What's behind all that Ferrari mythology?

Saturday, 24 February 2018

Historic gateway is still the main entrance to Ferrari. But what lies behind it is ultra-modern.

Everybody at the Ferrari factory in Maranello calls the engine assembly plant 'the temple'. One thing's for sure: this is a company with a keen sense of its own mythology.

It starts right at the front gate. It is a very famous front gate after all: the main wall, with its rectangular entrance, was built in 1947. Just in time for the first-ever Ferrari road car, the 125 S, to roll through it and meet the world.

First-ever Ferrari road car, the 125 S, rolls through the factory gates in 1947.

Enzo Ferrari's original office was right behind this entranceway - on the left if you're looking in from the outside (isn't everybody?). He wanted to be beside the gate so he could see everybody and everything that came and went.

What really lies behind that iconic opening? You can find out if you're invited to take part in a factory tour.

Behind the tiny historic entrance is a city of glass and steel. This is the main street: Viale Enzo Ferrari.

Not just anybody gets a factory tour. You have to be a customer or famous or both. Yes, that's Mick Jagger's GTO.

* Ferrari 488 Spider puts thunder into blue sky

* Ferrari goes from California to Portofino

In the beginning, road cars were only made to pay for racing. This wind tunnel is exclusively for F1 use.

* Take a spin in a $43m classic Ferrari GTO**

It's not something open to everybody: you have to be a customer, supplier or sponsor. If you're not successful enough to be any of those things, you could also also be a visiting journalist.

Enzo Ferrari with factory technicians in 1947. Hand-built V12 engines are still what the road-car brand is all about.

Step inside and you might get a surprise. There are a few original buildings (painted yellow to set them apart), but really this is a city of glass and steel. Literally a city, with precincts and streets named after the most successful Ferrari F1 drivers.

Ferrari is an extremely low-volume manufacturer by design. Limited supply equals higher demand and more profit.

But it still builds more than 8000 cars per year, has a state-of-the-art Product Development Centre (which is how you create state-of-the-art cars), a rather famous Formula 1 team with its own separate headquarters and wind tunnel, and of course Ferrari has its own test track, called Fiorano.

All of the above and more is on-site at Maranello, even though you wouldn't pick it from standing outside that historic wall.

There are also client services such as Ferrari Classiche (appropriately, just along the opposite side of the entrance wall to Enzo's old office) and Corsa Cliente, which runs the company's customer racing programmes.

It's a lot to take in.

That's not to say the company is completely about the big picture. The cars and especially engines are still largely hand-built. Ferrari even has its own aluminium foundry, which means that every component going into an engine is made from scratch by the company, with the exception of the crankshaft (it's made of steel and outsourced).

The workers on every factory floor at Maranello wear bright red, like racing drivers. But do they ever get to drive the cars? In general, no. Must be frustrating. That's also a privilege reserved for customers (of course), sponsors… and journalists.

Back to 'the temple'. The V12 engines are still considered the heart and soul of Ferrari. They are assembled according to a 'one engine, one man, one day' principle: one technician follows the powerplant around the various stations and is solely responsible for its assembly. At the end, he or she will sign a certificate for the owner of the car.

There are another two engine lines. The V8 is the most complex, building engines for both Ferrari and Maserati. There's more automation and the engines move from technician to technician through the various stations, rather than staying with just one person.

The third is a V6 line for Maserati only. Maserati bodies are also painted at Maranello alongside Ferrari, although they are shipped back to Modena, to the Maserati factory, afterwards.

At Maranello, there are again separate vehicle-assembly lines for V12 and V8 cars. The V8s are built on the ground floor, the V12s on the first. Presumably because that's closer to heaven.

Every Ferrari built is already sold, so every car on the line is slightly different. They travel along to each station on a moving 'red carpet' (it's actually a steel rolling floor, but it is red), acquiring fundamental components but also being fitted with their special options.

And yes, if you are a customer you can come and see your actual car being made, although it's more common for clients to do the factory tour on the same day that they collect their finished vehicle.

Alongside the assembly line is the upholstery workshop, where 40 people cut and shape interior materials. If it's leather, about five hides are used for each vehicle: the shapes required are positioned around the hide like a game of Tetris, then cut with a knife (a laser might damage the edges).

As with the vehicle exteriors, there are a bewildering array of customisation options.

However, as with the exteriors, the factory has the final say on whether a client's personal design is appropriate for the car. So even if you are a paying customer, ultimately Ferrari is still the boss. Not many brands have that power.