The Fallen Stars Ferrari 512 S Pininfarina Modulo

No one could possibly imagine that the chassis and the V12 engine of a powerful, race-winning Ferrari such as the 512 S is hidden beneath such unusual and futuristic forms. The year is 1970, Pininfarina and Bertone are battling it out to see which is the more innovative and the designer Paolo Martin comes up with something that took the world by storm: the Modulo. 

Although everybody knows it in its light metallic colour, the first concept of the Modulo was actually black. A choice that immediately proved to be unsuitable to enhance the lines

After being presented in Geneva, the Modulo drew the attention of visitors to the Italian pavilion at the Osaka EXPO and went on to receive numerous prizes and awards. As already seen with Bertone’s Stratos Zero, the Modulo also required quite a lot of agility to get on board: in fact, the windshield and part of the roof have to move forward to allow access to the passenger compartment. The fluid line is as spectacular as it is effective thanks to the reduced front section and the characteristic Ferrari red band over the almost white colour that wraps around the car. 

The profile of the Modulo highlights the characteristic that gives a homogeneous shape to the bodywork: the semi-fairing of the wheels that brings considerable harmony to the innovative model

Fun fact: at its first appearance in the form of the scale model, the Modulo was painted black, but without a doubt, the light colour emphasizes the shapes even more – shapes that are now, let’s not forget, more than 50 years old and still remain avant-garde to this day. The car now belongs to James Glickenhaus who bravely got it up and running, which was not very well received by purists.

The large Ferrari V12 that produced 550 horsepower had an easy time breathing thanks to the generous openings at the rear of the car. The 4 centrally positioned, rectangularly shaped exhausts are particularly pleasant

The curious system designed to give access to the passenger compartment with the roof-windshield complex that slides forward

This transparency of the Modulo shows the magnificent Ferrari mechanics on which the car is built

The right-hand drive which was typical of the Sport cars of the time required an original design to install gearbox and controls in the absence of the door

The beautiful Ferrari V12 engine completes the charm of this timeless model