At Modena’s Enzo Ferrari Museum, I am trying to follow a film on a huge screen explaining the history of one of the world’s most iconic carmakers.
Although the footage of red Ferraris speeding around race tracks is clear enough, the accompanying voice-over is regularly interrupted by exclamations, in a variety of accents and languages, from other visitors, as they fawn over an array of vehicles artfully arranged nearby.
If any more proof were needed, the multilingual hubbub underscores the fact that Ferrari’s fan base is global and fervent. And for these enthusiasts, Modena is the promised land.
Arguably the world’s most famous supercar brand, Ferrari was founded in this northern Italian city in 1929 by Enzo Ferrari.
About 100km (60 miles) north of the tourist hub of Florence, Modena is more than just the spiritual home of Ferrari; it has two museums dedicated to the marque.
By visiting both museums, I learn about Ferrari’s extraordinary evolution. What began as a tiny racing car company has snowballed into a behemoth worth more than US$50 billion.
The first venture Enzo Ferrari founded – Scuderia Ferrari – now operates the most successful team in Formula One, the world’s richest car racing competition. Ferrari also designs and manufactures luxury cars, and produces upmarket clothing and accessories.
Home to fewer than 200,000 people and more than 2,000 years old, Modena would probably receive few tourists if it were not for the lure of its two Ferrari museums. Not because it’s an unappealing city, with its maze of weathered streets in its historical centre, stately churches, cafe-lined piazzas and many art galleries and museums, but rather because it competes for tourists’ attention with nearby Milan, Venice, Florence and Verona.
1962 Ferrari 250 GTO auctioned for US$51.7 million in New York
1962 Ferrari 250 GTO auctioned for US$51.7 million in New York
Set in 1957, the biopic focuses on Enzo Ferrari as he processes his son’s recent death while preparing his company’s drivers to try to win the prestigious Mille Miglia road race.
Its last scene depicts the finale of that event. There appears to be no mention of this at the Enzo Ferrari Museum. This is not surprising, as the place is very much a celebration of the great man’s life and legacy.
Just north of downtown Modena, the museum is simultaneously traditional and cutting edge, like Ferrari itself. It is housed in two contrasting structures – the modest, early 1900s home and workshop of the Ferrari family, and a sleek, glass-fronted exhibition hall.
The former brims with photos of Enzo, an assortment of old Ferrari engines and information boards that provide a timeline of his life.
Born in Modena in 1898, Enzo Ferrari was a sickly child who began motor racing at 21, and in his 40s turned his attention to making Ferrari a powerhouse of the sport. He died aged 90, leaving a colossal legacy. More than 20 of Ferrari’s most iconic models – from a 275 GT to a Portofino and an F40 – are displayed in the hall next door.
About 14km to the south, the Ferrari Maranello Museum also dazzles with a considerable collection of Ferraris, including the Formula One car driven by former world champion Michael Schumacher.
Signs, videos and trophies catalogue Scuderia Ferrari’s vast achievements, including more than 200 Grand Prix victories in Formula One, by far the most of any team in history, Kimi Räikkönen’s 2007 title triumph being the most recent championship win for a Scuderia Ferrari driver.
While Ferrari’s cars are owned by the wealthy and its clothes marketed at the rich, the story of Enzo Ferrari has universal appeal: the sick child who loved racing and went from tinkering with cars in a basic Modena workshop to building a billion-dollar dynasty.
It is easy to see why the tale appeals to Hollywood.
Ferrari opens in Hong Kong cinemas on January 18
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