My first encounter with the Ferrari 288 GTO

There's an empty space on my gallery wall. It's been calling me for a while, but I couldn't decide what to place there. And despite being an illustrator, all I have hung so far it's been other people's works: some Matisse prints, of course - being him my favorite artist -, but also things I encountered in the wild, whether it was in person or... cybernetically. But I knew that, at some point, I would have wanted to add an even more personal touch to this collection of mine.

So one day, while I was looking at pictures of that wonderful day spent with my parents in Maranello, I asked myself: why not make a poster with the Ferrari that, among all of them, probably most of every other left me speechless?

I still remember the sense of wonder I felt as soon as I saw it in person. I will admit it, I know next to nothing about cars and engines, but that Ferrari truly enchanted me - with its elegance mixed with aggressiveness, and with such a personality filled with potency and class that just can't leave you indifferent.

The entrance of the Ferrari Factory in Maranello. It's incredible to see how much about Ferrari there is in the whole town.

The Ferrari Museum, located not too far from the main factory establishment and the Fiorano private circuit.

The Ferrari 288 GTO exhibited in the museum. It's one of the first few cars visible when walking in.

Beyond the Ferrari

I had - and I still do - a quite precise idea of what I wanted to create to fill that gap in my gallery wall: a poster evoking an image of a world that doesn't exist anymore, a world that - surely also because of a nostalgic and "vaporwave" approach - keeps charming and enthralling, with a certain charisma and character that emerges clear from the images, colours and sounds of that era.

This car was designed by Pininfarina in 1984. I didn't live the 80s, only their reflection - being born only after, yet a side of me has always been particularly in tune with them for reasons that go way beyond design and aesthetics. I have a certain image in my mind of what I can presume my country looked like and felt during those years, and my intention is to try and let it emerge - also through this marvellous car produced by the most famous Prancing Horse in the world.

So my research began: posters that would convey a similar feeling to what I have in mind, photographs of the 288 GTO that I would be able to use for my scope... yet, soon I realized I didn't want to be limited by fate. I wanted to have full control on the outcome of this project, and so I thought: why shouldn't I start by recreating this car, in 3D, and then use it as I see fit?