DESIGN STILL MATTERS, PART IV.

Sunday

Jul062025

Sunday, July 6, 2025 at 08:27AM

SPECIAL EDITOR'S NOTE: We're thrilled to announce the debut of Peter's first work of fiction, "St. Michael of Birmingham." Make no mistake, it doesn't resemble anything you've read from him before. In fact, it is quite a dramatic departure. It is mystical. It is sexy. It is funny. It's moving. And it is a flat-out wild ride unlike anything you've experienced. Having said that, it is definitely not for everyone, but then, it is from PMD, so that probably shouldn't come as a surprise! Check it out on Amazon Kindle here. -WG

Editor's Note: This week, Peter provides an overview of the dismal state of affairs in today's auto business, but also offers a glimmer of hope in the form of the new Ferrari Amalfi. In On The Table, we have word of three "new" Porsche 911 variants for 2026. And our AE Song of the Week is "Stay (I Missed You)" by Lisa Loeb. In Fumes, we have the next installment of Peter's riveting new series, The Great Races. This week, he takes us back to Laguna Seca for the Can-Am Series race on October 18, 1970. This race would mark one of the last appearances by Jim Hall's Chaparral Cars team in Can-Am competition. And in The Line, we have F1 results from the British Grand Prix at Silverstone and INDYCAR from Mid-Ohio. Enjoy! -WG

By Peter M. DeLorenzo

Detroit. In the midst of the summer doldrums (and my excruciatingly frustrating recovery, by the way), a bolt of lightning has arrived from Modena, Italy. A glorious spark that should give auto enthusiasts hope that all is not lost with this dismal business at this juncture.

Before I get to this beautiful automotive revelation, let’s review the current state of the business, shall we? Automobile manufacturers and their suppliers alike have been tossed into the Swirling Maelstrom by a series of arbitrary and maliciously capricious tariffs that threaten to decimate this business as we know it. To what constructive end? I’ll answer that for you: There is no constructive end, despite what certain auto CEOs are spewing in public to assuage the blithering stumblebums in Washington. (That the current auto CEOs are twisting in the proverbial political winds is flat-out pathetic. Where do they stand on anything? It depends on what week it is.)

Remember, all of the moves being made in Washington are based on the “finger-snap” mentality as practiced by the entrenched politicos, which revolves around the theory that turning a giant industry – part of the foundational industrial fabric of this nation – around is just a matter of making a few pronouncements and the rest will “just work itself out.” It doesn’t matter that it takes years to build production-ready plants and to develop supplier participation to form an efficient supply chain. This is after this industry sank hundreds of billions into developing an EV manufacturing and retail scenario, which is, all of a sudden – poof – gone with the wind. But according to Washington politicos, it will just work itself out. As if.

Where does that leave the consumers, who, this just in, determine the futures of these car companies? Not in a good place, as you might imagine. Sure, the car companies thrived as of late because of buyers trying to get ahead of whatever tariffs will be unleashed. But the ugly undertone to this business has now surfaced in the form of 72- and 84-month payments, with an average retail price for vehicles pushing $50,000. And even more alarming? One in five new car buyers have signed up for $1,000 per month payments. Is this sustainable? No, of course not.

This industry is headed for a dead reckoning, a scenario where sales plummet for any number of factors, including the most important one: it just costs too damn much to get into a new vehicle. The manufacturers insist they’re hard at work addressing the affordability issue, but when will these efforts come to retail fruition? 2026? 2027? Not. Soon. Enough.

Meanwhile, in other news, Nissan is still trying to insist that it will survive, pretty much singing from the same songbook that it has for years. But is it just whistling past the graveyard? Count on it.

And then there’s Stellantis, which is desperately trying to walk back the monumental mistakes that the company made over the last few years. Giving Tim Kuniskis control over basically everything in North America is a hugely positive step, but he will be racing against time in rebooting the Dodge performance envelope. That's one thing, but dealing with – aka rolling back – the egregiously misguided Jeep pricing won’t be as easy. “A hard rain’s a gonna fall” out in Auburn Hills, I'm afraid.

As for Ford, its CEO is trying to project himself as being in tune with the “working man,” which is laughable, but as long as the company keeps offering employee pricing for everyone, it will continue to stay afloat, apparently. (Speaking of Jim "I'm a genius just ask me" Farley, it has been widely reported that while speaking at the recent Aspen Ideas Festival, Ford's CEO said that AI will replace "literally half of all white-collar workers in the U.S." Well, now here's an idea, Jim... why don't we start with you?)

And GM’s ICE portfolio is formidable, but its giant EV offerings are headed for disaster. “Too Big, Too Heavy, Too Much” is not necessarily a long-term marketing strategy. As for its future EV portfolio, as I’ve stated repeatedly, the new Chevrolet Bolt will have to be a grand slam home run. Anything less will be a crushing disappointment.

All that being said, you would think this business is steadfastly delusional and free of any hope whatsoever, and the aforementioned points give us plenty of reasons to think that.

But as I hinted at the beginning of this column, every once in a while, a bolt of lightning comes down from the heavens – or in this case, Modena - to remind us of just how glorious this business can be.

First of all, design still matters in this business. In fact, it is the one ingredient going forward that will separate the real players from the pretenders. Remember, this business is first and foremost a fashion business, so, look, feel and stance count for absolutely everything. Secondly, emotionally compelling design is the proverbial straw that stirs the drink, and it can’t be faked or “phoned-in.” A machine either has it, or it doesn’t.

Yes, design is crucial, and as much as the full-zoom, mid-engine supercars of the day have a certain appeal – the Ferrari 296 GTB and Daytona SP3 being my personal favorites – the enduring allure of the classic front/mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive coupe remains my favorite. And up until this point in time, the most elegant and emotionally compelling execution of that form was the Ferrari Roma, which made its debut in 2019. But that was six years ago, and Ferrari has decided that the time is right to introduce its successor.

The new Ferrari Amalfi is "a blend of modern elegance and performance,” according to Ferrari PR minions, but that doesn’t do it justice. Not even close. This successor to the Roma (we weren't even close to being tired of it! -WG) is powered by a twin-turbo V8 that delivers more power and performance than the Roma. The new engine control unit, advanced turbocharging management and new pressure sensors push the twin-turbo V8 to a maximum power of 631HP at 7,500 rpm and 561 lb-ft of torque between 3,000–5,750 rpm. Ferrari claims a 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) sprint in 3.3 seconds and a top speed of 320 km/h (199 mph). You can watch the intro video here.

The Ferrari Roma was one of my all-time favorite machines from the Italian sports car manufacturer. But the Ferrari Amalfi is all that and much more. Ask any designer, and he or she will always say it’s about proportion and stance. The Amalfi has all of that, and then some.

The Ferrari Amalfi is an elegantly emphatic reminder to the True Believers in this business that Design still matters. If what you’re working on doesn’t move your personal needle as a designer or an engineer, then something isn’t right. Do something about it. Make it better. Make it ring true to yourself.

It’s also a reminder to auto enthusiasts everywhere that there are still True Believers at work in this business who believe in bringing emotionally compelling designs to the street. Designs with that unmistakable look, feel and stance; designs that will resonate for years to come.

Thank goodness for that.

And that’s the High-Octane Truth for this week.

(Ferrari images)