There are plenty of people with a set of tools and a backyard that consider themselves mechanics and, likewise, there are lots of people with mediocre photoshop skills that consider themselves car designers. Every now and then, however, you come across someone that actually has genuine, down-to-earth talent and, today, that person is Daniel Soriano – a Spanish professional car designer that just proved to the world that Ferrari needs someone else on their design team. The renderings that you see here were designed by him and pay homage to the supercars of days past. I’m not talking days past in the sense of last year. No; I’m talking about a time when cars had meaning, soul, and design qualities that cast a huge shadow over the performance credentials that lie beneath the skin. I’m talking about a time when you walked up to a car and was simply mesmerized by it, and just didn’t care what it was capable of. I present to you the 2019 Ferrari Aliante Barchette, designed by Daniel Soriano.

The 2019 Ferrari Aliante Barchetta – A Rendering With More Soul Than Modern Prancing Horse

This is one of those rare times where I feel like I don’t have to explain to you just how amazing a design is. In fact, my words may even do these renderings injustice. The car you see here doesn’t even exist, but it should. It has all the right design details in all the right places. It has the muscular wheel arches, low stance, and that classic, two-seater elegance that you just don’t find in modern supercars today. Notice ho the windshield has a completely frameless design? Notice how everything is so symmetrical and just pleasing to look at? It really makes you wonder why the creator hasn’t been contacted by Ferrari or any other supercar manufacturer already.

The Ferrari Aliante Barchetta is more than just a rendering, though. Soriano has beyond the simple Photoshop design phase and has done everything except build the car itself. It features a carbon fiber monocoque chassis with integrated seats and dashboard, fully adjustable suspension, and tires that measure 21 inches in the front and 22 inches in the rear. More importantly, and this is something that I think almost everyone can get on board with, is the six-speed manual transmission. Seriously, the days of rowing your own, whether it be in a $30,000 Toyota or a $3 million supercar and damn near gone. Yet, here we are with a professional car designer that still keeps the old-fashioned shifter and three-pedal philosophy in mind.

If, by some miracle, Soriano is actually hired by any high-end manufacturer to lead the way in producing a real-life version of the Aliante Barchetta, it won’t just look the part. With four valves per cylinder, this engine can rev up to a mind-blowing speed of 11,000 rpm. And, I know you think that the power output isn’t much, but we’re talking about a car that weighs 875 kg or just over 1,929 pounds. That means we’re looking at more than 600 horsepower per ton.

At 600 horsepower per ton, the Aliante Barchetta delivers more power per pound than models like the Rezvani Beast Alfa, 1997 Koenigsegg CC, Pagani Zonda, McLaren 675 LT, the Mclaren P1, and even the Lamborghini Aventador Superveloce SVJ Roadster. And, that list could go on for a very, very long time. To put this into perspective, the Ferrari F8 Tributo has a power-to-weight ratio of 543.82 horsepower per ton, and it can hit 62 mph in 2.9 seconds. So, in theory, with the right aerodynamics, the Aliante Barchetta could actually beat that. It’s not quite as likely because of the open roof, but convince Soriano to design you a removable hard top, and you’re golden. If you’re interested, here are the full and theoretical but still possible specifications:

2019 Ferrari Aliante Barchetta specifications

A Note From The Designer, Daniel Soriano

The design was a total success, and it did its job for the time being. However, more than 7 years later and after professional experience working for Lamborghini, Volvo Cars and Polestar among others, I decided to redesign it from scratch to show to myself how much I have improved and learned (or maybe not) over the years. This updated version was carried during my spare time, entirely by myself, just to satisfy my own curiosity.

Since most modern cars nowadays are soulless machines with more similarities to an electrodomestic than to an actual car, I wanted to create an homage to the old school generations of supercars. Today seems like it is all about figures, which is simply a childish penis measurement contest. To a true petrolhead, things that make a car great cannot be measured or quantified, so I wanted to make something pure, light, and simple. Therefore, the Ferrari Aliante Barchetta is powered by a small high revving naturally aspirated flat 12 with independent throttle bodies, manual gearbox, and no electronic driving aids whatsoever. Carbon fiber monocoque with integrated seats, some active aero bits, big scoops, no doors, no windows, and no roof. Modern hipsters will hate it.

Final Thoughts

Somebody needs to snatch up Daniel Soriano and put his skills to work. He’s worked for Lamborghini, Volvo, and Polestar, but I think it’s time that Ferrari give him a go, as we would love to see this Ferrari come to life. So, Ferrari, if you’re listening, bring Soriano on board.