo. Approximately 9,000 units were built before the company’s bankruptcy. Though criticized for modest performance and build quality, it gained iconic status through the Back to the Future films.
Up next in Automotive

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9:10