Bang & Olufsen and Ferrari have embarked on a remarkable collaboration, intertwining their storied legacies to create an unparalleled collection. This partnership leverages the heritage, passion, and performance inherent in both brands, while highlighting their distinctive brand signatures: Bang & Olufsen’s aluminium craftsmanship and Ferrari’s iconic red.
Christoffer Poulsen, Senior Vice President of Business Development at Bang & Olufsen, emphasises, “The key to a successful collaboration is to create a product that feels instantly associated, in equal measure, with both participating parties. This task becomes seamless when both brands possess such strong visual identities as Bang & Olufsen and Ferrari.”
Bang & Olufsen: Aluminium Excellence
For nearly 70 years, Bang & Olufsen has pioneered the use of aluminium in design. In 1955, at a time when heavy metals like cadmium, chrome, and nickel were industry standards, Bang & Olufsen’s engineers explored the potential of aluminium—a material that is strong, flexible, flat, and corrosion-resistant. Today, the sleek, mirror-like aluminium surfaces are a hallmark of Bang & Olufsen’s design, particularly in their loudspeaker range. Iconic products like the Beosound 8000, Beolab 18, and the recent Beolab 28 speakers feature aluminium prominently, creating a consistent design language across decades.
“Since the 1950s, aluminium has become central to Bang & Olufsen’s design ethos,” Poulsen notes. “From accents like the outer ring of our Beosound A9 speaker to the frame of our Beolab 90 loudspeaker, aluminium is integral to our brand’s past, present, and future.”
This craftsmanship extends into The Ferrari Collection, particularly with the Beosound 2. The continuous aluminium piece enveloping the speaker is not just an aesthetic choice; it enhances sound quality by eliminating distortion. This fusion of function and beauty mirrors the design philosophy of supercars.
Ferrari’s Signature Red
Enzo Ferrari famously said, “Ask a child to draw a car, and certainly he will draw it red.” Since its founding in 1947, Ferrari has maintained red as its signature colour, symbolising Italian pride in international motor racing.
“With two iconic legacies in play, every step in the design process demanded careful consideration,” Poulsen explains. The collaboration involved exploring various hues of Ferrari’s red. The final choice was a modern, deep cherry red paired with timeless black, applied to the aluminium via double anodisation. This bold colour combination perfectly embodies both brands’ identities, with the vibrant red capturing attention and the deep black revealing the depth of craftsmanship.
Factory 5: Where Worlds Collide
Bang & Olufsen’s Factory 5 in Struer, Denmark, was pivotal in this collaboration. From experimenting with red finishes to producing the Beosound 2 Ferrari Edition, Factory 5’s state-of-the-art facilities ensured precision and quality.
Central to this process is anodisation, an electromechanical treatment of aluminium. Factory 5’s anodising facility features a 50-metre-long setup with 50 vats, each holding 3800 litres. A rail system with robot cranes meticulously manages the aluminium components through stages of degreasing, desmutting, oxidising, dyeing, and sealing. Each step is interspersed with rinsing tanks to maintain cleanliness.
“The dyeing process, especially for this collaboration, brings the product to life,” Poulsen says. “Seeing the Beosound 2 emerge from the anodisation tank in the vibrant, electric red we selected was a magical moment. It felt like Ferrari’s energy and presence had transcended onto Factory 5, as our worlds collided.”
This collaboration between Bang & Olufsen and Ferrari not only highlights their unique brand signatures but also sets a new benchmark for excellence in design and craftsmanship.
