Ferrari's New Naming System is Randomly Generated

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(Either that, or the marketing department has zero respect for history and is just panic-hoarding trademarks.)


Lately, Ferrari’s lineup has sparked serious controversy among the purists. It’s not just that the designs are getting crazier and drifting further away from Maranello's classic design language; the naming conventions have become an absolute, inconsistent mess.

Let’s break down the chaos of the current lineup—and what these cars should actually be called.

1. The Entry-Level: Why Bury the Dino?

For decades, Ferrari’s hierarchy included a clear "baby" model, traditionally carrying the historic Dino moniker—think the 206, 246, and 308 Dino. The new 296 GTB is the spiritual and mechanical modern reincarnation of this exact philosophy. Yet, instead of honoring that lineage, Ferrari tacked on a clinical, corporate numbering system. Why they couldn't just give us the "Ferrari Dino" is anyone's guess.




2. The Mid-Engine V8 Mess: F8, SF90, and the "Testarossa" Identity Crisis

Historically, the mid-engined V8 lineage maintained beautiful consistency with its displacement/cylinder naming convention (355, 430, 458, 488). Recently, the F8 Tributo and SF90 Stradale completely blurred those lines.

  • The F8 Tributo shouldn't have been a standalone model code. Since it retained the exact same engine as its predecessor, it should have been named the 488 Tributo—a clear nod to it being the ultimate facelift of the 488 GTB.

  • The SF90 belonged in its own higher-tier category, yet officially, Wikipedia lists the entry-level 296 as the F8's successor, creating a massive gap.

But the real confusion starts with the SF90’s successor: the 849 Testarossa.

Styling-wise, making both the SF90 and the 849 mimic the LaFerrari hypercar silhouette boggles the mind. It aggressively pushes the boundaries of Ferrari’s "actual" V12 flagship territory. More egregiously, they seemingly reached into a hat and pulled out the iconic "Testarossa" name.

The most famous Testarossa—the 80s icon from Miami Vice—is defined by its legendary side strakes. The 849 has none. (Ironically, you can find those strakes on the SP3 Daytona, but more on that in a second). Furthermore, Testarossa means "red head," a historical nod to red-painted camshaft covers. Today, literally every Ferrari engine has red covers, meaning the name has lost all unique significance.

The Fix: The 849 isn't ugly, but the naming should have drawn from the classic 512 S/M race cars, especially with the Assetto Fiorano package’s split rear wing, squared-off side intakes, and sharp silhouette. It should have been the 849 S/M.

3. The Front-Engine V12: Peak Laziness

The new front-engined V12 grand tourer has deeply divided fans. Where the 599 GTB and F12berlinetta perfectly balanced elegance with aggression, the new 12Cilindri leans entirely into retro-classy.

Its design cues are a blatant, gorgeous homage to the legendary 365 GTB/4 Daytona. So why on earth is it not called the Ferrari Daytona? Instead, we got "12Cilindri." Twelve cylinders? No shit. It’s arguably the laziest name in automotive history.

4. The V12 Elephant in the Room: SP3 Daytona

Ferrari claims the SP3 Daytona is a modern rendition of the 330 P4 that swept the podium at Daytona. But visually, the primary inspiration clearly comes from the obscure 1968 250 P5 concept car, famous for its front and rear strakes. Because the P5 is largely lost to history, marketing likely defaulted to the "Daytona" moniker.

But wouldn't it make infinitely more sense to have named this the SP3 Testarossa?

It packs a roaring V12 (just like the 80s icon), and it is the only car in the entire modern lineup that actually features the iconic Testarossa-style strakes.


5. Hypercars, AI Slop, and Lego Cars

To be fair, the front-engine, everyday grand touring lineup is solid. The progression from California - Portofino - Roma - Amalfi is logical and perfect.

Then we look at the F80 and the recent SC40.

You would think that a multimillion-dollar flagship "halo" car would demand a V12. Instead, buyers spending upwards of $3.9 million USD are getting a V6. Granted, it makes an absurd amount of power, but it feels like a repeat of the Ford GT EcoBoost controversy—except the Americans didn't make their car look like a LEGO set.

Worse yet, the SC40 is mechanically based on the 296, but it looks so identical to the F80 flagship that you'd easily mistake it for a special edition of the hypercar. There is a very fine line between cohesive generational design language and amalgamated, generic, AI-generated slop. Right now, Ferrari is crossing it.

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