The city of Maranello has been Ferrari’s home since Ferrari began producing cars with the prancing horse badge. Major pieces of Ferrari’s operation are near each other. The road car factory, the Formula One racing operation, the giant wind tunnel, corporate offices, and the company’s private test track at Fiorano combine to sustain the health of the marque.
The official Ferrari Museum is nestled among the Ferrari factory buildings in Maranello. Enzo Ferrari was born in Modena and got his racing start there before moving to Maranello in 1943. Wartime Italian laws required factories to be moved outside of built-up areas which forced Enzo to move from Modena. When the war ended, Enzo established his new company, Ferrari SpA, in 1947.
The Maranello Museum opened in 1990. Telling the story of the world’s best known auto manufacturer and its decades of history is a daunting task, but the museum utilizes notable road and race cars to illustrate the company’s growth and development.
The 1997 F310B Ferrari Formula One car suspended in the latticework cube in the front of the museum is eye catching. While the car is shown in a livery from a year later, guests forgive the historical anomaly and appreciate the sculpture.
The 125 S was the first car to wear a Ferrari badge. The name came from the cylinder size (125 cc) – the car was equipped with twelve of them. Two were produced in 1947 and both were dismantled and parts repurposed by the new company for the next evolution of Ferrari cars. Historians have debated what original parts survive in reconstructed form, but Ferrari commissioned Michelotto to build a faithful replica to celebrate the company’s 40th birthday in 1987. That car anchors the Museum’s displays to represent Ferrari’s origin story.
After the first Ferrari, the 166MM was a major turning point In the Ferrari chronology. The platform put Ferrari on the map as a constructor, began building racing credentials, and showed that the same base car could take different bodywork configurations. The 166MM raced in the major European races with success. The worn leather seats, the gear shift knob with roman numerals, and scrutineering stickers from races run show the Museum’s 166 MM open-topped Barchetta (Italian for “little boat” as a nod to its shape) has been driven as Enzo intended.
The Ferrari 166 Berlinetta was a grand tourer rather than a pure racer. The coachbuilder Vignale wrapped coupe bodywork around a 166 chassis to create a unique shape. This 1952 car raced in France and Italy in its early days. It was restored in 1990 and given a unique bonnet with three chrome air outlets in the fender.
Enzo famously produced road cars to fund the racing program. Ferrari raced works cars and sold cars to customers to race. The 1957 315 S was a purpose-built racer that battled with the Jaguar D-type and Maserati 450S. True to tradition, the 315 S was equipped with a V-12 engine. Only three were made and Scaglietti designed the body. This example is the only one remaining. The factory ran it to a fifth-place finish at Le Mans in 1957. It lived and raced in the US later in 1957 and 1958, sold through Luigi Chinetti. It was restored in 1985/1986 and again in 2001.
The march of racing continued and many of Ferrari’s most well-known models emerged in the 1960s. This 1964 Ferrari 250 LM Stradale was initially raced in Italy before being converted back to street use.
The beautiful 250 LM shape is even more apparent when shown in bare aluminum. The contrast of before and after was striking and inspired an appreciation for the people who formed the metal by hand.
This stunning Ferrari 330 P4 was the first of three built and finished second at the 1967 24 Hours of Daytona. It also raced (and won) at Monza 1000km with the car and finished third at Le Mans. The car was previously owned by Bernie Ecclestone and Lawrence Stroll and is the most original 330 P4 in existence.
Enzo’s presence is preserved through the cars he touched, but the Museum also has reconstructed his office. The original would not have had a flat screen television on the wall, but it is not difficult to imagine he would have watched coverage from the race track from his office if he had the technology.
Ferrari has always had a symbiotic relationship between its road and racing programs. Formula One has been a mainstay and the museum highlights the company’s open wheel road racing history. Enzo Ferrari supposedly said something along the lines of “You don’t need to worry about aerodynamics, if you build a superb motor.” The quotable modern version is something like “Aerodynamics are for people who can’t build engines.” While the verbiage may or may not be accurate, the sentiment is likely faithful. This display of a 2006 F1 engine with spot lights and surrounded by historical photos is consistent with that theme.
A single room lines up Ferrari Formula One cars from different eras. The effect is like a theater in the round – being surrounded by machinery that the greatest drivers in the world took to the heights of the sport. All are similar in fundamental ways – open wheel racers with front and rear wings. All are remarkably different as design philosophies and regulations changed. Seeing them together emphasizes the dramatic nature of change over time.
Trophies claimed in competition were on full display, along with helmets from the most successful drivers to drive Formula One cars for Ferrari. The trophies are each works of art.
Modern Formula One was represented with a mock pit box set up. A car, pit board, pit tools and tires, and an enormous timing stand gave just a taste of the accompanying accessories and equipment needed to keep the car on course. A show car in current livery brought the timeline up to date. The blue HP accents were just added to the cars in competition – a sign that the Museum’s show car echoed real-life.
Guests tried their hand behind the wheel of two Formula One simulators. The simulators include a realistic F1 steering wheel and allow guests to select their level of difficulty. Most opt for the amateur or gentleman driver set up, but professional driver setups are available.
Formula One cars may win the hearts of Tifosi at the track, but the road going supercars still get young hearts pounding. The top tier halo Ferraris become benchmarks for their time and collectors with expendable funds prize gathering them. The Ferrari Museum gathered their own collection. In addition to the 288 GTO, F40, and Enzo, a yellow F50 and red La Ferrari represented the halo cars.
For those collectors who desire something rarer than a halo car, Ferrari’s Special Projects program stands ready to produce custom creations. One such example is the one-of-one SP8 roadster features a twin-turbocharged 3.9-liter V-8 pulled from the F8 Spider. It has no roof and re-engineering required bespoke bodywork. It was commissioned by a customer and the finished result displayed at the Museum before delivery. Special paint accents the iridescent Blue Sandstone carbon-fiber sections.
There are other sights for visitors to Maranello, including the Cavallino restaurant, glimpses of the Fiorano test track, and mules and prototypes of future models circulating on public roads. The Museum, however, is a mandatory visit and a great place to become immersed in Ferrari history.
