Sergio Scaglietti was a great artist and artisan. We like to think we’re reproducing other people’s art, but, I’d say, we’re really more like concert pianists than composers.’ Sandy Copeman, the Managing Director of Amalgam Fine Model Cars, laughs a little self-consciously as he makes this analogy.

Partly because it sounds rather grand, but also because he’s humble about the work his company does. Yet, cast your eye over the images of the 250 GTOs on these pages and you’d be hard pushed to tell these 1:8 scale models from the real thing. The level of detail, particularly in the interior and engine bay, is breathtaking. Scaglietti, the great Modenese fabricator, would surely approve.

Set up in 1985, Amalgam has its roots in the world of architecture, which relies heavily on accurate models as grand construction projects are envisioned. Clients included the likes of Norman Foster, and the company’s portfolio expanded from there into product prototyping, notably working on some of the preliminary models of Dyson’s revolutionary Cyclone vacuum cleaner. Their highly technical, almost forensic, approach made them the perfect partner for Formula One, and by 2000 Amalgam had created around 250 1:8 scale F1 models for various teams.

Ferrari, in particular, seemed to recognise a kindred spirit, and since 2004’s F430 Amalgam has created lavishly detailed replicas of every new Ferrari. Indeed, its best-selling model is the 458 Italia, with 199 sold and lots of bespoke versions besides. Generally, though, Amalgam’s stunning creations are produced in strictly limited numbers, as is the case with the GTOs here: having identified 32 series 1 chassis, just five models of each will be created, in the livery they wore while contesting their most significant races. The cost: £5,750 each. Clearly that puts these items into a pretty rarefied area, but given the gargantuan effort that goes into them, they still offer value for money in a very real and extremely tactile sense.

‘We make models in very small numbers,’ says Copeman. ‘Our total monthly output is around 100 models, usually produced in batches of just five or 10. Our clients understand that we are only going to make a certain number, which gives them an intrinsic value. The physical size of the models does not necessitate high quality in itself, but the larger scale gives us enormous scope for detailing to a very high level. We do take that opportunity, and put large quantities of man hours and highly skilled work into fine detailing.’

Amalgam was recently commissioned by Ralph Lauren to create scale replicas of his remarkable collection – many of which the public were able to enjoy during 2011’s L’art de l’automobile exhibition at Les Arts Décoratifs in Paris – which saw a team of experts visit Lauren’s private museum. Once there, they digitally scanned every part of the cars they were reproducing, down to the tiniest component, a process that is accurate to one-tenth of a millimetre over the vehicle’s length.

‘We use a system called GOM,’ says Copeman.

‘A projector projects a detailed patterned light across the surface of the car, after which we look at the image that’s been created using stereoscopic cameras. It captures the car’s shape without touching it. It costs several thousand pounds to scan digitally each car, and we find and scan the best and most original examples, which means lots of research and travel. The result is that the models are true representations of the original car, and there is no guesswork. But it’s expensive and it takes time to gather the data.’

Copeman admits that they’ve used the scans from Lauren’s GTO as the master template for this latest run of models – ‘I hope he doesn’t mind!’ – but they’ve had to repeat the process on other cars: given the fabulously hand-crafted nature of Scaglietti’s original work, every GTO is different and has its own idiosyncrasies.
The next part of the process involves creating a set of master components for each model, which combines modern digital techniques and traditional engineering and artisanal skills. ‘You do need to have an intelligent approach,’

Copeman says, ‘and our experts, who are all world-class specialists in their fields, apply exacting levels of judgment.’ He agrees that there are parallels with the worlds of high-end jewellery and watchmaking, where a craftsman might toil for a year to construct a Tourbillon.

Once the master component set has been determined, a silicon rubber mould is created for each part, which are then cast in resin. The automotive industry uses a similar process to manufacture low-run prototype parts, and this is one area in which Amalgam’s approach differs markedly from the industry mainstream. In mass production, where the models are die-cast or injection-moulded, there’s obviously a huge investment in tooling, and the economies of scale drive down the cost of each part. Steel tools can stamp and press many thousands of components, with credible results and repeatability, whereas the rubber moulds used by Amalgam are only good for around 20 pieces, before a new one has to be created. ‘We pay meticulous attention to re-creating finishes and materials,’ Copeman says. ‘Not just on the paintwork, but also, for example, the wood-rimmed steering wheels the 1950s and 1960s classic cars used to have. We turn these rims from wood, but the grain is too coarse at the scale, so we overprint the wood with a fine grain pattern before lacquering. Many of the smaller parts are machined from aluminium or cast from pewter. Our goal is to represent the original finishes in the most convincing and natural way.’

Each of the GTO models will take Amalgam 3,000 hours to originate. The wire wheels, to take another example, are assembled from 140 individually machined aluminium components, the separate spokes and nipples mirroring the originals precisely. When all the constituent parts have been sanded and polished, a dedicated team of model-makers will spend up to 300 hours assembling the finished article.

Happily, Amalgam is an old-fashioned family business, and Copeman works alongside his son Leo, tirelessly upholding and maintaining old-fashioned skills and craftsmanship while advancing their art by employing the latest digital technology. A perfect fit with Ferrari, then. ‘It’s certainly a labour of love,’ Copeman laughs. ‘But there’s definitely something very compelling about miniaturising things.’

Published on The Official Ferrari Magazine issue 19, December 2012

The post Off the scale appeared first on Ferrari Magazine - For Ferrari cars owners and fans.

However, the usually confident and brash golfer is clearly humbled by his surroundings at the home of Ferrari. We are sitting in Enzo Ferrari’s former house, just a pitching wedge from the test track, to chat about his first ever visit to Maranello to witness the production of his custom-made FF and enjoy a few laps on the track.

Enzo’s office in the house is untouched since the Ferrari founder last sat at his desk there in 1988. An old yellow Bakelite phone sits on the imposing desk, various pictures and memorabilia litter the room and there is a television that is twice as deep as it is wide in the corner.

Poulter is awestruck as he looks around the room, drinking in all the details and soaking up the atmosphere. ‘This is truly one of the most memorable moments of my life, to learn more about him, his humble beginnings and absolute confidence in the brand he was creating is really inspiring. Enzo Ferrari never compromised in order to be the best, and Ferrari has done a fantastic job of continuing that tradition.

‘Enzo Ferrari literally built his house in the middle of the Ferrari test track to ensure he didn’t miss anything when his beloved race team were testing and preparing for races. Now that’s what I call commitment…’

It is testament to Poulter’s love of the brand and its rich history that he is as excited by being in these sacred surroundings as he was when hurtling around the track in an F12berlinetta driven by test driver Raffaele De Simone.

‘The drive was incredible. Raffaele had it sideways most of the time, apart from the straights of course. Being taken out on the track was absolutely amazing. The F12berlinetta has 740hp and you have to give that car a lot of respect. It’s so powerful yet so stable. It’s very fast and to have a couple of laps with Raffaele was amazing.

‘I’d like to come back and do a few laps myself and spend a bit more time with the test drivers. They could give me a few tips and show me how to get round the track.’

After an animated recollection of his on-track experience, the conversation then switches to Poulter’s morning tour of the factory to see his personalised FF. He saw it just three days from completion on the production line and was delighted to see there was enough room for his golf clubs in the boot. Poulter has his own IJP Design golf clothing company and he is very hands-on with the designs. It is clear he takes the same approach with his cars.

‘If you come up with a concept, they’ll be able to customise it for you. The pearlescent white exterior and the black leather seats are a great combination. I love the white look and all my cars are white. The roof liner and trim is tartan, which is perfect for me because we do six tartans in my IJP clothing designs each year and it was nice to add a little bespoke touch. The colour scheme used in the tartan matches the exterior so it pulls everything together.

‘I wanted to use carbon fibre like Cobra has used for me in the Ferrari driver. We’ve used it where we can, like the internal door handles, around all the buttons, in the centre console and on the air vents. The red scorch lines that are on the sole of the driver have been used around the air conditioning vents, so we’ve tied that in.’

Poulter examined each stage of the production process in minute detail. ‘It was amazing. They produce about 34 cars per day through the factory. I’d heard an awful lot about the factory, but I never realised just how big it was and the level of detail involved. Obviously Ferraris are handmade as much as they can be, but the level of personal touch that goes into each car is fantastic. For instance, each V12 engine is built by one person who signs it off at the end of the build.

‘Then there all the little touches, like taking the doors off before the car goes on the production line, so they don’t get damaged and then the 50-stage process they go through to be built and customised. It’s fascinating.

‘Then we moved over to the Formula One department, which are the real big boys’ toys. They have a whole development side of that where they store all the cars, from the FXX to the 599XX and the single-seater F1 cars, which the customers can buy two years after they come off the race track.’

