Nothing but pasta could possibly be more representative of Italian sumptuousness than Ferrari, the sexy luxury race car brand that made its debut in 1947 with the 125S produced in Maranello, Italy.
Maranello, near the city of Modena, has been Ferrari’s home from the firm’s inception, and the main museum dedicated to the firm’s famous fast cars, as well as its assembly line and various factories, are all situated there.
The Ferrari museum, opened just more than a year after Enzo Ferrari’s death in 1990, draws more than 200,000 visitors a year from all corners of the globe, who come to ogle and drool over their favorite models -- from the Ferrari 125S and 166 Inter all the way up to the Ferrari FF -- at close range. The expo shows off cars past and present across its 2,500m space, including rare vintage models and a well-stocked trophy hall.
The 12-cylinder engine takes about 20 days to make and undergoes several stages, from mechanical work to heat treatment and finishing.
Truly impressive to the engineering-minded, however, is the company’s large factory, situated right next to the museum and designed with employees and technology in mind. The plant, or the “Ferrari citadel,” as it’s referred to, has expanded and evolved over its six decades of existence, with famous architects like Renzo Piano, Jean Nouvel, Marco Visconti, Massimiliano Fuksas, and Luigi Sturchio all leaving their indelible mark on the complex.
Ferrari has done its utmost to ensure that its factory employees -- who are treated to a wide range of services from free family medical exams to schoolbooks for their children, gyms, and subsidized loans -- work in the most comfortable environment possible. Bright, climate controlled, noise reduction, and green spaces abound, and indeed, the factory recently won the “Best Place to Work in Europe” award.
In June 2009, Ferrari even opened its own trigeneration center (a system which combines heat, cooling, and power production) at its plant, one of the largest in Italy and the first to be adopted by a company manufacturing sports cars.
Together with the photovoltaic power plant installed on the roof of Ferrari’s mechanical workshop in 2008, the trigeneration system -- representing a 10 million euro investment -- makes the factory almost fully autonomous in terms of power generation. What little energy the factory does need from external sources, the company sources from renewable energy supplies, which has led to an apparent 40 percent reduction in C02 emissions (40,000 metric tons) in 2010 alone.
There is definitely an allure and a mystique to the Ferrai brand. I rode in one once and it was an exhilarating experience. Nice job of providing background on the history of the company and the manufacturing and engineering processes to produce these cars. I'm wondering given the energy and expense Ferrai put into pulling together a sophisticated green production facility if they have plans to put any of that sustainability muscle into their car design. My guess is not because Ferrai owners likely care more about horsepower and performance.
Sylvie, nice article. I have always been enamored of Ferraris.I saw a Dino inLondon when I was a teenager and it was really something.Besides the beauty of the designs, the sophistication of the engines was always impressive.As for Beth's question about eco-friendly cars, that depends.I understand that in Formula 1 they are using electric boost (sort of a mild hybrid).So, if it becomes something that is used in Formula 1, you should see it in a Ferrari.
I'm still saving my lunch money for one :-) There was an older 1978 308 for sale in town for $22k! Problem was it was robins eg blue, just wasn't right for my cheap look at me mid life crisis.
Yup something about a overhead cam v12 at full throttle. Funny thing is even their v8s sound pretty good. Maybe have to start saving other peoples lunch money as well. I'm quite willing to skip on the matching luggage for the 599 if this will get it sooner :-)
Maybe I missed it in the story, Beth, but I believe Ferrari is developing a 900-HP, V-12 hybrid. I don't know if that will be considered "sustainable'...
A Ferrai hybrid--that's something to see. I can admire the beauty and history of the cars and while not a car enthusiast, I can see where the elegance and power of the engine design would be an allure. Still, the Ferrai and all of these out-of-reach (sorry guys) performance cars seem a little over done.
The "hybrid" car you are referring to is the Enzo replacement I think. Some prototypes are due out early next year, or a little before that. The technology is supposed to be similar to the formula 1 KER's unit, but I can't comment on that. F1 (racing) cars use regenerative energy (KER's) to charge batteries, these can be discharged directly into the crankshaft via a motor generator unit to enhance the powewr for over taking, but only at a specific rate of discharge. On to the article. Alas the engine on the first page of the article is a V8 and not as labled a V12, also it's a formula 1 motor and not a road car engine as the title leads the reader to belive. Having said that, it's interesting to read an "outsiders" perception of what Ferrari is like. Oh and if you have to ask how much the new Enzo costs, you'll get the Rolls-Royce answer; "if you have to ask, you probably can't afford it."
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