UPPERCRUST TRAVEL: FERRARI TOUR

UpperCrust Travel: Ferrari Tour

In Ferrari Land

Every man’s dream is to own a sports car, and for most, it would be a Ferrari. So has been mine for a very long time. Italian beauties have always held a special place in my heart, be it Sophia Loren, Monica Belluci, Madonna or the wildest of them all, the Ferrari.

It is difficult to explain the passion I’ve had for the scarlet prancing horse, the brand embodies all that’s true-blooded Italian: the cutting edge technology, raw power of those magnificent engines, styling that makes grown-ups behave like kids drooling through the window of an ice-cream parlour and of course, the pride of being associated with the greatest Maharathi (Royal Charioteer) since Lord Krishna; Michael Schumacher. 
 

Having visited Italy on several occasions since 1993, my first real interaction with the Italian marquee was in summer 2009 while vacationing in Pescara in Abruzzo district. My friend Lorenzo Di Felice took me to visit his uncle Signor Fernando Di Felice’s 17th century castle in Miglianico province of Chieti, Italy which houses amongst other things, a huge garage of exotic automobiles. Glancing through the array of racing cars, my eyes were drawn to a Ferrari Berlinetta F 355 parked in a corner; despite the dust covers, the silhouette was unmistakable. I, for once, couldn’t resist the temptation of asking Sgr Fernando the permission to drive his prized possession (a request which I found later to my joy and amazement, had been denied to his own son and all his nephews) and despite the language difficulty, convinced him to do so.

Those 30 minutes would be one of the most cherished moments of my life, my heart thumping wildly against my chest as I strapped on the seat belt and the glorious 375 horses sprang to life, the 3.5 litre, 8 cylinder, 40 valves beast leaped forward, burning rubber in its wake, surprising passersby on that lazy afternoon in Chieti. We hit the autostrada and very effortlessly, this Ferrari had touched 100 kmph in less than 5 seconds! Cruising at about 210 kmph, I was gently warned of speed limits and the vigilant Polizia di Stato that prompted me slow it to a greatly subdued 110 kmph. The Ferrari’s acceleration could be easily compared to a jet plane’s, that throws its inhabitants against the seat, but handling this amazing projectile – once having got used to it – was surprisingly easy, what with those massive carbon fiber, all- wheel-disc calipers doing a fine job of bringing to halt, in an amazingly short distance, this Italian machine. 

My second interaction was sooner than expected, in London, in the fall of  2009, when I met Luca Di Montezemolo, Fiat’s President – Ferrari’s parent company. “I have 2 wishes to be fulfilled before I die,” I gushed. “One is to meet the great Michael Schumacher and the second, to visit Maranello – the Ferrari factory.” “Can’t promise you the former, Mr Pherwani, as Schumi is no more with us, but you’re welcome to be my guest in Maranello,” was his prompt and smiling reply. I was mighty pleased by his correct pronunciation of my surname – Italian sounding, as in Armani, Giovanni.
 

One doesn’t let offers like these go by easily, so there I was in approximately a month’s time, planning another trip to the Italian town of Maranello. We left early morning on a chilly winter morning from Pescara, in my friend’s BMW X5, to Modena, a drive of 420 kms. The Italians love their morning coffee, so no sooner had we crossed the hills in the Abruzzo district, did we halt for the traditional cappuccino al banco (at the bar) and Mulino Bianco (brand of cookies). Not one with a sweet tooth, I packed a chicken ham sandwich as we continued our drive. The snowy mountain slopes gave way to the green northern plains as we kept driving along the Adriatic coast by crossing major towns like Macerata, Ancona, Rimini and finally, Bologna where we halted at the outskirts of the town overlooking a picturesque lake for a lunch break. Lunch amongst Italians is a major aspect of their lives. We ordered Carbonade (cubes of pork braised in Carema wine with thick saucy consistency), agnolotti (stuffed pasta seasoned with the drippings from a roast pork), bollito misto (mixed meats), Ricotta cannelloni, to be washed away by a bottle of Chianti Colli Fiorentini – a classic red sparkling dry wine from the Tuscany region. Having finished our rather heavy lunch, we drove on for another 80 kms to reach Maranello. 
 

Dressed to withstand 4º C temperatures, we were received by Daniella Levoni (PR manager), who introduced us to our tour guide, Simona Mariani. The first thing I noticed about the factory was the classic Italian architecture, designed by master Italian architects, Massimiliano Fuksas, Renzo Piano and Mark Visconti, and also remarkable was the fact that the factory was clean, clinically clean as if we were on a tour of a 5-Star hotel’s kitchen. Each Ferrari is handcrafted and a total of less than 6000 cars are produced every year. Ferrari intentionally keeps production low to ensure the brand’s exclusivity.
 

Luca Di Montezemolo’s initiatives – Le Formula Uomo, which encompasses a model working environment and a person-centered thinking. The former manifests itself into the specially designed interior, which harmonises people and the environments they work in. Large green spaces coupled with natural lighting, comfortable humidity- controlled working temperature, noise levels below 73 decibels, workmen rest areas, double air dust curtains, personal health and shopping benefits for self and family; all contribute to an ideal work atmosphere. And the latter is a Grand Prix Quality e Fiorano race, a reward and motivational initiative which encourages and rewards innovation and contributions through a quarterly competition. We viewed the stations where sophisticated machine tools transformed forged engine crankshafts to finished components of high precision that deliver high performance.

The only mechanised operation by robots ensure the dipping of valve guides in liquid nitrogen to bring it to sub-zero temperatures to be shrunk-fit on the manifolds. The interior department, where seamstresses sew leather together and the human paint job, manifests the amount of care and inspection that goes into the making of these cars. Ferraris are virtually handcrafted and made with love, as experienced workers build each car every step of the way. With 2800 customised options, where one can choose the colour of the valve cover, the disc calipers, and option of ceramic or alloy discs, it ensures that no two Ferraris are alike. Once a Ferrari is completed, it’s road-tested for 93 miles to ensure perfect performance. The deep, grunted sound of those V8 and V12 engines was music to the ears, to an auto buff like me. Ms Levoni received us at the end of our tour and presented us with a special edition of La Ferrari 2007, a coffee table book spanning 60 years of Ferrari. A special collector´s edition. After the plant visit, we were escorted to the Scuderia Ferrari facilities, which is Ferrari’s racing department and home to their famous Formula 1 team. We got to see Ferrari’s racetrack, the Pista di Fiorano, where the F1 cars are tested and perfected. Of course, it was here that I finally managed my lifelong desire and the privilege to be seated in the same car, 248 F1 V8, which the legendary Michael Schumacher drove for his 7th, and final, world championship.
 

We topped off our visit to Maranello with a trip to the Galleria Ferrari. This Ferrari museum is home to dozens of the carmakers´ finest automobiles from yesteryear, today and the future. Impressive was the well-maintained Signor Enzo Ferrari’s personal office and the pearl-finished F 360 Barchetta, with pure silk upholstery, that was gifted to Mr Montezemolo by Signor Ferrari as his wedding gift. After seeing automotive history first-hand, we strolled over to Warm Up and Hors Ligne, both excellent Ferrari shops that sell original, but expensive Prancing Horse gear, where I picked up  a Ferrari Schumacher cap, posters, and a Ferrari tie-pin.

Inspired by our trip through Ferrari’s factory, it was suggested that we must negotiate the winding roads that run from Maranello towards the mountains surrounding the town. These are
the same roads that test-drivers took in the ‘50s when pushing the classic

Ferraris to their limits, which we couldn’t as we were quite tired by then and had to retire to our hotel room. All in all, a trip that would go down in memory lane.