Poulter is a self-confessed petrol head and this new custom-made FF is not his first Ferrari. He has also owned both a red 360Modenaand aCalifornia, which he liked so much he bought it in red and white. Even his shoes are emblazoned with the unmistakable Prancing Horse and distinctive red trim of Ferrari.

‘Ferrari is one of the most recognisable brands in the world; the Prancing Horse stands for itself. The whole motor racing background, what it was built on and what it stands for today. You really get more of a sense of it when you visit Maranello and realise how much has been done with the cars over the years.

‘Ferrari has stood the test of time and this is a fantastic place to visit and discover more about a brand that’s very addictive. Once you become a true petrol head and a motor racing fan, then you always look to where Ferrari is.’

Owning one Ferrari, let alone four, was the fulfilment of a lifelong ambition and a vindication that all the hard work had paid off for a man who was working in a humble pro shop at a modest English golf club when he was 23.

‘I remember watching races on television. Like any boy, I grew up playing with cars as a kid and realised what Ferrari stood for and its racing heritage. The whole brand has been ingrained in me from such an early age as the ultimate car that everybody strives for.

‘I said to myself when I turned pro that once I won my first tournament, I’d buy myself a Ferrari. I won the Italian Open, funnily enough, in 2000, and wanted to buy one, but unfortunately the cheque wasn’t quite big enough. I think it was £88,000 [€111,000] at the time and after I’d paid tax there wasn’t enough money, so I said I’d buy one after my next win.

‘I won the Moroccan Open in 2001 and that was a slightly smaller cheque, so again I couldn’t afford one. But this time I said, “Right, the next win I’m definitely buying one.”

‘It happened to be the Italian Open again in 2002. It was pretty apt and something was definitely telling me it was time to buy a Ferrari. I’ve loved them ever since and everyone’s perception of Ferrari is the same when you talk to them; they love the cars.

‘I think anybody who loves cars and motor racing strives to get better cars. We all want bigger and better things and one of the luxuries in life from being successful at the job you do is being able to treat yourself to amazingly nice things, and for me, that happens to be a Ferrari. Hopefully, we can continue to buy the luxuries in life and we’re very fortunate to be able to do so.’

The finished product was delivered to Poulter at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, a prestigious collector car show in August, where some of the most rare and valuable vehicles on the planet are paraded on the 18th fairway of the famed Californian golf course.

‘It was a little bit overwhelming, no tears or anything, but I am truly honoured to have a relationship with Ferrari. Seeing the car unveiled really made me think about how far I have come over the years, it was a pretty proud moment.

‘I took it for a drive right there atPebbleBeachduring the Concours d’Elegance as soon as I had the chance. It’s a great car to drive and I can’t wait to get it back home, it will definitely be getting some good use…’

Published on The Official Ferrari Magazine issue 19, December 2012

The post Ferrari to the fore appeared first on Ferrari Magazine - For Ferrari cars owners and fans.

Describing his experience for The Official Ferrari Magazine, Leo Isolani seems to be almost surprised at the performance of a vehicle that is so different from the 575 GTC he drives, and frequently wins with, in hill-climb racing.

‘The driving technique is different of course,’ Isolani continues. ‘When going uphill, the most important thing is to make the correct use of the road, avoiding the slightest hump, kerb or hollow in order to keep the car, which is very low, as aerodynamically efficient as possible.’

It is a significant point: today’s racing cars have to manage the air that wraps itself round them as they speed along. In order to exploit the ground effect, air is no longer allowed to flow under the car, so that everything that gets under the vehicle in a disorderly fashion becomes a disturbing element as far as performance is concerned.

‘You must drive very cleanly,’ Isolani points out ‘and therefore just as if one were driving on track. With theCalifornia, which is a splendid road GT, it is different: the Stelvio road is narrow and there are some hollows on the surface. In fact, it is more suitable for a rally if we want to make a motor-sport comparison. But what amazed me was the ease and sense of reassurance the car conveyed, even going fast in those very difficult conditions. Among other things, the altitude did not make the slightest difference to the car’s performance, which remained consistent throughout.’

Another very notable achievement was theCalifornia’s dual-clutch transmission, especially when faced with the fast straight stretches and violent deceleration, demanded by the very tight bends. ‘In these very challenging conditions, the gearbox proved to be both very quick and precise, it works perfectly and the ratios are ideally spaced for steep gradients, such as those I found while going up the Stelvio Pass.’

It is also worth remembering that in hill-climb racing one of the most important factors is perfect knowledge of the route: for short races that are often determined within fragments of seconds, what really counts is how the route is laid out and how the competitor overcomes the myriad challenges that a road conceals.

The drivers patiently study the route when it is open to normal traffic and then check speed and the quality of the gears during the official trials on Saturday, usually two or three of them. Then, in the race on Sunday, everything is dramatically decided in a single climb.

Obviously with theCaliforniait is different: going up and down a couple of times, the driver is able to get the feel of some basic characteristics while descending too. ‘The carbon ceramic brakes are perfect, immediate, precise, powerful and tireless. Really surprising for a car intended for daily use as a GT. The brakes are one of the surprises, even compared with those of a race car.’

How does Isolani drive on his climbs? ‘I did the first as if I were a normal Ferrari owner: briskly but behaving like an ordinary road driver. I did the second run in racing driver mode, and therefore played on the brakes and gears even if I had to bear in mind during my manoeuvres that someone else might be coming down. On this second climb the full-blooded sound attracted passers-by. I saw people that had stopped to see me going up and who were applauding the car. Really nice. The beauty of the car did the rest, including the blue colour, very elegant and perhaps a little surprising for a Ferrari that was shooting up the hill as if it were in a race!’

Had it been necessary to demonstrate the dual nature of theCalifornia, we had certainly succeeded. This model, pleasing in appearance and attractively comfortable, with its rear seats and folding roof, which makes it a coupé and a roadster at the same time, is truly a Ferrari, with all the attributes that tradition requires.

The sporting spirit of theCaliforniaemerges at events that reward grit and speed: there are always large numbers of competitors driving this model in the Ferrari Tribute to the Mille Miglia, or the famous Targa Florio, showing that Ferrari, and Ferrari owners, have exactly the same spirit and the same desire to have fun.

TheCalifornia30, inits HS version, with 30hp more and lots of kilos less, has taken another step towards being a race car, pure and simple, without losing that magic possibility of everyday use, for pleasure and for enjoyment.

Published on The Official Ferrari Magazine issue 19, December 2012

The post Pass Judgement appeared first on Ferrari Magazine - For Ferrari cars owners and fans.

The area around the Duomo, the Cathedral, and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele is, above all, for shopping. Luxury shopping, in the so-called “quadrilateral of fashion”, located within Via Montenapoleone, Via della Spiga, Corso Venezia and Via Manzoni, home to fashion houses, jeweller’s shops, showrooms and antique shops; and then there are the more mainstream areas in Corso Vittorio Emanuele, with the shop windows of prêt à porter designers and many international chains.

Cosa vedere/cosa fare

Dallo scorso anno, vicino all’Arengario, in piazza Duomo, è stato aperto il MUSEO DEL NOVECENTO (museodelnovecento.org); ospita una interessante collezione di opere di Fontana, Boccioni, Balla, Carrà, Morandi, De Chirico e l’opera Il Quarto Stato di Pellizza da Volpedo; riporta invece al periodo medioevale la piccola PIAZZA MERCANTI. Recente l’apertura all’interno di Palazzo Morando, in stile rococò, del MUSEO DEL COSTUME, della moda e dell’immagine (costumemodaimmagine.mi.it), in via Sant’Andrea. Risalendo corso Venezia con gli eleganti palazzi ottocenteschi e liberty, si raggiunge il PAC, il Padiglione di Arte Contemporanea, che propone mostre temporanee di alto profilo.

Stay

Some of the most elegant hotels are found in the centre: from the PARK HYATT (milan.park.hyatt. com) in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, to the ARMANI HOTEL (milan.armanihotels.com), overlooking Via Manzoni, which is near the 19th-century GRAND HOTEL ET DE MILAN (grandhoteletdemilan.it), just by the Teatro alla Scala. In Corso Matteotti, there is the contemporary BOSCOLO (milano.boscolohotels. com). Housed in a former convent, is the FOUR SEASONS (fourseasons.com). Nearby is the elegant CARLTON HOTEL BAGLIONI (baglionihotels.com).

See and do

Near the Arengario Palace, in Piazza del Duomo, the MUSEUM OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY (museodelnovecento.org) houses works by Carrà, Fontana, Boccioni, Balla, Morandi, De Chirico and The Fourth State by Pellizza da Volpedo; the small PIAZZA MERCANTI takes you back to Medieval times. Recently opened in the Palazzo Morando is the MUSEUM OF COSTUME, FASHION AND THE IMAGE (costumemodaimmagine.mi.it). Along Corso Venezia, with its Liberty-style buildings, is the PAVILION OF CONTEMPORARY ART, which offers high-profile temporary exhibitions.

