Major exhibition at the Design Museum in London to mark the 70th anniversary of Ferrari

The Design Museum Presents

Ferrari:
Under the Skin

Exhibit runs until 15 April 2018

Major exhibition at the Design Museum in London to mark
the 70th anniversary of Ferrari
£140M worth of Ferraris featured in exhibition displaying cars driven
by racing drivers Peter Collins and Stirling Moss
Unique insight into the meticulous and glamorous world of Ferrari
Rare exhibits from private collections include original drawings and
an exact replica of the first Ferrari ever made, the 2000 F1 winning car
driven by Michael Schumacher and Enzo Ferrari’s driving licence

The show celebrates 70 years of creative development since the launch of the first car in 1947.
Displaying rarely seen material from private collections, the exhibition
provides a unique insight into the meticulous and glamorous world of
Ferrari. This ambitious collection, the first outside the Museo Ferrari in
Maranello, brings together early design models, drawings, personal letters
and memorabilia as well as some of the most famous cars to grace the
world’s roads and racing circuits. Together, these artefacts and original
documents provide an unprecedented study of automotive design.

Dedicated displays explore the life of Enzo Ferrari, the design of the cars,
the brand’s famous clientele, its racing prowess and today’s technical
innovations. Placed against a backdrop of post-war austerity, Enzo Ferrari and a small
but dedicated team decided to create an elite performance vehicle whilst
many were manufacturing economy vehicles and scooters. The opening
section of the exhibition charts the story of Enzo Ferrari and his remorseless
drive to create the perfect driving machine for track and road. Key exhibits
include Enzo Ferrari’s driving licence, original photography, the original
drawings and an exact replica of the 125 S – the first Ferrari ever made –
and hand-written documents from Enzo Ferrari himself.

The exhibition offers visitors a behind-the-scenes look at the secretive world
of car design. Original hand-drawn sketches feature next to high-tech
wind tunnel models and beautifully crafted early wooden master models
to present a survey of the manufacturing process and the relationship
between form and function. Charting the varied techniques used throughout
Ferrari’s history, the exhibition demonstrates how drawings are translated
by sculptural techniques into the final form of the car. An original 1:1 scale
hand-crafted clay design model of the J50 is a highlight of the exhibition and
offers an exclusive view into the factory’s techniques. The limited edition
J50 was made in a run of only 10 cars exclusive to Japan, celebrating 50
years of Ferrari in the country.
The exhibition also looks at Ferrari’s extraordinary celebrity clientele. It was
these discerning clients who helped establish Ferrari as the brand we know
today. Notes by Miles Davis feature alongside archive photography of
famous clients with their cars, including Clint Eastwood, Sammy Davis Jr,
Brigitte Bardot and Peter Sellers. The centrepiece of the section is a 250
GT Cabriolet (1957) owned by one of the most famous British racing drivers
of all time – Peter Collins. Other cars in this section include an F40 (1988)
belonging to Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason and a 166 MM (1950)
formerly driven by Gianni Agnelli, head of Fiat.
It is competitive racing that has remained at the heart of Ferrari from its
inception to today. As well as previously unseen documents from the early
history of the racing team, the exhibition includes helmets worn by Alberto
Ascari, Mike Hawthorn, Michael Schumacher and Kimi Räikkönen. The
1952 British GP winner’s trophy and a selection of famous racing suits are
also on display. The evolution of racing car design is represented through
the Ferrari 500 F2 (1952), which Alberto Ascari drove to victory at the F1
championship in 1952 and 1953, and the Ferrari F1-2000 (2000), the
championship-winning car driven by Michael Schumacher.

The exhibition culminates in a look at Ferrari today. A LaFerrari Aperta,
owned by Gordon Ramsay and the most technologically advanced Ferrari to
date, represents the company’s continuing innovation. This hybrid vehicle is
accompanied by concept sketches and an in-depth look at the engine.
Sir Terence Conran, founder of the Design Museum said:
‘I think I speak on behalf of millions of ambitious people of all ages that we
have all at some point had delicious dreams of owning a Ferrari. The brand
itself has become a worldwide symbol of design success, whether it is their
road models or Grand Prix cars. The Ferrari story is truly one of the great
adventure stories of the industrial age and I am very proud we are able to
tell it at the Design Museum. The depth of emotion goes far beyond the
external beauty of their cars: what excites me so much about this exhibition
is the rare opportunity to glimpse behind the scenes and experience the
dynamic between engineering, manufacturing and design, which produces
Ferrari’s magic ingredient. It is a magic ingredient that means I am here,
aged eighty-five and still lusting after the idea of owning a Ferrari – I want to
go out with a beautiful, powerful and perfectly designed vroom!’
Andrew Nahum, co-curator of Ferrari: Under the Skin commented:
‘Ferrari represents an ideal case study in design and development. Ferrari
uses the subtle and often unseen techniques of automobile design, but with
the utmost care and precision. The exhibition provides an insight into the
history and practice of the whole private world of automotive design.’
Ferrari: Under the Skin is a behind-the-scenes look at the design, people
and engineering that created one of the most iconic car brands on the
planet.