Confession time: I watched Magnum P.I. on TV as a kid but all I remembered was his Hawaiian shirts, the flashy red Ferrari and the theme song!
Seeing the 308 GTB in motion got me hooked on those classic curvy Ferraris, and I was especially curious about the side intake scoops that looked like nothing else on the road. When I drew my imaginary sports cars, I would often add in this little ‘detail’ even when I had no idea why they were there, and what a mid-engine mount was.
The 308 has stayed a favorite through the years, and I favored it more than later supercars like the F40. Together with the 512 Berlinetta Boxer and the black (replica) 365 Spyder that appeared in Miami Vice, they gave the Ferrari marque a distinctive visual identity.
Now as for a matching pen, I thought the rather obscure Tombow Object CR 100 ballpoint was probably the closest I could get because of: 1. The red and black color scheme; 2. The sleek and sporty design; and 3. The long scalloped out grip that reminded me of the 308’s intakes.
Along the way, I also picked up this metal tin Ferrari 308 pencil case made by… drumroll… TOMBOW! Now I use it to store most of my red Tombow Object pens and pencils. Case closed.
Silvery Dino-saurs, featuring Ferrari Dino 246GT (1974) x Pininfarina MP by Parafernalia (1990s)
While looking up the background of the Ferrari 308, it turns out that it was designed by Leonardo Fioravanti at Pininfarina. And perusing his body of work, I found out that the 308 wasn’t his first foray into penning stylish mid-engined sports cars with cool looking side scoop intakes.
The car is none other than the Ferrari Dino, so named for Enzo Ferrari’s son. I have to admit the Dino was not exactly known to me as it was first produced in the early 1970s, but… it was so cool to see that the 308 had a daddy of sorts.
To match up with the Dino is an also-obscure Parafernalia mechanical pencil, ostensibly designed by (someone at) Pininfarina. My best guess is this was a product of the 1990s or early 2000s. The all-aluminum body features a scallop cutout at the grip, just like the OBJECT CR 100. It’s a twist mechanism impinging on a Schmidt (what else?) unit inside.
It’s not a particularly well made pencil as the clip feels wobbly and there is some play between the two halves, but as part of this writing design road trip, it is perfectly on point.
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