There are some classic automotive designs that virtually demand modern reinterpretation; the Ferrari 412 is not widely considered to be one of them. But that, in our humble opinion, only makes the reimagined Ferrari GTC4Lusso re-bodied by Modena, Italy’s Ares Design all the more bold and unexpected an effort.
The car, dubbed “Project Pony,” exists solely as a series of renderings — for now. But unlike the bulk of cool renderings floating around the web, there’s a fair to decent chance this thing will be built. Remember Ares Designs’ Lamborghini Huracan-based De Tomaso Pantera homage from a while back? (It’s ok if you don’t remember it; you don’t have to lie.) It’s made it beyond the digital drawing board, pop-up headlights and all, and it's apparently running around the continent in camouflage. So we’re not necessarily dealing with vaporware here.
Still, the choice of inspiration for Project Pony is a car far less obvious than the Pantera. The Ferrari 412 was the third major stage in the evolution of the Ferrari 365 GT4 2+2, a front-engined, rear-wheel-drive V12-powered tourer. The line of cars was first introduced in 1972 and stayed into production until 1989. Along the way, it gained a larger engine (the 400), fuel injection (the 400i) and an even bigger engine (the 412). Notably, it was the first Ferrari to offer the option of an automatic transmission.
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