RESEARCH-DEVELOPMENT-MANUFACTURING-SOLUTIONS
Happenings
With many of the world's top cars and motor bikes being manufactured in the Modena area it is no wonder that its all happening here. Do you want to drive a Ferrari on the road or on the race track, maybe a Lamborghini, you can do it all. There are Concors D'Elegance, the "1000 Miglia" endurance race, car and bike fairs, plus Modena hosts one of the largest car, food & wine exhibitions.
Modena Terra di Motori (MotorLand Modena) has a calendar of events from March to June 2013, this link will take you to the program of events.
Want to drive a Ferrari or Lamborghini on the roads arround Maranello? There are a few places that will help you out: Push Start, Motor Sport Italia & Pit Lane.
Ferrari & Maranello
Every true luxury car enthusiast has, at least once in their life, made a pilgrimage to the town where the most famous car in the world is manufactured. But maybe it's too soon to mention the cars themselves.
Maranello is situated 18km south-west of Modena and since 1943 has been home to the Ferrari factory with its emblem of a rearing horse standing 10 metres high at the frontage. Shrouded in great secrecy, the factory resembles a barracks where luxury and beauty are wedded to the very latest technology. Even NASA itself has a research unit working here in direct collaboration with the firm’s engineers.
In Italy they say a Ferrari is the only car in the world that will never get scratched or vandalised: “you can pass through the very worst areas but no one will dare ruin your Ferrari!"
This modern icon does indeed inspire admiration and respect from the very moment it leaves its parking space.
There are, of course, other prestigious brands in Emilia-Romagna (such as Maserati, Ducati, Pagani) but Ferrari is, in every sense of the term, ‘a living legend. Fortunate enthusiasts come from all over the world to visit the Maranello factory and, for a hefty sum, they can rent a Ferrari to drive on the circuit at Fiorano.
You don’t have to be an Emir from Saudi Arabia to enjoy 30 or 60 minutes of fun, driving one of the latest models such as a California - a luxury two-seater convertible manufactured in 2009. Its 460 horse power V8 motor reaches 200mph quite happily and does 0 to 60 mph in 4 seconds! Yet for those familiar with Ferraris, it’s simply “an everyday car, for driving to the supermarket!"
The other model we feature here is the 458 Italia with its almost mythical, Formula 1 level 600 horse power. Rumour has it that the local police are extremely tolerant towards the occasional Ferrari drivers who may overdo it with their foot on the accelerator...
Near to Maranello, I recommend you take lunch at da Pasticcino in Castelnuovo Rangone. Chef Luigi Montanini is a local hero who cooked for the Ferrari stable for over 20 years. Prost, Senna, Schumacher... Luigi’s restaurant has lovingly fed all of these drivers as the signed photos bear witness. Montanini’s cooking reflects his temperament and is simple and delicious. I would recommend his excellent chateaubriand, saffron risotto and caramel pannacotta.
Pininfarina
You can't talk about Ferrari without mentioning Pinifarina, the ultimate in Italian design & Manufacture.
Pininfarina is a leading Italian design house and flexible partner for OEMs.
With a history that dates back to 1930, Pininfarina offers to both OEMs and final consumers competitive products and services based on its brand values: creativity, experience and innovation. Its activities are designed to maximize the potential benefits of the ecomobility business and strengthen the Group’s styling and engineering services.
Experience, Creativity and Innovation are the values that have always characterized Pininfarina’s business, as confirmed in the words of the men who have forged the history of the company.
Pinin Farina: ‹‹You ask me what Italian style means. It means sense of proportion, simplicity and harmony of line, such that after a considerable time, there is still something which is more alive than just a memory of beauty››
Sergio Pininfarina: ‹‹The beauty of the shape is the result of a deep engagement aimed to reach the highest quality and the design is itself the meeting point between shape and technology, taste and functionality. Nothing seems to be more adapt to the so-called Italian genius than this permanent tension to harmonize beauty and functionality››.
Andrea Pininfarina: ‹‹The challenge is to maintain the highest quality. We are going to need to strip away from cars everything that is not essential over the next few years, and to return to functionality. To reach this it is necessary to combine creativity and innovation››.
Paolo Pininfarina: ‹‹Pininfarina has always had the passion for new technologies. Design is the instrument to humanize innovation››.
My Links:
OzInItaly
Cherry House B&B
MDD
Car Links
Motor Land Modena
Maranello Experience
Ferrari.com
Push Start
Motor Sport Italia
Pininfarina
Alfa Romeo