The second major thematic the Scuderia Museum’s summer thematic covered the Scuderia itself. Baffled by the impressive line-up of every generation of Ferrari hypercars, visitors arrive at a calm and elegant room with moderated lighting and historical race cars.
Ferrari is one of the greatest and most iconic names in motorsport and the most successful team in the history of Formula 1. The year 2019 marked the 90th anniversary of the racing team carrying Enzo Ferrari’s name, and the Ferrari Museum in Maranello dedicated a major exhibition to join the celebrations.
Founded in 1929, Scuderia Ferrari began with Alfa Romeo cars but quickly rose to prominence engaging leading drivers in categories of all kinds. The vehicles showcased represent those famous races, like the Mille Miglia, the very first event for Scuderia Ferrari in 1930.
The initial period was marked by races like the famous Targa Florio and the Trieste-Opicina hillclimb where Tazio Nuvolari delivered the Scuderia its first-ever victory. The cars pay tribute to legendary endurance races like the 24 Hour Le Mans, Daytona, Spa and the Sebring 12 Hours, and, of course, open-wheel racing.
The 90 Years exhibition is a testament to that glorious history, beginning with the Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Spider.
This Alfa was the very first car to wear the Prancing Horse badge as part of its livery at Le Mans in 1932.
The 1934 P3 Aerodinamica adds a considerable grunt to the Alfa platform, with enhanced aerodynamics.
The set of Ferrari race cars encompass various epochs and categories like the 250 GT Tour de France from 1956, that was cited as the most successful GT in motorsport history.
There is even a Rudge 500 TT motorbike from 1934 showing the early adventurous years of the Scuderia.
The next chamber focuses on the Formula 1 success of the Scuderia showcasing trophies, legendary pilots and a set of distinct race cars.
The Ferrari 500 F2, in which Alberto Ascari won two world titles in a row in 1952 and 1953, and the Ferrari D50 that Juan Manuel Fangio drove to take the fourth of his five world titles.
Also featured is the Ferrari Dino 246 F1 that helped Mike Hawthorn beat Stirling Moss to the World Champion crown by a single point.
The series continues with the Ferrari 156 F1 which gave John Surtees in 1963, the only man to be world champion on two and four wheels, his first win.
The stage continues with the 1975 312 T that featured a then-revolutionary transverse gearbox which helped a young Niki Lauda to win his first World Championship.
Next up is and the 312 T4 driven by Gilles Villeneuve, the same model in which Jody Scheckter won in 1979.
There is a 25-year jump to the modern era represented by Ferrari F2004, a car that helped Michael Schumacher achieve 13 wins, including six consecutive ones, to take his final World Champion title in 2004.
The last car of the stage is the F2007, in which Kimi Räikkönen brought the Drivers’ title back to Maranello, snatching the title by a single point from the fierce duo of world champion pilots.
The latest car of the Scuderia 90 exhibition waits outside: the SF71H was piloted by Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen.
The main room also features countless trophies, with memorabilia from drivers who became world champions with Ferrari.
The exhibition concluded into a hall with simulators, memorabilia and a few contemporary cars leaving a truly lasting impression. This is particularly true to the two (or rather three) Ferrari museums combined, maybe with a Ferrari test drive at the specialists that surround the Maranello compound. And then, there are about two dozen automotive pilgrimage sites in the Motorvalley…
FOR AN OVERVIEW OF ALL THE CAR MUSEUMS I EVER VISITED, CHECK OUT THE INTERACTIVE MAP:
