Bang & Olufsen is no stranger to collaboration. The Danish audio brand has worked closely with both consumer electronics brands and car makers to bring its audio know-how into everything from HP laptops to Lamborghinis. This, however, is a different kind of partnership.
The Bang & Olufsen Ferrari Collection sees one of the most fabled automotive symbols of all time attached to the meticulous geometric forms of Bang & Olufsen's most accomplished model, the Beosound 2 home speaker. There are also new Ferrari-branded versions of three key pieces of portable audio, the Beoplay H95 headphones, Beoplay EX earphones and the Beosound Explore portable speaker.
We spoke to Bang & Olufsen’s SVP business development & brand partnering, Christoffer Østergaard Poulsen, about the genesis of this collaboration and what it means for both brands.
‘It’s been in talks for quite a while,’ Poulsen admits from the company’s HQ in Struer, Denmark. ‘Ultimately it’s a strategic partnership that goes further than these products. We always look to build long-term relationships.’
For now, Bang & Olufsen X Ferrari is represented by these four devices, led by the flagship Beosound 2. ‘With this collection, we wanted to address sports GT owners, which is an interesting segment for us as a brand, as well as fans of Ferrari,’ Poulsen explains. While the Beosound 2 is one of the company’s most premium products, the headphones and portable speaker are far more affordable, tapping into Ferrari’s vast global fanbase, all hungry for merchandise of all shapes and sizes.
Naturally, the dominant colour is red, although this is not just a straight application of Ferrari’s famed Rosso Corsa. Paired with anodised black and laser-etched logos, it gives B&O's aluminium finish a rich lustre.
Beosound 2 is the supercar of speakers, designed to be placed somewhere where it will be noticed, as well as heard. A carefully polished aluminium body gives the red a deep lustrous finish, with a subtle prancing horse set beneath the grille.
It's joined by the special edition of the Beoplay H95, Bang & Olufsen’s flagship headphones. Here the red has been reduced to a subtle accent in the titanium speaker grilles, with laser-etched logos. Finally, there is the Beosound Explore portable speaker and the Beoplay EX wireless earphones.
‘You could go out and design a completely new speaker, but that would of course take years,’ says Poulsen. ‘We’re lucky to be in a position where our designs are so good that people want to work with us. This project is where two great design institutions meet.’
As Poulsen notes, this is the start of a long partnership, and nothing has been ruled out. 'Maybe there could be something available exclusively for Ferrari owners – who knows?' he says. 'We know there's a lot of overlap between our customers.'
Although Poulsen's personal preference for favourite model is the brutish 1987 Ferrari F40, he acknowledges that both brands have created era-defining designs that continue to resonate many years later.
Bang & Olufsen Ferrari Collection, Beosound 2: £4,449, Beoplay H95: £1,149, Beoplay EX: £449, Beosound Explore: £219, available from Bang-Olufsen.com, Store.Ferrari.com