Eat and drink

The best place for a cappuccino is at PASTICCERIA COVA (pasticceriacova.com), located in Via Montenapoleone, or the nearby SANT’AMBROEUS (santambroeusmilano.it), in Corso Matteotti, two venues with a tasteful allure. Then you can return to the contemporary world at PECK bistro (peck. it), a Mecca for gourmets, OTTIMO MASSIMO (ottimomassimogourmet.it), with the best salads and panini in Milan, and in the “austere” dining room of the multi-award-winning chef Carlo CRACCO (ristorantecracco.it). In the evening an aperitivo is de rigueur, at BAR MARTINI (dolcegabbana.it/martini), attached to the boutique of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, or at the Hotel STRAF (straf.it), with its small bar and house DJ. Compact dimensions also characterise CAMPARINO (camparino.it), on the corner of Piazza del Duomo and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, a genuine Milanese institution. After a few more steps you arrive on the Piazza della Scala, home to IL MARCHESINO (gualtieromarchesi.it), run by Gualtiero Marchesi, the father of new Italian cuisine, and TRUSSARDI ALLA SCALA (trussardiallascala.com), now with chef Luigi Taglienti in charge of the kitchens.

Shop

The elegant Quadrilatero hosts the flagship stores of the most important designers: from PRADA to BULGARI, CAVALLI to MOSCHINO, whose shop window is always a pleasure to behold, to DOLCE & GABBANA, which has a section inside their shop with clothes designed by emerging stylists, on the corner with Corso Venezia. Where the latter ends is where Corso Vittorio Emanuele begins, leading to Piazza del Duomo and welcoming international chains, with brands such as GAP, BANANA REPUBLIC and ABERCROMBIE & FITCH but also a luxury store, the EXCELSIOR, with its space for gourmands in the basement, and the department store LA RINASCENTE. Don’t miss the FERRARI STORE in Piazza del Liberty. ROSSOCORSA, the Ferrari dealership, is at Via dei Missaglia, 89.

Cadorna/ Triennale/ Sempione

If you follow the outline of the Castello Sforzesco, one way takes you to the Parco Sempione, and the other to the “Needle and Thread” sculpture that characterises Piazzale Cadorna. Swarming with people, it is the area for studios, offices and newspaper publishers, but you will also find tourists, map in hand, heading in the direction of Santa Maria delle Grazie, home to Da Vinci’s Last Supper, and the Cenacolo Vinciano Museum. Not far away are the cloisters of the Catholic University.

Eat and drink

For a quick breakfast with excellent pastries, there is SUGAR in the elegant Corso Vincenzo Monti, almost next door to PIZZERIA DA BIAGIO, for a pizza with a typical Neapolitan “moulding”. For a snack in the sunshine, the CAFÉ DESIGN at the Triennale, in the Park, also prepares elegant picnic baskets in late spring and summer. Among the ice-cream parlours, the most well-loved in the zone are SHOCKOLAT, in Via Boccaccio, and the nearby LATO G (latog.com), on the corner with Corso Vincenzo Monti. A touch of the rising sun, particularly appreciated by the fashion world, for a master chef’s sushi, by Hide Shinohara, at the restaurant ZERO (zeromagenta.it); the playfully named PANE E ACQUA (paneacqua.com) is located close to San Vittore Prison, and is run by talented chef Francesco Passalacqua, attached to the SPAZIO ROSSANA ORLANDI (rossanaorlandi. com). Walk a little beyond Corso Sempione to find L’UNICO RESTAURANT (unicorestaurant.it), in an atypical location for Milan, on the top floor of the WJC skyscraper, to taste the dishes of chef Fabio Baldassarre, or to visit Eros Picco’s INNOCENTI EVASIONI (innocentievasioni.com).

See and do

In addition to the places we have already described, which all definitely deserve a visit, such as the CENACOLO, with Da Vinci’s Last Supper (cenacolovinciano.net) – booking in advance is obligatory – there is also the small Archaeological Museum, which contains many treasures. The area is very popular with designers, who can find interesting art and design exhibitions at the TRIENNALE (triennale.it), immersed in parkland (a few years ago the TRIENNALE BOVISA also opened in the suburban district of that name). Again inside the Park, there is the TORRE BRANCA, designed by Giò Ponti, from which you can see the whole city from above; it is particularly interesting at this time, when the city is an open construction site, due to the Expo opening in 2015. Finally, there is also a tiny, little-known jewel, yet one that attracts dedicated art and design enthusiasts and students: the STUDIO MUSEO CASTIGLIONI (achillecastiglioni.it): an evocative, secluded place that retains the charismatic presence of the maestro.

Shop

Take a pleasant walk amid the shop windows along the pedestrianised Via Dante, or in Corso Magenta find menswear shops such as M BARDELLI (mbardelli.com), which opened in 1941 as a hat shop, almost opposite the SOANA grocery store (drogheriasoana.it), dating from 1947, and the PASTICCERIA MARCHESI (pasticceriamarchesi.it), which first opened in 1824, and whose shop front is always meticulously presented. Further along is the antique jeweller FAVILLA and two shops for the more discerning music enthusiast: BUSCEMI (buscemihifi.it) and BOTTEGA DISCANTICA (discantica.it). Shopping then continues in the elegant tree-lined avenue of Via Vincenzo Monti. ROSSOCORSA, the Ferrari dealership, has a second office at Viale di Porta Vercellina, 16.

Stay

Near Corso Magenta are three charming addresses. Nineteenth-century atmosphere and peace and quiet in the ANTICA LOCANDA LEONARDO (anticalocandaleonardo.com), while nearby are the CAMPERIO HOUSE SUITE & APARTMENTS (camperio.com), housed in a 15th-century building, on the site of an eighth-century church and convent. PALAZZO SEGRETI (palazzosegreti. com) plays with the spaces of the old building, using cement walls and wooden floors and recycled furnishings, alternated with design objects. And the ENTERPRISE BUSINESS HOTEL (enterprisehotel.com), situated at the bottom of Corso Sempione, is “total design”.

Brera/Via Garibaldi/Corso Como/Isola

Here you’ll find the Accademia di Brera, art shops to buy brushes and paints, art galleries facing on to paved streets where the fortune-tellers read cards for the passers-by in the evening. And then the Teatro Strehler and the Teatro Studio, and the pleasant Via Garibaldi, now a pedestrianised street, with its shops and bars for aperitifs lining the street leading to the renovated Porta Nuova, where the dizzy heights of Milan’s new skyscrapers cover the elegant Corso Como, predicted to be the new luxury shopping street, with their shade.

Stay

Two important openings are planned for 2013: MANDARIN MILANO, the Oriental luxury brand shop, and the W HOTEL; although the area already boasts a number of addresses associated with the world of fashion: BULGARI (bulgarihotels.com), with its elegant garden-oasis, has one of the best restaurants in the Lombard capital, with executive chef Andrea Ferrero, and an inviting spa; the unconventional MAISON MOSCHINO (maisonmoschino.com) hosts the CLANDESTINO restaurant of star chef Moreno Cedroni. Not far away, in Piazza della Repubblica, the PRINCIPE DI SAVOIA (hotelprincipedisavoia.com) is the favourite address for celebs, a classic hotel that finds a contemporary note in the American Bar and the lightness of the cuisine, with top-quality fresh ingredients used by Fabrizio Cadei

Eat and drink

In the morning you can drink coffee or cappuccino among the orchids of FIORAIO BIANCHI (fioraiobianchicaffe.it), which is excellent for a midday snack, or at BIANCO LATTE (biancolatte. it), in Via Turati. Appetisers or dinner, in Via Cusani, at the renovated PESCHERIA DA CLAUDIO or the new PISACCO (pisacco.it), a modern bistro with interiors designed by Tiziano Vudafieri, where overseeing the food on offer is two-star chef Andrea Berton (the opening of his own restaurant in the city is eagerly awaited). He has entrusted control of the kitchen to Matteo Gelmini, who uses seasonal ingredients for a menu of a few select dishes. RATANÀ (ratana.it) is particularly recommended for those who love meat, because it uses excellent local producers; chef Cesare Battisti takes the best of Milanese and Lombard cuisine, simplifying it. It is located in a house with a garden underneath the tall new buildings of the Isola.

Shop

In Piazzetta del Carmine there is MARC JACOBS (marcjacobs.com), store and café, while at the beginning of Via Brera CAVALLI E NASTRI (cavallienastri.com) is a point of reference for those who love vintage shops, and SPELTA (speltamilano.it) is the place for hand-stitched ballerina pumps. On Corso Como is the famous concept store CORSO COMO 10 (10corsocomo. com), with gallery, bookshop, café and restaurant. The outlet is located at Via Tazzoli, 10.

