Ferrari at 70

Festivities may be drawing to a close, but not before Ferrari’s 70-year heritage exhibition visits London

For Britain-based tifosi, a new exhibition is bringing Ferrari’s 70th anniversary celebrations to the heart of London.

From November 15 to April 15, the Kensington Design Museum will offer an unprecedented insight into the secretive world of the Prancing Horse, showcasing the evolution of Ferrari from its earliest classics to modern hypercars. Moving to London from the Museo Ferrari in Maranello, ‘Ferrari: Under the Skin’ will present a rare glimpse into the life of Enzo, with personal memorabilia and archive material unveiling the story of this enigmatic man.

Race cars will take centre stage, with examples from the Scuderia’s pioneering early days to more recent models. Taking pride of place alongside a Ferrari 500 that Alberto Ascari took to back-to-back F1 world titles will be an F1 2000, raced by Schumacher and Barrichello during one of the team’s most dominant periods. The successful 250 GT Sperimentale will also be on show – a car that contested Le Mans in 1961 – as will Stirling Moss’s 1960 Tourist Trophy-winning 250 SWB.

Technical drawings, engines and wind-tunnel models help trace every stage of the Ferrari production process, while hand-sculpted models present cars that never made it to the road. An original 250 GTO is guaranteed to turn heads, as are the striking F40 and a 275 GTB/4, the most beautiful Ferrari in the eyes of many. ‘Ferrari: Under the Skin’ is a once-in-a-decade event. Entry costs £18 for adults, £9 for children over six and is free for Design Museum members.

https://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/ferrari-under-the-skin 

Dates: November 15 2017-April 15 2018

HOW TO GET THERE

If you haven’t been to the Design Museum in a while, take note: it has moved from Shad Thames. Now located in Kensington, the nearest Overground station is Kensington Olympia while there are several nearby tube stops including Kensington High Street and Holland Park. Alternatively, it’s just a 30-minute walk from Westminster.

ALSO GOING ON

For the more dedicated tifosi, consider a journey to the Museo Ferrari in Maranello. The ‘Infinite Red’ exhibition runs until the end of the year, showcasing F1 and road machinery. Closer to home, next month sees the release of a new film – Ferrari: Race To Immortality, which tells the story of the team’s troubled early years in the 1950s.

DON’T MISS

There will be more than a dozen Ferraris at the show, but don’t miss the 1957 250 GT Cabriolet. An open car with Pininfarina bodywork, it once belonged to Peter Collins. It also represents Ferrari’s move into useable road cars. It was the first Ferrari to have disc brakes, developed by Dunlop, after Collins persuaded Enzo Ferrari to adopt the idea.