Exclusive insight into the Ferrari factory archive | autozeitung.de

Hidden away in the Maranello factory, Ferrari maintains an archive that meticulously documents every car ever built. An up-close look at the department’s treasure trove of historic cars – and a treat for every enthusiast.

Ferrari, too: Enzo Ferrari, was not only a successful racing driver, a visionary and the founder of the Italian cult brand that made his name eternal. No, he was also a walking control freak and wanted to know everything about work in his factory. Who follows what idea in the engineering office? How does the new engine perform in the test run? Why did the race car starting number five fail on the tenth lap? What tire pressure was used in qualifying? Enzo’s unbridled thirst for knowledge certainly nearly drove the staff insane at one point or another. But this also lays the foundation for a memory that is perhaps unique in the automotive world. I’m looking forward to a rare visit to the interior of the Ferrari Classiche, the in-house department of historic cars.
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Fascinating Ferrari memorabilia

Not everyone has the opportunity to view this archive. Ferrari factory tours can only be booked through Get-Your-Guide. And even Ferrari customers who can participate in the tour cannot easily enter the halls of the Classiche department. In their workshop, racing legends and the best sports cars are lined up close together, and cars worth millions are parked close together. Some are waiting to be repaired after their last race, others are waiting to be restored – or are being prepared for the next Concours d’Elegance.

But no matter what work is done on the precious objects at Ferrari Classiche, they do not use spare parts or new parts and do not make any modifications to the original condition of the cars. Authenticity is a top priority. But how would they know what color a car that might have been built in the 1960s was? Is the engine still the original engine from the day it was first produced or another part? What kind of oil goes in the difference? Well, a look at the neighborhood park shows it – and much, much more. Every Ferrari ever built, whether a road sports car or a race car, is listed there. There is a file for each individual vehicle.

Main sheet: Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso, built in 1964

For example, the nut-brown 250 GT Lusso Berlinetta, built in 1964, which stands directly in front of the windshield with air conditioning. To find out more about the golden nugget, I pull vintage 1964 road cars off the shelves. After a short search, the chassis number takes me to the car’s master data sheet, which lists the most important data and records all the equipment installed on this car – such as the classic V12 Type 168 including its identification number. This means you can quickly determine if the engine installed in the car is still an original unit or if it has been replaced over the decades. Even a fake with a reproduced identification number can be reliably detected by Ferrari experts in Maranello: all the stroke numbers used to indicate the chassis, engine and transmission are still locked in memory today and are used for direct comparison in case of doubt.

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Measurement protocols and construction drawings: everything is available

But the documents don’t just show what type of engine was installed in the car. Individual performance measurement results are also recorded. This Lusso, for example, had 219.1 hp (161.2 kW) under the hood at 7,000 rpm when it was released. It was measured at a standard temperature of 19 °C on March 27, 1964 by Ferrari mechanic E. Ciocci. Relative humidity and atmospheric pressure are also recorded for generation. However, in order to be able to do the repair work on this wonderful three-liter and compare the actual values ​​with the target values ​​of the design, I have to pull another thick folder from the shelf, the one about the Type 168 engine.

All the drawings and diagrams that were necessary to make the unit are stored here, as well as test reports during the construction phase. And of course to the last detail. Even small parts like simple spacers can still be made using the original designs in exactly the same way as they were made in Maranello in the past. History goes back (almost) all the way to the Ferrari 125 S, Enzo Ferrari’s first car, which bore the now famous brand name. If you want, in 2023, 77 years (version 24/2023) later, you can still use drawings, drafts and protocols to see in detail what stages of development the genius engine maker Colombo went through. And especially until the day.

Enzo was there from his desk

But it’s not just documents about Ferraris that fill the shelves. In his youth, Enzo was a talented and successful racing driver who was eventually forced to put aside his passion for motorsport to devote himself to his own company. To always have his finger on the pulse of what was happening, even if he could not be there at the pit lane but instead sat behind the desk in Maranello, he had a complete report sent by telegraph for every training run and race. It contained technical information about cars, tracks and set-up as well as driver comments, of course results and, last but not least, observations on race cars.

These reports – which, by the way, still exist in the same form to this day – have also been carefully preserved for decades. It is organized according to the most important race classifications such as Le Mans, Mille Miglia, Formula 2 and the first class, Formula 1. By the way, a certain Michael Schumacher always appears in the race reports, who had a lot of news and success reports … Even if these reports are no longer telegraphed, Ferrari maintains a detailed record of all operations and construction.

However, the linen-covered file slipcases in which the technical information as well as purchase documents, including the warranty card and certificate of authenticity are stored, date from 1946 to 1974/75 only. The documents were stored on microfiche, which was eventually replaced by electronic files from 1989/90 onwards. Of course, the historical papers are also digitized step by step and are therefore available to the staff of the Classiche department on a PC directly at their workplace if needed. This is of course practical and protects modern testimony from unnecessary complications.

File and Retrieval in the Classiche Department

But the physical joy of flipping through the pages with kid gloves and spreading the paper on a leather-covered conference table in the museum hall is a unique experience. Not only that you can feel the meaning of these documents and their value with your fingers. The deeper you go into the history of each individual car, the more interesting each model becomes. For example, documents show that a customer from Switzerland ordered a Lusso from Italauto in Lausanne on August 3, 1963 and received it on April 18, 1964. At that time, too, you could not just take the Ferrari out of the shop, you had to wait and collect the car in advance, which may have added thanks to your “personal” Ferrari with months of anticipation.

Anyone who puts their historic Ferrari in the hands of the Classics department can be sure that the restoration and repair could not be done more faithfully to the original anywhere else. When the car leaves the halls of Maranello again, it is as if it is starting its first journey through the factory gates again. Experts remain silent on the cost, but the increase in value that a historic car experiences here can certainly be considered a worthwhile investment. But: Who would want to offer a historic Ferrari in its new form?