See and do

The antique rooms of the PINACOTECA DI BRERA (brera.beniculturali.it) house an important art collection. Among the best known, the Wedding of the Virgin by Raphael, the Madonna with Child by Giovanni Bellini, the Crucifixion by Bramantino and The Dead Christ by Mantegna. The TEATRO STREHLER (piccoloteatro.org ) stages avant-garde performances and concerts, but it is also worth buying a ticket for an evening at the smaller TEATRO STUDIO, another experimental theatre

via Torino/Navigli/via Savona

The streets leading from Via Torino to the columns of San Lorenzo and Corso di Porta Ticinese, as far as the Parco delle Basiliche, and the Navigli. The latter are the canals of ancient origin that Leonardo Da Vinci also worked on in the 16th century, used to transport goods.

Eat and drink

You can meet on Sunday mornings at the CUCCHI bar and pastry shop (pasticceriacucchi.it), founded in 1936 and one of the Historic Premises of Italy, for a coffee and to read the newspaper in a classic atmosphere. More fashionable is LES GITANES BISTROT (lesgitanesbistrot.it), in Via Forcella, which is also perfect for aperitifs or lunch. The small tables in the sun, even the pallid winter one, of the OSTERIA DEL PALLONE on Viale Gorizia, at the start of the Navigli, are always crowded; further along the canal there is an oasis called ERBA BRUSCA (erbabrusca.it), something of a novelty on the culinary scene, with its simple food and private garden that keeps the kitchen well stocked; it also hires out bicycles for Sunday excursions. Bar hop around Via Savona and Via Tortona, ending up at SUPERSTUDIO PIÙ or the old neighbourhood milk bar frequented by the city’s intellectuals and creatives

Shop

Located in the Ticinese area is CAN CAN, in Via Edmondo de Amicis, with its Parisian atmosphere; there are clothes, jewellery and accessories at MARIZA TASSY in Via Molino delle Armi and WOK (wok-store.com) the latter a concept store, and WAIT AND SEE (waitandsee.it) a must if you love filling your wardrobe with “bobo” (“bourgeois boheme”) clothing.

Stay

Less crowded than hotels in other areas, the Navigli is a rather quiet area during daytime, but in the evening, packed with venues and restaurants as it is, it becomes noisy and crowded. You can be closer to Via Torino by staying at the PETIT PALAIS HOTEL DE CHARME (petitpalais.it), or experience the Milanese night-time scene first-hand at the ART HOTEL NAVIGLI (arthotelnavigli.com); the industrial character of the area is reflected in the extravagant interior designs of NHOW (nhow-hotels.com).

See and do

Pay a visit to Via Torino and the small church of SANTA MARIA PRESSO SAN SATIRO, to see the apse by Donato Bramante with its ingenious trompe l’oeil. The sacred treasures of the churches of the diocese are collected inside the MUSEO DIOCESANO (museodiocesano.it), but it is the PARCO DELLE BASILICHE, which contains the basilicas of San Lorenzo and Sant’Eustorgio, that delights tourists. On the Navigli, the ANTIQUES MARKET (naviglilive.it) with more than 350 stalls, is held on the last Sunday of every month.

Published on The Official Ferrari Magazine issue 19, December 2012

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You’ll probably counter that not much will change for a Pistunzen like me. That’s where you’d be wrong. How would you like to be answering to an over-excited driver demanding more horsepower or cutting off your fuel to brake in a hurry?
That whole scenario worries me a little. Sure, Ferraris will always be driven. But where will it all end? Will we end up racing in cars driven by ghosts?

The post Ghosts behind the wheel appeared first on Ferrari Magazine - For Ferrari cars owners and fans.

They’re worth the trip alone. Of course, the new LaFerrari is also still on show as are all the Supercars and Formula 1s. Then there’s the new entrance, the new Caffetteria del Cavallino and a big events hall that can be hired for private evenings. Really fantastic. We finish the fit-out on Friday and so we look forward to seeing you all from Saturday, May 4th…

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In fact it’s debatable which substance means more to him: Modena’s famous balsamic vinegar or the motor oil that courses through the area’s most famous exports. ‘It’s breathtaking,’ he says, sitting in an armchair in a room directly above Enzo Ferrari’s old office on the Fiorano circuit. ‘It’s quite eerie, in a way, the level of expertise that’s on display here. Especially from a chef’s point of view, being control freaks, being the figure at the helm, sitting in the front seat, driving the team at 1,000mph… I’ve been having anxiety attacks about coming here for 10, maybe 15 years. So, you can imagine how it feels.’ Ramsay is a remarkable 21st-century media hyphenate. Scottish by birth but raised in England, one of four children, he had a difficult upbringing, and seems to have been on a life-long quest for selfimprovement and perfection via his chosen medium: cooking. Having had a promising professional football career sabotaged by a dodgy knee, this setback sent him off instead on a worldwide culinary odyssey designed to hone his skills and armour-plate his personality. He worked with the likes of Marco Pierre White and Albert Roux in London, and trained in Paris with Guy Savoy and Joël Robuchon. His first big success came with Aubergine in 1995, followed by the opening of Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea in 1998. Fifteen years later, he is no longer just a chef but a bona fide worldwide brand; a million-selling author, with multiple Michelin stars, an ever-expanding restaurant empire and, thanks to his pull-no-punches persona, a highly paid global TV phenomenon into the bargain (his shows are syndicated to 125 countries.) Today, however, the superstar is willingly reduced to Ferrari fan-boy. From the moment the Lancia people-carrier decants him at the old entrance, flanked by the famous ochre two-storey buildings, he’s clearly in his element. We tour the production line, where we make halting progress, such is his popularity with the workforce. Two GTOs and other precious Ferrari jewels await in the Classiche building, including an archive containing the original technical drawings for every Ferrari, right back to the earliest 125 S model. ‘What an amazing artefact,’Ramsay says under his breath, as he cradles the manuscript gently in his hands as though it were an authentic Da Vinci drawing. He’s introduced to the Tailor-made programme, and is intrigued to hear about the special projects division while wandering through the design centre. The Corse Clienti F1 and XX cars are as awesome as ever. After which there’s a prolonged pit-stop at the Ferrari staff restaurant, probably the best work canteen in the world and certainly the most aerodynamic looking, where staff enjoy cucina emiliana like tortellini and tagliatelle al ragù. Photography with the Ferrari canteen’s thrilled chefs completed, we repair to the Chairman’s private dining room. Given that he is currently one of the judges on TV ratings behemoth Masterchef in the United States, one can only imagine what terror his presence is wreaking in the kitchen. Thankfully, lunch is genuinely excellent, though it’s worth pointing out that the off-duty Ramsay is substantially less splenetic than in broadcast spec.But his conversational style has the same energyefficient staccato rhythm. This is a man whosepassion is precisely mirrored in Maranello.

The Official Ferrari Magazine As strange as it is to ask this while sitting here, but… why Ferrari?
Gordon Ramsay [pause] Why Ferrari? If you saw one on the motorway when you were five or six, you never forgot it. It was a spectacle, like magic. So you have that in your mind, and you get on with your career, and you focus and you keep pushing.

My dream was to win three Michelin stars and to own a Ferrari. Driving mine is that unique special time. It’s not eight hours a day. It’s 60 or 90 minutes a week. An absolute release of pure perfection. From starting up, to holding the steering wheel, the cornering, the noise it makes… It’s the quality you get in a Ferrari. The connection. The sheer perfection. I can relate to the car because it’s like
every corner of my kitchen that I’ve gone through, from top to bottom.
TOFM You’re unbelievably passionate about what you do. Can you relate to what you see here?
GR God, yeah. You sense that drive for perfection the moment you walk in, the attention to detail. The processes. Microscopic attention to detail, in fact. Lots of similarities.
TOFM You must be under an immense amount of pressure to keep on delivering.
GR When you’re at three [Michelin] stars, the only way is down. The year we won our first star we had more complaints than ever before. Because everyone was dissecting everything 10 times more. It’s like winning the Champions League or the Constructors Title in Formula One… Every year, you’re scrutinised with greater intensity. I model Royal Hospital Road [Restaurant Gordon Ramsay] on a fool-proof level of perfection: 10 tables, 38 seats, 38 lunch, 38 dinner, Monday-to-Friday. So I can see the synergy between that and what happens at Ferrari, walking around the factory. It’s repeatability, but also you instil that consistency across everything. From taking a reservation to pouring a glass of wine to saying goodbye to a guest, every little detail is critical. Which is why there aren’t 250 restaurants with three Michelin stars. Four in England, barely a handful in Italy.
TOFM How the hell do you do it?
GR Teaching is the hardest thing. To instil that level of confidence in a chef. Getting that consistency from palate to palate. I’m a realist, though. I don’t teach my guys how to cook first, I teach them how to taste first. If they don’t know how to taste, and can’t tell the difference between the textures, they won’t be able to cook and they shouldn’t be doing it.
Their palate would be absolutely shot.
TOFM You must have incredible discipline.
GR I won’t stop until I’ve got something 100 per cent right. I had six months travelling Europe and to the Caribbean; I always wanted to get out of my comfort zone. Broadens your shoulders. Increases your awareness. Learn, learn, learn. It was absolute focus. I cooked in a little brasserie in Paris, when I could barely afford a Métro ticket. All I wanted was to become fluent in French; the more fluent I was, the more I could steal from them in terms of knowledge.

