The project imagined what a motorcycle from the Italian manufacturer would look like and attracted the attention of Ferrari's legal department after going viral
Ferrari again called its legal department to defend the use of the brand – but this time, the target was not the modification of one of its cars. The Italian manufacturer, which has a history of notifying unauthorized uses of its identity — including on modified cars — has asked for the removal of a digital motorcycle concept created by graphic designer Kar Lee, known on social media as Kardesign Koncepts.
Published in 2024, the project imagined what a motorcycle produced by Ferrari would look like. Named Barracuda, the creation brought together design elements inspired by the most recent models of the Maranello brand and soon spread among enthusiasts. The Barracuda mixed supersport proportions with traits already seen in models such as the SF90 and the Purosangue. Lee has a loyal audience precisely because he reimagines products from manufacturers such as Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and BMW.
According to the designer, Ferrari understood that the concept employed visual elements capable of making it look like an official product. After receiving an extrajudicial notification, he deleted the original publication and resubmitted the images without the manufacturer’s logos.
The removal, however, came late. The publication had already gone viral: according to the author himself, it gathered about 203 thousand likes, 686 comments and 1,162 shares on Instagram alone. Added to the other platforms, the concept exceeded 350 thousand likes.
Lee said he was disappointed, but said he understood the decision. For him, the onslaught works as an upside-down compliment: a sign that the work seemed convincing enough to worry a brand that doesn’t even manufacture motorcycles.
The episode echoes a case from the 1950s: in 1952, a motorcycle manufacturer that was also called Ferrari caused confusion to the point of bringing inquiries to Maranello about a product that Enzo Ferrari’s company had never considered. At a young age, the brand resorted to defending its own name, and the competitor had to rename itself Fratelli Ferrari (“Ferrari brothers”).
Although it has never manufactured series motorcycles, Ferrari is no stranger to the two-wheeled universe. In the early 1930s, Scuderia Ferrari even competed with motorcycles, before Enzo Ferrari concentrated the entire operation on automobiles.
Other designers had already imagined Ferrari-inspired motorcycles without arousing reaction. What set Barracuda apart was its reach: the concept became popular enough that, two years later, it caught the attention of the same legal department that helped build the brand’s reputation for rigor.
