What happens when two leading Italian brands come together? Ferrari and Poltrona Frau recently launched a limited edition Cockpit Chair and the result is spectacular. It’s neither a car seat nor a pure piece of furniture or design. It is a contemporary hybrid that brings together two brands, two imaginations, and two industrial philosophies to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Maranello carmaker.

The chair is conceived and designed by the design team overseen by Flavio Manzoni, who designed the recent Ferrari models (including the LaFerrari Aperta, the GTC4Lusso, and the 812 Superfast).

Poltrona Frau has long since upholstered the interiors of Ferrari cars and now takes on a new highly complex challenge. The Tolentino-based company dedicates the consummate craftsmanship it has acquired in over 100 years in the business and its technical innovation, through which it continuously redefines its tradition, to the project.

A cockpit is a place where concentration, quick reflexes, and intuition join with a will to win. It is a space where the driver comes into contact with their car, assumes the correct driving position on the seat and drives the vehicle around corners. The contact between the body and the seat creates dynamic sensations that help the driver to control the car as efficiently as possible.

The armchair has an architectural and modular structure and offers expansion possibilities. For the moment two versions are available, the President and the Executive. Both comprise a reclining base and seat, integrated with two different backrests. The President is the managerial model with a high backrest that offers generous support for the top half of the body and which is inspired by the ergonomics of competitive racing seats. The Executive model, a chair that adapts to all work contexts, has a deliberately low and narrow backrest to ensure freedom of movement.

The President model with high backrest

The design is a synthesis of automotive innovation and inspiration, the product of Ferrari’s 70 years of experience.

Every element connects with the brand’s DNA, with its ability to create a perfect balance between performance and timeless elegance. With its experience in the processing of leather and the creation of iconic chairs, Poltrona Frau moulds the materials, shapes the padding, designs, and creates the most sophisticated and high-performance mechanisms.

The central band on the seat takes its cue from racing seats. The materials are the same as those used in Ferrari cars. The external shell is moulded from carbon or alutex. The Italian furniture brand has concentrated the very highest ergonomic knowhow in the mechanism used to adjust the position of the backrest and the height of the seat. The swivel device sports the same design and mechanical elements as the steering wheel; the five-spoke base comes in the two polished or powder-coated aluminium finishes in matt racing grey.

The Executive model with narrow backrest
The Executive model with narrow backrest

The price starts from AED42,000 and will be available at the Poltrona Frau Group ME showroom
in Jumeirah, Dubai