My visit to Maranello!

[mau92]

As I don't want to spam the "Post your pics" thread I'll open a thread to share my pics of my visit to Museo Ferrari in Maranello, Italy.

 

After many years of waiting finally I was going to Italy, and best of all I was going to be near Maranello (I was staying at Firenze). So I took the chance and booked my tickets some days before my departure. Note: If you want to do the Fiorano and factory tour, you need museum tickets first and then you can book the other tour. There are limited seats in the bus, the sooner the better.

After spending some days at Greece and Rome finally we were going to Firenze. On sunday 28th it was the day, woke up at 9am ready to drive to Maranello on our rented "Ferrari"... 2009 Opel Zafira "ecoFlex". After a 150km trip through mountains and some valleys and lakes, we were entering the small town of Maranello, Museo Ferrari signs were now visible. Approaching the factory you could hear the roaring engines of rented Ferraris (100 euro 20 mins, similar to TDU :P ). And there it was! A big glass and metal building with the "Cavallino" in front, it was the Ferrari museum in front of us!

Entered the building with my printed reservations, showed up at the front desk a nice girl asked me if I had reservation so I gave her the papers. She took an envelope from under the desk with my name on it and said "here, enjoy your visit!"

It was near the time for the bus tour through the factory, so we ate a Prosciutto panino and waited... The bus approached the parking and soon after we were on the waiting line.

The factory tour doesnt take you inside the factory, it goes through a street inside all the parts that form the entire Ferrari Villa (as the call them). The fiorano tour takes you through an entire lap round it. In the meanwhile, the guide tells you some facts of the track. For example, every corner represents a different part of different circuits of the world.

After the tour is finished (1 hour aprox), we went to the Museo itself to see the Ferrari history and models.

It's divided in 4 different sections. First floor, all the "oldies" street cars and race cars (F1 cars also). There's a pit truck replica also (where the team's chief seats and gives the orders, not a pit box), very interesting you can see what they hypothetically see while on race.

Then there's the 2nd floor, and it's divided in 4 different parts. there it's the Ferraris of the movies and the "Champion Hall". What's inside the lattest room? All the modern F1 champion cars (from 2002 to now), all of it's engines, and all the helmets of the champions. I felt very proud of seeing the Argentinean flag inside there!

Exiting that room and past the Ferraris of the movies hall it's one of the most interesting parts: All the "super-ferraris", from the classic 288GTO group B race car, to the newest LaFerrari (that has it's own hall even...). On the other side you have the Ferrari test mules, or the "rolling test benches". There you can see the modified cars where the engineers tested the different suspensions, engines, and all the newest technologies for their cars (Even a KERS test mule for the LaFerrari). Inside that same room there are all the Ferrari Tour cars (612 china edition, 599 Panamerican tour and 355 round the world tour). Exiting that place you go to LaFerrari hall, where you can see all the design stages and mockups and a complete LaFerrari in exhibition.

That's the last place, if you go down the stairs there's the F1 simulator (which by the way is very good!), the bar, the store and place where you can see all the factory scale models, from the very first factory to the latest. There's also a big screen where you can enjoy the race if there's one, I had the chance of watching the last 20 laps of the Hungarian GP.

Well, I think that pretty much covers my visit to the mecca of motorsports and cars!

As I promised, the pics! (the first can be seen at "Post your photos" thread, I'll update as soon as I can)

 

599XX - 250GTO

 

 

599XX

 

 

F40 Competizione

 

 

250 GTO

 

250GT

 

GTO - Pasado y Presente

 

GTO Evoluzione

 

Regards!

[TIMELESS]

Tl;dr, cars are gorgeous and I'm totally jelly.

[mau92]

Thanks Softie...

So you can keep jealouse, more pics :P (just kidding)

 

These shots are, still, on the lower floor where some old F1 cars can still be seen among other street cars

F166

 

250GT

 

What a feeling!

 

F166-2

 

This is between the 1st and 2nd floor (movies' cars)

 

P540 - 2

 

P540

 

Regards!

[calster17]

*books Holiday to Maranello*

 

Lovely pictures! :cool:

Sounds like you loved it! But Then again who would't?

[Ozzmcom]

250 gt :drool:

[mau92]

jaja, you should do it calster!

 

Thanks for the comments. Btw, I've just realised that I did a double post of the 250GT :P

[TIMELESS]

If you steal that 250 GT for me I'll give you a tenner. Promise. :nods:

[mau92]

Taking a car away from that place seems like a difficult task, but I might give it a try :hmmm:

 

As said, behind the Ferraris from the movies, it was the champions hall...

 

This, belonged to Steve McQueen

 

275GTB

 

And now... Champion's hall

 

campeones

 

2000's champions

 

F1

 

The very last champion

 

F1-2

 

Argentinean Pride!

 

fangio

 

Formula 1 Engine... Yeah, pretty small

 

Motor

 

Going upstairs, Super-ferraris hall

 

F50

 

288GTO, one of my favorites Ferraris. Damn I enjoyed cruising with this on TDU

 

288GTO

 

Dat ass

 

288GTO - atras

 

F50 rear, and an overview of the hall

 

F50 - atras

 

Teaser shot... LaFerrari...

 

LaFerrari

 

Enjoy!

[The Compensator]

Amazing photos, mate. I'm sure I'll go there in the future. In 2005 we visited the Modena factory while we were on our way to southern Italy for vacation. :)

[mau92]

Yeah you sure go there MB!

 

Some more photos!

 

LaFerrari prototypes or Project F150

 

F150 project por Mauriciooo!

 

Porject F150 - 2 por Mauriciooo!

 

I really think LaFerrari looks good.

 

LaFerrari - Adelante por Mauriciooo!

 

LaFerrari - Atras por Mauriciooo!

 

LaFerrari por Mauriciooo!

 

Here are the Test Mules, using previous models as rolling benches for new engines, suspension and the all new KERS system on LaFerrari

 

HyKers 599 por Mauriciooo!

 

HyKers 599 -2 por Mauriciooo!

 

355 v12 Enzo por Mauriciooo!

 

360 test por Mauriciooo!

 

458 - 150 por Mauriciooo!

 

612 suspension por Mauriciooo!

 

Scale model used on the windtunnel

 

Modelo por Mauriciooo!

 

Hope you liked it!

[The Compensator]

The prototypes look so scary, freaking scary. I wanted to run away when I saw a Mercedes C-class prototype at the MB museum, however I got over it and sat in the car. :lol:

 

I wonder what are those things on the 612's bonnet!

[mau92]

Well, at ferrari museum you are not allowed to even touch the cars. Consider yourself lucky!

Those things on the 612's bonnet are designed to allow the new suspension system of the new gen Ferraris. Maybe you can't see it, but for example the 355 is much more wider, designed to fit the V12 Ferrari Enzo engine, or the 360 has an extended wheelbase for the current-gen V8 engines.

[mau92]

Here come the last 2 pics... Hope you had enjoyed as much as I did!

 

This 599 was outside

 

599 por Mauriciooo!

 

And had the luck of seeing this on the highway

 

458 por Mauriciooo!