You’re like a magpie taking all these glittery bits from the kitchen, and you store them. But what you can’t do is copy, because that’s just lazy. That’s one thing I admire about Ferrari. They consistently do their own thing, push boundaries. Look at the FF… All-wheel drive. Very clever.
TOFM What’s your take on the so-called “molecular gastronomy” phenomenon?
GR I like the sense of discovery. I always say to people, “go and have fun, but don’t go to eat.” It’s theatrical. You’ve got to be a legend to really pull it off. Heston [Blumenthal]. Ferran [Adria]. René [Redzepi] in Noma. Amazing. Amazing. It’s the ones who don’t orchestrate it properly that are the danger zone. But I’m a classicist. I need to focus on the flavour, find the balance in what I cook. I don’t have the time or desire to reposition in that way. But hey, go and have fun…
TOFM You’re a big personality, and hugely successful. This inevitably generates criticism from some quarters. How do you cope with that?
GR You develop a thick skin. I’ve been dragged through the hedge backwards. But what do you do? Crumble? It makes you a stronger person. Someone said to me, the amount of shit you’ve taken in the press, you’re going to be one wise old man. [pause] I put it into context. The success in the US. The foundations I have. The unity of my family. The team I have around me. I’ve learned to stop taking it personally. Having the failure we’ve had [Ramsay parted company very publicly with
his CEO and father-in-law Chris Hutcheson] has only enhanced the success. You can’t have it all your own way. I’ve made some big mistakes. But f**k me, have I learned. And you don’t make that mistake again. So, it’s a fascinating time.
TOFM Have you learned to let some things go? I guess you have to, or you’d drive yourself mad.
GR Ah, that takes time. I didn’t find that so easy five or 10 years ago. But you grow up. I keep my foot in the real world. And also, I deserve a certain amount of shit. I give it out, so it was always going to come it. [pause] And I would never hire anyone who smoked. Their palate would be absolutely shot.
TOFM Are you a hard man to live with?
GR No. Relatively easy. Switch off. Little quality time, but it’s high quality. I shut the door and I can turn off. Instantly. Like turning off a light. The Masterchef in Maranello. In many ways, it’s a perfect fit. Sitting alongside de Simone in a 458 Italia, Ramsay has mastered the proper racing line round Fiorano within two laps. He clearly has impressive natural ability and determination, good foundations for lasting success. But beyond that, what connects Gordon Ramsay and Ferrari isn’t just an aptitude for what they do, it’s their insatiable appetite for hard work in pursuit of perfection. ‘People seem to think that when you become successful you don’t need the kitchen any more, but I wouldn’t be where I am today without it,’ Ramsay says. ‘Running the hot plate. Gettino behind the stove.’

Published on The Official Ferrari Magazine issue 18, September 2012

The post The Masterchef in Maranello appeared first on Ferrari Magazine - For Ferrari cars owners and fans.

The story of Daytona didn’t, however, begin in 1962. The really tough sand of the beaches there had long been a favourite location for sporting activities. The circuit we know, the one of the 24-hour race, is the one that is to be celebrated with an exhibition at the Museo Ferrari, which runs from mid-September to mid-November. Not to be missed, among others, is the presence of the most symbolic car from the 24 Hours: the 330 P4.
Daytona has a racing tradition dating back to the early part of the 20th Century, when speed trials took place from 1903 on Ormond Beach, just to the north, before then moving south to the harder packed sand of Daytona Beach. It was even used for land speed record attempts, with Malcolm Campbell in Bluebird, setting a new land speed record of 528km/h there in 1935.
As America opened up, the chosen venue for land speed records became the more stable Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, leaving Daytona Beach out on a limb. However, as motorsport attracted crowds to the area, the city council wanted to maintain the tradition as it brought in valuable revenue, and instituted stock car and motorcycle races on the beach.
One of the main protagonists in the promotion and running of these races was Bill France, who founded NASCAR in 1948, still one of the most popular forms of motorsport in the United States.
In the early 1950s, beachside development was increasing and it was becoming more difficult to organise races on the beach and adjacent roads. Bill France looked further afield, and persuaded the city council to ratify the construction of a speedway to host NASCAR races. He then managed to integrate an infield section of the course as part of the overall design, with a view to hosting major international events.
The Daytona International Speedway opened in 1959, but two years prior to that France had organised a sports car racing event at New Smyrna Beach Airport, just south of Daytona, as the finale to the Daytona Beach Speed Week, which is where the Ferrari connection with Daytona really started.

The event attracted many of the country’s top sports car drivers, including John Edgar from California, who had a number of Ferraris in his stable through the mid-1950s. For this meeting, he entered Carroll Shelby in his Ferrari 410 Sport, who won both his preliminary race on the Saturday, as well as the main race on the Sunday.
Endurance racing, which marked a new beginning with a specially constructed track at the Daytona Speedway, started with a three-hour race in 1962. This was followed by another in 1963, before going to a 2,000-kilometre format (just over 12 hours) in 1964 and 1965, with the first 24-hour race held in 1966. It has retained the 24-hour format ever since, apart from a reduced duration running of six hours in 1972, and the cancellation in 1974 due to the energy crisis.
The inaugural endurance race in 1962, named the Daytona Continental, was won by Dan Gurney in a Lotus Climax, which he amously parked just before the finish line in the final stages, and then coaxed over the line, using the starter motor and slope of the banking, as the clock signalled that the time was up, to take victory. Following this event, the practice was banned, and rules introduced stating that a car must cross the finish line under its own power.
The Ferrari Dino 246 S, driven by then World Champion Phil Hill, finished second, and the 250 GT SWB “Sperimentale”, driven by Stirling Moss, finished fourth and won the 3.0-litre GT Class. The entry list also included Jo Bonnier, Jim Clark, Innes Ireland and the Rodriguez brothers, Pedro and Ricardo. The second running of the Daytona Continental in 1963 saw Ferrari post its first victory, when Pedro Rodriguez won in a 250 GTO entered by Luigi Chinetti Sr, with Roger Penske finishing second in a similar car.
The first of the 2,000-kilometre events in 1964 once again saw a Ferrari cross the finish line in first place, but with two drivers ecause of the longer duration; the previous year’s winner Pedro Rodriguez was teamed with Phil Hill, once more in a Luigi Chinetti Sr 250 GTO, this time a 1964 model. Not only did a Ferrari 250 GTO win, but they filled the podium, with David Piper/ Lucien Bianchi finishing second, and Walt Hangsen/Bob Grossman/John Fulp finishing third.
The last of the 2,000-kilometre races and the first of the 24-hour duration events, in 1965 and 1966 respectively, were Ford benefits. This was the era of Ford versus Ferrari on the endurance race tracks of the world, each battling for supremacy during a golden age for sports and GT car racing.

