Bang & Olufsen and Ferrari Unveil Iconic Collaboration: Aluminum Craftsmanship Meets Signature Red in Historic Collection

Bang & Olufsen and Ferrari Unveil Iconic Collaboration: Aluminum Craftsmanship Meets Signature Red in Historic Collection

(IN BRIEF) Bang & Olufsen and Ferrari have collaborated to create a collection that combines their iconic brands. The collaboration highlights the strengths of both companies – Bang & Olufsen’s excellence in aluminum craftsmanship and Ferrari’s renowned red color. The collection features products like the Beosound 2 speaker that incorporate aluminum design and Ferrari’s signature red color. The collaboration aims to seamlessly blend the visual identities of both brands to create a unique and iconic expression.

(PRESS RELEASE) STRUER, 30-Aug-2023 — /EuropaWire/ — “The key to a successful collaboration, undeniably, is to create a product that feels instantly associated, in equal measure, with both participating parties” says Senior Vice President of Business Development at Bang & Olufsen, Christoffer Poulsen. “That can often be a hard task, but in this instance, when both brands are known for such strong visual identities as Bang & Olufsen and Ferrari do, makes the process seamless”.

Bang & Olufsen. Aluminum excellence.

Bang & Olufsen has championed design with aluminium for nearly 70 years. In 1955, when the industry convention was to use heavy metals such as cadmium, chrome and nickel in audio products, engineers at Bang & Olufsen became intrigued by the possibilities of aluminium, a material that was strong, flexible, flat and resistant to corrosion. Today, the slick, mirror-like aluminium surfaces have become an integral and ubiquitous part of the Bang & Olufsen design aesthetic, most notably in the loudspeaker category. From the Beosound 8000, Beolab 18 and most recently the Beolab 28 home speakers, aluminium is the material used to create strong links across decades of design.

“Since the 1950s, aluminium has become central to Bang & Olufsen’s design ethos and principles and is something we champion in the industry today”, Poulsen remarks. “From accents like the outer ring of our iconic Beosound A9 home speaker, and the frame of our flagship Beolab 90 loudspeaker, to the body of our entire portable speaker and headphone portfolio, aluminium is integrated into our brand past, present, and future at its core”.

Aluminium craftsmanship continues into The Ferrari Collection, predominantly in Beosound 2. Upon first glance, the continuous piece of aluminium that envelopes the speaker may seem like a choice based on aesthetic goals, but it is much more than that. The stiffness of the material and the seamless surface that one piece of aluminium gives Beosound 2 significantly eliminates distortion of the sound that the speaker produces. The intersection of function and beauty has been explored throughout the entire capsule collection, drawing similarities with the approach to designing a supercar.

Signature red.

Enzo Ferrari is, famously, reputed to have said: “Ask a child to draw a car, and certainly he will draw it red.” When he founded Ferrari in 1947, red was associated with the Italian nationality among fans of international motorcar racing, leading Enzo Ferrari to keep this colour as a signature for his cars.

Still today, red is synonymous with Ferrari in the supercar and motorsport world and was the instant choice when collaborating with Bang & Olufsen to design the collection.

“With two iconic legacies in play, every step in the design process demanded careful consideration” Christoffer Poulsen explains.

“Drawing from Ferrari’s signature red, we explored and considered a number of different hues from the painting palette available for Ferrari cars. We finally selected a modern, mature red with deep cherry undertones. Paired with a timeless black and applied to the aluminium via double anodisation, the colour perfectly unites our two brands in a uniquely bold expression. The roar of the red is impossible to ignore. And the depth of the black draws you in, revealing the layers of craftsmanship.”

Factory 5. Where worlds collide.

From experimenting with finishes and hues of red during the development phase of this historic collaboration, to producing the body of Beosound 2 Ferrari Edition in its entirety, Bang & Olufsen’s Factory 5 in Struer, Denmark, played an essential role throughout.

The key process in the creation of this collaboration, and many of Bang & Olufsen’s products, is anodisation, which is the electromechanical surface treatment of aluminium. The anodising facility at Factory 5 is 50 metres long and has 50 vats, each containing 3800 litres. A rail in the ceiling controls three robot cranes that hoist and lower the mounted aluminium components into the tanks, moving counter clockwise through a meticulous process that starts with degreasing – to clean dirt and oil – before moving on to desmutting, oxidising, dyeing and sealing. Interspersed between these stations are tanks of water to rinse the material and keep it clean at all times.

“The dyeing, especially in the case of this collaboration, is what brings the product to life” says Christoffer Poulsen. “Watching Beosound 2 emerge from the anodisation tank in a vibrant, electric shade of red that we spent so long carefully selecting, was the magical moment. We felt Ferrari’s energy and presence transcend onto Factory 5 and watched in awe as our worlds collided”.

Starting today, The Ferrari Collection will be available online at www.bang-olufsen.com, at selected Bang & Olufsen and Ferrari stores, and online at www.store-ferrari.com.

About Bang & Olufsen

Bang & Olufsen is a luxury audio brand founded in 1925 in Struer, Denmark, by Peter Bang and Svend Olufsen whose devotion and vision remain the foundation for the company. For nearly a century, Bang & Olufsen has been pushing the boundaries of audio technology and the company continues to sit at the forefront of acoustic innovation.

Today, every Bang & Olufsen product is still characterized by the unique combination of beautiful sound, timeless design, and unrivalled craftsmanship. The company’s innovative and progressive products are sold worldwide in Bang & Olufsen stores, on bang-olufsen.com and in select retailers. The company employs approximately 900 people and operates in more than 70 markets. Bang & Olufsen’s shares are listed on NASDAQ Copenhagen A/S.

Media Contact:

Allan Fatum
Sr. Manager
Head of Global PR
Email: afa@bang-olufsen.dk
Phone: +45 2965 0996

Bethan Beckett
Global PR Manager
Email: bebe@bang-olufsen.dk
Phone: +45 9684 1888

Sam New
Global PR Manager
Email: sane@bang-olufsen.dk
Phone: +45 4153 7177

Find us on social media

Follow the conversation at @bangolufsen on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube using #BangOlufsen and #BangOlufsenforFerrari.

SOURCE: Bang & Olufsen