The design of this car was instigated by Enzo Ferrari himself who asked Pininfarina to detract from the "cigar shape" of previous models and come up with an innovative design incorporating a new idea for the front bumpers due to Us legislation. ( also avoiding the huge rubber bumpers coming out on the market ) Also popup lights also seen on the Daytona needed to be incorporated. The " funny front rubber " which you mention was in fact a masterstroke of Filippo Sapino , which adhered to the new legislation , whilst leaving the car's profile un adulterated. Also more lateral space was required in the front cabin , as advised by US prospective buyers. The end result was a huge novalty at the time , raising some eyebrows but it should be really appreciated for the ingenuity of it all , also ticking all the boxes. Many cars in the future took cues from this design.
Pininfarina would never have sold the design to Maserati or Lamborghini as they had an exclusivity deal that precluded them from working with direct competitors to Ferrari. Could easily see the shape being scaled down for a Fiat, Alfa or something Japanese of the time though. The only Pininfarina bodied Maserati after 1957 until the Quattroporte V under Ferrari’s ownership was a one off 5000GT built for Gianni Agnelli. I guess if there was one person Enzo Ferrari was not going to argue with it was Agnelli.