In 1966, Ford had taken the proverbial sledgehammer to crack a nut to win what was (and still is), undoubtedly the greatest prize of all, Le Mans 24 Hours, in which seven Ford Mk IIs, plus a number of privateer GT40s, took part. They succeeded in filling the podium, leaving Ferrari licking its wounds as the pair of works entered 330 P3s retired. One consolation for Ferrari was a class
victory for the Maranello Concessionaires entered 275 GTB/C in the over 3.0-litre GT class. Not only did Ford win Daytona and Le Mans in 1966, but it took what might be termed the “Triple Crown” with further victory in the 12 Hours of Sebring.
The first round of the 1967 season was the 24 Hours of Daytona, where the Ferrari–Ford rivalry was renewed. Ferrari entered two of its new 330 P4 models, which were backed up by a pair of 412 Ps from Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team (NART) and Jacques Swaters’ Ecurie Francorchamps, while Ford entered six Mk IIs. This race would prove to be sweet revenge for Ferrari
over the ignominy of defeat by Ford in the 1966 Championship, and produced one of the most widely reported sports racing victories ever.
The picture of the pair of works 330 P4s and the NART entered 412 P, sweeping around the banking in formation to take the chequered flag, in a onetwo-three finish, made headlines around the world. It was regarded as a David against Goliath slaying of Ford on home soil and has become one of motorsports’ most iconic images.
Also deserving of great fame was the decision, taken by the then Ferrari Sporting Director Franco Lini, to ask the drivers to cross the finishing line in side-by-side formation, to send out a message of superiority to the rest of the motorsports world. Indeed, such was the impact of this victory, that the 365 GTB/4 road car announced in 1968 was dubbed the Daytona by the motoring press in
recognition of the win the previous year.
The model went on to race in the 24 Hours of Daytona between 1972 and 1981, dominating during a period when the pace of change in racing was rapid. The model won second overall driven by a François Migault/Milt Minter in 1973.
Four years later, the film actor Paul Newman teamed up with Minter and Elliott Forbes- Robinson to finish fifth overall in the 1977 race. This was surprisingly surpassed in 1979, when John Morton/Tony Adamowicz gave the model another second place overall, a very respectable result for what by then was an outdated racing car.
After the 1967 win, Ferrari didn’t return to Daytona as a works team until 1970. By this time Ford had pulled out of endurance racing, and the new rival was Porsche, with their 917 going head to head with Ferrari’s 512 S model. Porsche took the two top spots, with the 512 S of Mario Andretti/Arturo Merzario/Jacky Ickx salvaging Ferrari’s reputation with third position.
In 1971 Ferrari decided to leave large engine capacity sports car racing in the hands of private teams with the upgraded 512 M model, while it concentrated on the Formula One-based, 3.0-litre flat 12 312 P model.
At Daytona that year it was once again a Porsche 917 victory, but a pair of Ferraris joined it on the podium. The 512 S driven by a partnership of Ronnie Bucknum/Adamowicz/Alain De Cadenet finished second, and the 512 M of Mark Donohue/David Hobbs third.
The latter, the famous blue Sunoco model, was a certain contender for victory, but an accident with an errant GT Porsche caused considerable damage, which the team gallantly repaired. The car missed 53 laps as a result, but eventually finished just 14 laps behind the winner.
The final Ferrari works entry at Daytona came in 1972, with the 312 P model, and it was victorious in the hands of Mario Andretti and Jacky Ickx, followed home by the sister car of Tim Schenken and Ronnie Peterson. The third works entry of Clay Regazzoni and Brian Redman finished fourth.
Over the ensuing 40 years the sports racing and GT categories at Daytona have varied and Ferrari appearances have been less than in the first decade. However with the emergence of the 333 SP in 1994, once again there was a sports racing Ferrari available to privateer clients, and it wasn’t long before the model raced at Daytona.
Its first taste of success came in 1996, when Gianpiero Moretti/Bob Wollek/Didier Theys/Max Papis finished second overall, with another second overall in 1997 courtesy of Andy Evans/Fermin Velez/Charles Morgan/Rob Morgan. Victory for the model came in 1998 with the driving team of Moretti/Arie Luyendyk/Mauro Baldi/Theys, victory coming close again in 1999, finishing in second,
third and fourth positions.
Since then, occasional Ferrari participation at the Florida circuit has been in the hands of privateers with varying degrees of success. One of the most recent was in 2003, when the Ferrari of Washington entered 360 GT driven by Cort Wagner and Brent Martini won the GT class in the Grand-Am Series finale at Daytona, which gave the team the Grand-Am GT Championship, with the
drivers tying for the GT Driver’s Championship, plus it gave Ferrari its first ever GT Manufacturer’s Championship in the United States.
In 2012, Ferrari returned to the GT class of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, (as it is now officially known) with a Grand-Am version of the 458 Italia GT3 and, although it wasn’t an auspicious debut, the development bodes well for the future, with the AIM Autosport Team FXDD Racing With Ferrari entry performing very competitively in subsequent Grand-Am races.
This detailed chronicle shows us how, in various ways and with various cars and drivers, Ferrari has tied its name to the celebrated bowl circuit and the extremely demanding 24-hour race.
However, the reputation of an event and of a brand is built up through persistence and commitment, two things that are never in short supply in either Maranello or Florida.

Published on The Official Ferrari Magazine issue 18, September 2012

The post The Daytona myth appeared first on Ferrari Magazine - For Ferrari cars owners and fans.

Gilles was the shock factor that interrupted normality, someone who met the consequences of both the risks he faced and his success with disarming nonchalance. At last, there was someone who transgressed, who brought creativity to bravery, who rocked a worrying complacency. Someone who showed, with Formula One as a pretext, a way to break with the past, and who, in the process, became a legend. ‘When Dad ate in this room, my mother and my sister waited for him in our camper van parked over there. We were very close but Melanie and I were small, we didn’t really know…’ says Jacques, beginning to feel more at home. The questions begin. Piero first asks about Indianapolis, where the race is to take place at the end of the month. Jacques gets carried away: ‘I have wonderful memories. The Indy 500 is an odd race, even if you have the fastest car. To gain a tenth of a second per lap you have to drive around for three days. And the three weeks of trials before the race end up sending you to sleep and at that point it gets easy to make mistakes.

‘During the race, you drive with the steering wheel turned towards the left the whole time. There are slow drivers, drivers who get tired. The tension makes you lose speed. And then, with the controls in the cockpit, the handling changes on every lap. It’s a monstrous job over a seemingly never-ending distance.’ Piero asks which is more difficult, the Indy 500 or Nascar. Jacques is in no doubt: ‘In Nascar you can make up for the car problems with your driving, and if you bump into something, there’s no great harm. In the Indy you’re going at 300km/h all the time; when you see the wall coming up to you, you’re sure you’re going to hurt yourself. In Indy-type races I’ve always had an advantage, that of consuming less petrol, and wearing out the tyres and the brakes less than the others.’ Piero returns to the past: ‘The brakes only lasted three laps for your father before they were burnt out. It was staggering to see how he wore them out and we were struck because we had had [Niki] Lauda in the team until the year before, and at the end of the race his brakes were still as good as new. They were very different characters: Niki was a careful, precise driver, Gilles was more decisive and drove more violently.’ ‘What was [Alain] Prost like? Last winter in France I entered some Andros Trophy events on ice with Skoda. He was there too…’ Piero, directly involved in managing races during Prost’s two years at Ferrari, has an anecdote. ‘Alain came close to winning the World Championship in 1990, but his contract was broken off early the following year because he didn’t get on with some of the mechanics. But as soon as he arrived he put the car in order and did an excellent job. [Jean] Alesi was with him, but he didn’t have the same experience and copied the set-ups. Alain let him get on with it, then changed the settings between the warm-up and the race, and Jean found that he was racing with the wrong set-up. Prost was very astute…’ Jacques smiles. ‘Do you know that today is the first time I’ve been round Ferrari? When I was a child I wasn’t interested. As a driver I was engaged with other teams, so I’ve never been able to come back here till now. I’ve seen the Fiorano track, where I did my first Formula Three tests. Did my father like Fiorano?’ Piero nods. ‘He drove round Fiorano all the time, the tests were only carried out at Fiorano. Gilles had a mania, he never completed the home lap. As soon as he saw the “in” sign, he span round and went back to the pit from the opposite direction. Forghieri used to get very angry because the manoeuvre was dangerous for the drive-train. But my father enjoyed it, so he let him get away with anything. You were at home here, your camper was always next to the track.’ Jacques is evidently moved by all this. ‘Yes, it was so nice, we were all together, there was a dog, too. It wouldn’t be possible today, this is the time of drivers who are paid to race, of teams bought and sold again. I don’t enjoy seeing Grands Prix knowing that even the real champions can’t go at top speed from start to finish, because the tyres are in danger of losing grip at any moment. And the moveable rear wing? If there had been DRS in the 1980s, my father would only have done three laps in front of Jarama and then they would have overtaken him.’

