Design company who created the Ferrari Testarossa and F40 just helped design a $16.95M house with many innovative features

After designing some of the world’s most iconic cars, including the Ferrari Testarossa and the F40, Pininfarina has decided to turn to real estate.

We had the opportunity to chat with Manny Angelo Varas, founder and CEO of MV Group USA, the company that will help Pininfarina with these residences.

The idea is to design six properties in the US, each of which will integrate cars into the property’s design.

And so, naturally, we had a few questions to ask.

What are the similarities in designing a home and designing a car?

Manny Angelo Varas and MV Group USA have partnered with Pininfarina to build a limited run of just six Pininfarina-designed private homes in the US.

They call it the Collection SEI, which is Italian for six.

Each residence will span 8,000 square feet, and it can be built on a buyer’s privately owned and pre-approved homesite of at least 20,000 square feet.

Each $16.95 million property includes a office space, outdoor terraces (including one with a swimming pool) and five bedrooms.

You’ve got the master suite, three secondary bedrooms, and a service bedroom, too.

Also, more importantly, there’s a gym connected to the five-car garage.

The homes also include a turntable, which is basically an integrated rotating vehicle platform to showcase said vehicles.

This means treating the cars as part of the architecture rather than something hidden in the garage.

The connection between automotive and real estate is clear, which is why the first question had to be the most obvious: where are the similarities?

“Both require a balance of proportion, engineering, craftsmanship, and emotion,” Manny Varas told Supercar Blondie.

“In a car, you’re thinking about how someone sits, what they see, and how everything feels within reach. In a home, we consider how someone moves through the spaces, how light enters, and where people naturally gather.

“Through our Pininfarina partnership, we’re bringing that same attention to [this] experience [in what we call] Collection SEI. The connection goes much deeper than styling. It’s about making architecture, interiors, and engineering work together so every detail feels intentional.”

What were your main lessons from designing the supercars?

“My role is in creating the residences alongside Pininfarina, and one of the biggest lessons from their automotive heritage is the precision behind an apparently simple design,” Varas said.

“A beautiful curve still has to be engineered and built. That’s where my experience in luxury construction connects with their design expertise: translating an ambitious vision into something you can actually live in.

“The challenge is to preserve the clarity of the original idea all the way through execution.”

Is there anything you’d have done differently?

In general, the synergy between Varas’ firm and Pininfarina made things a lot easier from the start.

Even so, Varas said there’s one thing in particular he’d have done differently.

“I would bring design, engineering, and construction into the same conversation even earlier. The most distinctive ideas often depend on decisions that need to happen at the very beginning,” he said.

“That’s a principle we’re emphasizing with the Pininfarina partnership. When those disciplines develop together, you have more freedom to achieve the design while preserving its proportions and the experience of the home.”

What’s your favorite supercar, design-wise?

Interestingly, Varas didn’t mention the Testarossa or the F40 but two other Ferrari icons.

“Two stand out for me: the Ferrari 250 GTO and the Dino. The 250 GTO has extraordinary proportions and presence. It’s a design I never get tired of looking at”, Varas revealed.

“The Dino [pictured above] has beautiful, flowing lines, but my connection to it goes beyond aesthetics. Knowing that it was named in honor of Enzo Ferrari’s son gives it a deeper meaning.

“As a father of two boys, that bond resonates with me. There’s something very powerful about creating something beautiful that carries your child’s name and preserves his legacy.”

What do you think of the future of supercar design, especially considering new design ideas like the Ferrari Luce?

“I’m excited by the freedom new technology gives designers, but I still want a car to have character and create an emotional connection. That’s something I value in our Pininfarina partnership as well – how design makes you feel when you experience it firsthand,” he said.

When it came to the Luce, Varas admitted that it isn’t necessarily for everyone, but he did acknowledge that seeing it in person isn’t the same as seeing it in the pictures.

“The Luce actually surprised me,” he admitted.

“I wasn’t a fan when I first saw the renderings and images online, but seeing it in person at the unveiling in Miami changed my impression. It’s much more stylish in person; the proportions and details come across differently.

“I can see it being a great daily driver, although it’s not something I would personally purchase. My own taste still leans toward cars like the 250 GTO and the Dino. But seeing the Luce firsthand gave me a greater appreciation for its design.”