Q&A Interview with Musei Ferrari Manager
By Silvia Davi, September 2024

It’s no secret that Ferrari has global mainstream appeal as a respected luxury brand. However, what I realized recently is that Ferrari is more than a brand, it represents a lifestyle equivalent to the “Made in Italy” stamp of excellence. Furthermore, it has wide appeal from several perspectives and is recognized among practically all demographics internationally. After visiting Ferrari’s two museums in Italy this past summer, I was able to speak with Musei Ferrari Manager, Michele Pignatti Morano, about the museums and the overall entertainment mission of the Ferrari business, particularly regarding the two museums in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, the region where Ferrari was founded.

Many outside Italy are unaware these museums even exist, so I wanted to share some of my recent perspectives as a lifelong fan of the brand and provide an inside look at what you can expect from both museums, which are inspiring, educational, and exhilarating. They truly carry out the enduring vision of the cultural icon Enzo Ferrari himself.

According to Michele, the acclaimed founder, Enzo Ferrari always set the bar high across everything he did with a spirt of winning and innovation, a vision that is very much apparent throughout the two fabulous Ferrari museums and transmitted today in everything Ferrari does. This is a brand that epitomizes the spirt of racing combined with beauty and passion.  As Michele highlights, “The real DNA of Ferrari came from racing. There are two souls working together – you are expected to win and to do the best in class whether it’s on the racing or lifestyle side of the business.”

The Ferrari Museum in Maranello, is where the Ferrari factory is located while the one in Modena is more about the personal life and journey of Enzo Ferrari and the overall Ferrari brand. Both museums are beautifully designed showcasing the meticulous engineering genius of the racing cars, engines, its legendary racing drivers to the inner workings of the cars as works of art, showcasing their every detail, to an authentic representation of the incredible local history and celebration of the territory.

One of the major exhibitions at the Maranello museum celebrate the most successful Formula 1 team ever, a name that has come to symbolize motorsport, uniting a nation and millions of fans around the world. The cars featured in this exhibition tell the story of a glorious career spanning over 90 years. They begin with the Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Spider, the first car to sport the Prancing Horse in 1932, and continue all the way to the SF71H, the single seater both Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen drove in the 2018 World Championship.

Ferrari’s motorsport adventure in the decades separating the two cars is told through unforgettable models that battled it out in grueling races, won historic victories and sometimes endured painful defeats. All encapsulate Enzo Ferrari’s dream and the commitment, determination, and thirst to innovate a team whose history is linked with that of Formula 1 itself. There are amazing Ferrari racing simulators at the museums and offer exclusive Ferrari Experiences for Ferrari owners to lure fans to these historic locations.

The Modena Museum is an authentic celebration of the local region, a region known for its incredible food specialties to the music of Luciano Pavarotti, who was also from Modena. The goal is to connect the region, from its excellence in food, music, art to its history of car racing.

With regards to the motive behind the development of these Ferrari experiences, Michele notes, “Ferrari is a very exclusive brand, but we have millions of ‘tifosi’ that want to touch the brand, therefore we have many touchpoints for our fans.”

The Ferrari museums are an important touchpoint to educate the Ferrari enthusiast. There are also amusement parks meant to provide similar emotions that a Ferrari car would provide and allows Ferrari to explain the brand to fans with a different approach. There are Ferrari Amusement Parks in Barcelona and Abu Dhabi, which includes the fastest rollercoaster in the world. Ferrari selectively teams up with partners that are “best in class” to bring about new experiences in specialty sectors such as these amusement parks. For instance, there is also a new partnership with Lego in Legoland Parks in Denmark, the UK, and in the US in California and Miami, where there are Ferrari experiences within the parks with exhibitions as part of their entertainment attraction.

The retail side of the business is another part of the brand apparent at the Ferrari Museum shops with numerous fashion collection partnerships with selective partners such as Ray Ban, Puma, and others that share similar values These are retail leaders in their designated sectors that work together to capture the Ferrari luxury lifestyle. Overall, the main objective is for visitors at these museums is to take away lasting aspirational “emotions” that will leave them with a part of that Ferrari mission.

In conclusion and according to Michele, for everyone that walks into the museum the goal is simple- it’s to provide exciting emotions. What guided Enzo Ferrari as his legacy was to push the boundaries for the future. The mission was to continue to do better and to maintain its leadership, which Ferrari has achieved time and time again through its values.  Overall, that is why I find Ferrari doesn’t need any explanation. Ferrari is simply true to its “Made in Italy” quality.