Piero remembers that day very well. ‘Your father achieved a historic feat, he kept them all behind him with his flair for driving. But Gilles was never unfair.’ Jacques smiles. ‘It’s true, I must have seen the Dijon duel thousands of times and both my father and [René] Arnoux left room, neither ever tried to push the other off the track. Gilles always respected his adversaries. Because it was an F1 in which everyone knew they could get really hurt. ‘Now the circuits are wide, the run-off areas are enormous and you can go over the limit without running any risks. It’s a video game. The cars are very safe. It made me nervous to get into the cockpit of my father’s car with my shoulders
exposed without protection. Look at some of the accidents that took place at the time, and yet Gilles and De Cesaris always came out unharmed.’ Talk moves on to one of Jacques’ celebrated overtakes, one of the finest ever seen, in which he passed Michael Schumacher on the long Estoril bend at Magny-Cours in 1996. Jacques relives the moment: ‘The day before the race I had told my mechanics that I would willingly try and overtake someone there. They looked at me as if I were mad. “Tell me what lap you’re going to do it on, so we can come and pick up the pieces, you can’t overtake there, remember…” And yet, I overtook Schumacher, of all people, who was dealing with a driver that he was lapping. He didn’t leave me much room, to tell the truth, but I managed it. The only way to pass Schumacher was to surprise him. He was convinced it would be impossible for anyone to overtake him round there, but I did it, preparing the manoeuvre in advance. At the very moment he braked, without looking in his mirrors, I went outside him and managed to get past.’ Piero is impressed. ‘But at Jerez things didn’t go so well…’ Jacques shrugs: ‘Yes, that’s true. But you know what I remember about it? That I was afraid the springs had broken after the collision. In addition to this, the battery was attached to a cable that had almost snapped. After that episode, every time Schumacher was battling against me, he always braked a metre before without taking any risks. I’m enormously pleased to have won the World Championship beating him above all. That was a wonderful day…’ Piero smiles again. ‘But your father was a little crazy, he really was…’ Jacques laughs. ‘Well, he was a bit. Did you know that when I was 10 he tried to make me fly a helicopter? He wedged me between his legs and rested my hands on the controls… In a helicopter he did the maddest things, he was never afraid. Life was like that for him. He liked challenges. ‘A little like me when I went round the Eau Rouge bend at Spa at top speed for the first time. It was a risk that only gave you an advantage of a tenth of a second a lap, but it was good to do it for your pride, in order to feel you were stronger, to make the others afraid of you.’ Piero finds himself in the unusual situation of inquiring into the life of Gilles’ son in order to uncover the secret hiding places of the champion who played such an important part in the Ferrari story. He’s clearly fascinated. He asks Jacques about the challenges he faced with establishing a career with that surname. Jacques is as stoic as ever. ‘Pfft! Every time I made my debut, in Formula Atlantic, then Indy and F1, everyone was asking me if I was doing it to continue Gilles’ achievements. And I started by not saying anything. It was only after I had won the World Championship that I became Villeneuve, cancelling out “Gilles’ son”. When he died I became the man of the family. But if he hadn’t died, I wouldn’t have become what I am. ‘Fame? It’s overrated. It actually isn’t easy to be the son of someone famous. I’ve lived the same experience as Gian Maria Regazzoni, Nico Rosberg, other “sons of”. ‘People expect you to go on track and win in your first race: you sense all this and it puts you under tremendous pressure. If you then manage to survive, all of the pressure you faced before helps you afterwards.’ Jacques reflects on a father who lit up the racing world with his supernatural car control and flamboyance. ‘Gilles had awesome reflexes. I can remember the time I saw him change a lens in his camera with a lightning move: he took a second to remove one lens and fit another. I was at a loss for words. It wasn’t a mechanical ability, but a question of the brain. The brain is fundamentally important when it comes to putting things together and making decisions. Some people are simply unable to make two movements at the same time.’ ‘Did your father take a lot of photos?’ Piero asks. ‘Yes, he had a special dark room at home. He took snaps, printed them and kept them in order.’ ‘Talking about speed of execution,’ Piero continues, ‘did you know that Gilles was absolutely the first to try the steering wheelmounted gear shift, instead of the usual floor mounted one? It was 1978, he did a test drive at Fiorano with the T3. ‘At first, there were two buttons on the spokes of the steering wheel, up and down. But your father said that taking his thumbs off the wheel, even for an instant, affected his grip. And so, at his suggestion, we gave him paddle gear levers like those mounted on all our F1s and GTs today. He invented them! And yet, he didn’t want to use the system because he didn’t get any fun out of it. So, we forgot all about it for a few years…’ It was Nigel Mansell who, in 1989, took a Ferrari equipped with an electro-hydraulic steering wheel mounted gear lever to victory. A hero, Nigel.

Like Jody Scheckter. Jacques warms to the mention of the Scheckter name. ‘He had an extraordinary relationship with my father. Team mates and rivals, but friends too. There was another driver who was a real friend of Gilles, Patrick Tambay. His son races too now and is doing really well. I hope he breaks through, he has quality. Who do I currently like in F1? Certainly Alonso, who was with me for three races at Renault. Very good on the track, and off the track too.’ Jacques, speaking with Piero in perfect Italian, is curious about something: ‘How did your father and mine talk to each other at the beginning?’ Piero explains: ‘My father spoke a little French, there was a dialogue. Jody, on the other hand, didn’t understand and so was a bit left out. After each test drive at Fiorano, your father always wrote a report for mine.’
Jacques smiles softly. ‘Just think, I once went along to one of those chats…’ There is a moment’s silence, broken by the lady that has been serving us: ‘Will you have coffee?’ ‘No thanks, I won’t have any. And you, Jacques?’

Published on the Official Ferrari Magazine issue 18, September 2012

The post All about my father appeared first on Ferrari Magazine - For Ferrari cars owners and fans.

Obviously these qualities have proven equally effective with the establishment of his airline businesses and role as Formula One adviser and consultant. Again, his ability to embrace the politics and complications with a direct approach makes for a fabulously entertaining story.
The other thing I found particularly interesting was his skill at evaluating his own strengths and weaknesses, and making adjustments accordingly. One has read innumerable descriptions of athletes and performers responding to pressure, and in general it seems that an ability to transform stress into motivation is a prerequisite for success. In Niki’s case, he appears to have an alternative solution in recognising pressure and being able to divest himself of some of it. Fascinating.
Then there was his relationship with Enzo Ferrari. It’s clear that despite the Machiavellian politics, arguments and shouting matches, there was considerable respect and genuine affection between them… Apart from his obvious talent as a driver, Niki was part of Ferrari’s transition to a more modern motorsport era, where the driver played a wider role as part of the development team. In a world before computers and telemetry, there was still a gap between the engineers and the physical car that could only be bridged by the driver, presenting an opportunity for him to reposition himself as team leader and motivator.
Finally, it was illuminating to talk to Niki about the upcoming feature film Rush, directed by Ron Howard and currently in post-production, that vividly depicts Niki’s 1970s rivalry with James Hunt. Niki clearly appreciated that this was a bigbudget feature, not a documentary in the style of Senna. He seemed relaxed, and indeed amused, to learn that elements were fictionalised to attract an audience beyond the typical F1 fan. His view on the subject also revealed his acute sense of humour and something else perhaps unexpected: a willingness to laugh at himself.
Nick Mason How do you spend your time now?
Niki Lauda I sold Niki, my second airline after Lauda Air, to Air Berlin, last November. I had a “put” option that they asked to bring forward. In eight years of operation, we were profitable from the second year. We grew to 4.2 million passengers, 22 planes, and we always made money. We had a proper low-cost structure, we expanded like crazy, never had bank loans other than to finance the purchase of the planes. I’m on the board of Air Berlin now, to help them get their act together. So my work now is much less, because my day-to-day work was the airline. I’ve also been with RTL [German broadcaster] for 15 years, covering F1, and I travel to every grand prix.
NM From what I gather, you could write several books based on your exploits in the aviation industry alone.
NL I came out of a competitive environment in motor racing. When I started Lauda Air, I tried to find a better product for a reasonable price. We were the first to fly to Australia: Austrian Airlines didn’t even know where Australia was! I sold one airline to them and built up another one. Learning to fly and becoming a fully qualified commercial pilot myself also meant nobody could bullshit me when we were negotiating.

TOFM Like some of your contemporaries in motor racing, you have a pronounced entrepreneurial streak. In effect, you have had a three-act career, with no end in sight either…
NL I’m enjoying it, which is the number one thing. I always try to come up with a crazy idea and then make it work. The idea is the easy bit, making it stick is the difficult part. I like to have everything well under control and I can analyse things properly. What drives me crazy is the amount of talking that goes on. I like to make my life simple. I get straight to the point. If it’s my mistake, it’s my mistake. In motor racing, you learn to achieve the best result in the shortest amount of time. It applies in life too. Be quicker than the others. And don’t make mistakes. Even if things fail, have the discipline to find a new way, rather than embarking on a pointless emotional journey.

NM It’s about having the ability to function under duress. In motor racing, but also in negotiation… Your family background is interesting. Did that shape you significantly?
NL My biggest problem was my grandfather. He was president of the Red Cross and ran a huge company in Austria. I had a good relationship with my mother and father, but my grandfather… I remember eating in this very hotel [The Imperial in central Vienna] – we had lunch here every Christmas Day – and there was one rule, we were not allowed to talk. And we kids talked and we were thrown out. I fought my grandfather like you wouldn’t believe. I went my own way, and decided to become a racing driver. I don’t think I would ever have fought as hard as I did if my grandfather had been a reasonable person.
TOFM Did he ever say, “Sorry Niki, you did well…”
NL No. I broke with him, and the poor guy died before we had a chance to make peace.
TOFM You paid to drive for March and BRM, and secured a bank loan against your life insurance. When did Ferrari enter the scene?
NL “If Ferrari calls, don’t forget to tell me.” It was a running joke, I would always say this as I left my little office in Salzburg before a race. I got back on Tuesday and my secretary said, “Ferrari called.” “Don’t joke,” I said. “No really, someone called Monteprezelo or something…” I called him, I went to Maranello, I saw the Old Man and he said, “I want you to drive for me.” I said, “Why?”
“Because you’re ahead of [Jacky] Ickx and you’re an unknown and nobody knows why you are so fast…” I said I’d just had dinner with Mr Stanley [BRM’s boss] and done a deal. The Old Man said, “I’ll fix it.” Then we got to Brands Hatch and there was a rumour in the paddock that the police weren’t going to allow the Ferrari transporter through because of a dispute between BRM and Ferrari over the driver Niki Lauda! Actually, it was Bernie [Ecclestone] who helped sort that out.

NM Didn’t things get off to a tricky start, with that famously difficult first test?
NL Well, the first time I met Enzo Ferrari, [Franco] Gozzi and Montezemolo were there. It was quite simple negotiating with him because I didn’t have very much to negotiate about. I think he paid the equivalent of about €50,000 today. I said, at least let me have a car, and they sold me one – at a discount. A cheap car but not free, not part of the deal. That really annoyed me! Then I came over to do my first test. The 1974 car was very uncompetitive, remember. At Fiorano, TAG Heuer had installed photo-cell timing equipment, which was very clever, and I thought, “If they have this technology and they still can’t make a competitive car, I don’t understand the world any more.” I told Piero [Ferrari], to push him, “The car is shit [his curt assessment of the car was meant more as a wake-up call for those involved in its design], it understeers everywhere…” He replied, “You can’t say that, it’s a Ferrari!” I replied, “You tell the Old Man I think the car is no good. It doesn’t turn in properly, there is no balance.” Then [Mauro] Forghieri was brought back from Siberia. Together we decided that we could go half a second faster. Piero said, “That’s very brave. If you say this, you have to make it happen.” Forghieri then fixed the geometry, and lowered the roll centre on the chassis, and I went 8/10ths of a second quicker. And, for whatever reason, the Old Man then trusted me from that moment on.
TOFM Maybe you’d passed a sort of initiation test…
NL Ferrari’s only interest was winning. He cared more about the cars than the drivers. He liked Villeneuve because he was crazy. And he liked me because I told him the truth, I didn’t bullshit him. He was friendly with me, he accepted me. I would simply knock on his door. Looking back now, after all the fights I had with him after my accident, he was a very egocentric man. Absolutely focused on his cars, on his ideas, being successful. But in the end, he was Italian and he had a heart. I had the opportunity to experience it on the odd occasion, but the rest of the time it was not funny. Let me tell you this. Audetto [Daniele, then team manager] visited me in hospital, after my accident, then went back to the paddock, went up to [Emerson] Fittipaldi and said, “Lauda is dead, we want to offer you a two-year contract.” This was an order from Ferrari himself. But listen, in terms of charisma and personality, none of today’s F1 managers compare with Enzo. Think how long he has been dead, and we’re still talking about him!
NM In the music industry, there are no more big characters like that. Now if you have a problem, you deal with business affairs. The legal department, basically.
NL There are people in F1 who wish they were like Enzo Ferrari, when they should concentrate on being themselves. Why was Enzo Ferrari different? Because he was who he was, and never wanted to be somebody else. Montezemolo has a big burden, but he has done a great job this past 20 years. The cars are excellent. And he has a charisma himself, he does it his way. He is the best man to continue the job Enzo started, doing it his own way, while keeping the spirit of the Old Man alive. When he was team manager, he had a different approach. A new type of manager. He came from the outside. He made us very successful.
TOFM Your comeback after the accident at the Nürburgring in 1976 remains arguably the greatest act of sporting bravery ever. You were badly burned, your lungs were severely damaged. And yet you were racing again just six weeks later.
NL I always knew about the risks I was taking. Every year, someone you knew was killed racing. You had to ask yourself, do you enjoy driving these cars so much that you’re prepared to take that risk? When I had my accident, I was not surprised. So I never moaned or bitched with myself. Then there was a simple question: is the pleasure of driving still strong, or do I want to retire? I remember I went running while listening to some good music, and I thought: do I retire for good, or do I fight fear, fight the accident and go for it? [thumps table] After my accident, I never worried about how I looked. It was how it was. I asked a nurse in the burns clinic, “When can I look in the mirror?” “Any time,” she said. It should never have been allowed. And she switched on a neon light, and my head was as big as this [makes expansive gesture with his hands] because of the heat and the water retention. My head went straight into my shoulders… I had to squint my eyes to see… “F**k,” I thought. Of course, it got better and better. I had seen my injuries at their worst.
NM What happened when you returned to the team? What was their reaction?
NL I went to Fiorano, and I said, “Let me drive a car.” I was still in pain, so I needed to see if I could drive it. I went to see Ferrari – “I want to drive at Monza”, I told him. He was surprised, and said, “It’s a bad idea. If you miss this race, it’s just one more race, and if we lose the championship, people will understand.” I said, “Excuse me, I’m fit, I don’t give a f**k about the championship. I want to get back to work. Simple.” And he said, “Ah, but we took a decision and we have [Carlos] Reutemann now, too.” My contract with Ferrari stipulated two cars not three. “Only in Monza you have three cars,” I said. My first day at Monza was terrible, I was putting too much pressure on myself. And I had to fight the idiots at the track to let me drive. The next day, I calmed myself down and drove like there was no grand prix – I was the quickest Ferrari in practice. My confidence came back. And I finished fourth in the race.
NM And after that?
NL Well everything seemed OK until Fuji, when I got out of the car. I called the Old Man afterwards and said I wasn’t going to drive in those conditions [there was torrential rain at Fuji; in the race James Hunt finished third, and won the world championship over Lauda by a single point]. There was a nice, positive reaction from him, so I was relieved. Then I had to have another operation on my eyelid, so I was out for two months. After that I called and said, “I’m ready to go testing, I’m fit.” And Ferrari said, “Good. You can test brake pads at Fiorano.” I said, “Are you f**king nuts?” And he said, “I took a decision, Reutemann is the new number one and he’s fully in charge of testing.”
NM You had to hustle to get a proper test in the car, didn’t you?
NL Yes. And in three laps, I blew away Reutemann’s best time. And he’d been testing [at Paul Ricard] all week! The Old Man called the next day and I told him, “You will never win the championship if he does all the testing.” He accepted this, off we went, Reutemann was still part of it, of course, and I won my second championship at Ferrari. And then Bernie [Ecclestone, then team principal at Brabham] came along, offered me a load of money to leave Ferrari and drive for him, and I’d had enough of the political problems by then. Two days later, I’m in a room with all of the big Ferrari hitters, not just the Old Man. I thought, wow, they really want to make a new contract. Forghieri said, “How much do you want?” which they never would have asked before. “I’m leaving,” I said. And Ferrari looked at me and I could see in his eyes that he was hurt and he could not believe it. It was Ferrari. They
had the best car. But I was leaving. And I walked out like I was walking on air.
NM And pretty soon we’ll be able to see you on the big screen, in Rush. That must feel rather special.
NL I know Peter Morgan [the film’s scriptwriter]. I had actually known his wife for a while before I met Peter. So, actually I wasn’t aware of his body of work, and of course he is one of the finest screenwriters working in cinema. I met him, and he started telling me about his idea for a film. I told him pretty much what I’ve just told you today. Anyway, we were having dinner some time later, and Peter told my wife Birgit, “Niki won’t like what I have done. This is a Hollywood film and I’ve had to change lots of things.” [laughs] I haven’t even read the full script. I don’t care, I can accept it. I think Ron Howard is fantastic. I know Eric Fellner, one of the producers – he’s a big Ferrari fan. Daniel Brühl [the actor portraying Lauda] is terrific.
TOFM I met him on the set earlier this year, and I can tell you his take on you is inspired.
NL I trained him well! He came to Vienna and worked with a speech coach. I asked him, “How difficult is it for you to play me?” He replied, “Extremely, because you are still alive. People will know if I am a bad actor.” Marlene [Lauda’s first wife] told him all sorts of things about me. [laughs] Peter showed me the scene where my injuries are shown for the first time, on my return at Monza.
It’s shot extremely well, I must say. The horror of the moment. I finally understood how the people at the time must have felt. At the time I didn’t care.
TOFM You recently became a father again, at the age of 60. Another pretty significant development…
NL It’s very funny. Honestly. Max and Mia, they’re almost three now. To see them every day, how funny they are, the things they do… With Lukas and Mathias [his sons from his first marriage], I was never there. I was egocentric. Racing was dangerous. It was about me staying alive in a very extreme sport. Children are unpolluted by the things that adults worry about. I am still a kid, in a way. It’s not difficult for me to go back there. At least, that’s what I like to tell my wife, Birgit…

Published on The Official Ferrari Magazine issue 18, September 2012

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