17 game changers at the Ferrari museum

Catch them while you can

The Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari is a must-see in Modena, Italy, if you adore the machines from Maranello.

Today it’s a two-part museum, but it was also the birthplace of not only Enzo Ferrari himself, but also the Scuderia Ferrari with which he built his name with Alfa Romeo before striking out alone.

The exhibits at the time of writing are dedicated to Ferrari’s game changers and this runs until mid-February 2024, so if you’ve got some time free between now and then, it’s well worth the trip to Modena.

Here’s a little of what you can expect.

1. 1953 Ferrari 375MM

The 375MM really helped to forge the brand’s pre-eminence in sports-car racing – it won the 1954 World Sportscar Championship, notching up victories at the Le Mans 24 Hours, Silverstone and Carrera Panamericana.

However, the chassis would be inspirational for roadgoing cars, with Roberto Rossellini commissioning a one-off body for Ingrid Bergman, as revealed at the Paris Salon in 1954.

2. 1960 Ferrari 250GT 2+2

The 250GT 2+2 was a major step forward for Ferrari’s roadgoing models.

The brand had built four-seater cars before, but they had only been in small numbers. This was the first proper 2+2.

And it was a big seller for Ferrari. Pininfarina (as it became in 1961) built nearly 1000 of these and they helped fill the firm’s coffers, as well as fund its rapidly growing motorsport programme.

The rear seats aren’t what you’d call spacious, however…

3. 1966 Ferrari 275GTB/4

The 275GTB/4 marked another step change in the development of the marque’s road-car programme.

Ferrari’s British racing driver, Mike Parkes, played a significant role in developing the fore-and-aft double-wishbone suspension, which was a first for a roadgoing Ferrari.

Parkes was an experienced engineer from his Hillman days (he was part of the team that developed the Imp) and helped moved Ferrari roadholding forward.

However, this counted against his motorsport career, because Enzo Ferrari deemed him too useful to the company to risk his life racing.

4. 1957 Ferrari 250GT Cabriolet Pinin Farina Series I

For the Ferrari 250GT Coupé, Boano and Ellena had drawn their inspiration from the Pinin Farina 250-based prototype shown a year earlier, at the 1956 Geneva show.

At the time, Pinin Farina didn’t have production capacity, so handed it over to former Ghia staffer Mario Boano. Production was later passed to his son-in-law, Ezio Ellena. Around 124 were built, including one Cabriolet.

However, there would be a specific Cabriolet released at the Geneva motor show in 1957, this time by Pinin Farina – and this is one of the 36 First Series cars built.

1967 Ferrari 250GT Cabriolet Pinin Farina Series I (cont.)

This Pinin Farina Ferrari has markedly different styling compared to the Boano and Ellena cars, and sits on a 2600mm wheelbase.

Power comes courtesy of a 3-litre V12, mated to a four-speed manual gearbox.

A Series II model was introduced in 1959, of which 200 were built in more close alignment with its roofed siblings.

5. 1976 Ferrari 400 Automatic

This game-changing Ferrari was a response to customer tastes.

Peter Monteverdi, the Prancing Horse’s former man in Switzerland until he and Enzo fell out, revealed that most of his Ferrari customers were older gentlemen and preferred automatic gearboxes.

Eventually, by 1976, the marque saw the opportunity and, with a name change from the 365GT4 2+2 and more power from a 4.8-litre V12 engine, introduced an automatic gearbox.

The THM400 three-speeder came from General Motors and helped the car reach 60mph in 7.1 secs.

6. 1958 Ferrari 250GT Pinin Farina Coupé

This became the largest-volume Ferrari production car the world had yet seen, taking advantage of Pinin Farina’s newly expanded factory in Grugliasco, once the Boano/Ellena contract had finished.

The Ferrari 250GT Pinin Farina Coupé was designed to be simple to build in series production, because this was new territory for both Ferrari and Pinin Farina; 353 were built.

7. 1962 Ferrari 250GT Lusso

Prior to the 250GT Lusso, Ferraris were not known for their refinement. This model changed all that.

It was pitched in the gap between the sporty 250GT SWB and the luxury 250GTE 2+2, and its interior was treated to the full luxury trimmings, a hitherto unseen level of comfort and space inside a Ferrari.

It was in production for 18 months, in which time 351 were built.

1962 Ferrari 250GT Lusso (cont.)

The Ferrari 250GT Lusso was also the final iteration of the 250 line.

It featured a 3-litre Colombo V12 that was good for 236bhp, yet the engine was designed to be refined, too.

Unlike Ferrari’s high-performance models, it used one overhead cam and three dual-barrel carburettors.

8. 1987 Ferrari F40

The instantly recognisable F40 is a true groundbreaker – and not just for Ferrari.

This was the first production road car to breach the 200mph barrier, by 1mph, making it the fastest car in the world at that time.

This dramatic model arguably defined the hypercar as we know it today. Power comes from a 2.9-litre twin-turbocharged V8 that develops 471bhp.

1987 Ferrari F40 (cont.)

The roots of the F40 project lay in the ashes of Ferrari’s Group B programme.

With that motorsport category banned, the plan had been to simply sell the 288GTO Evoluziones to trusted clients, but a test driver managed to convince Enzo Ferrari that it could work as a road car.

It became a fitting legacy to the marque’s founder, as one of the final models Enzo rubber-stamped before his passing in 1988.

This was also the last turbocharged Ferrari until 2014.

9. 1947 Ferrari 125S

Here is another true game-changing Ferrari.

The 125S was the first proper Ferrari to bear Enzo’s name. It wasn’t quite Enzo’s first car, that was the Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, but this was a landmark vehicle with which the self-named company made its competition debut, at the Piacenza race track in May 1947.

Enzo called it a ‘promising failure’, with a fuel-pump problem leading to retirement.

However, over the next four months, this model won six of the 13 races it entered.

1947 Ferrari 125S (cont.)

Just two examples of the 125S were built, and these cars were used as the basis for constant development, thus they would be given new names.

A replica was built for Ferrari by Michelotto. This was a five-year process that involved re-manufacturing the original engine.

Since it was completed in 1990, it’s toured the world as a demonstration of how the Ferrari story began.

10. 1956 Ferrari 250GT Competizione Tour de France

This car is one of the most successful racing Ferraris to hit the track.

It was originally built for Scuderia Ferrari, with, primarily, Belgian Olivier Gendebien behind the wheel, teamed with a range of co-drivers.

It got off to a fantastic start with overall victory on the Giro di Sicilia, followed by third overall and first in class on the Mille Miglia, both in 1957.

Indeed, Gendebien won twice more in this car, before buying it in August ’57.

1956 Ferrari 250GT Competizione Tour de France (cont.)

The winning continued, with top-of-the-podium trips at the Coupe du Salon, Pau 3 Hours, Reims 12 Hours and the Bergpreis Der Schweiz into 1958.

In the years since then it’s been a regular at historic events, with owners in the USA and UK.

It also won Best of Show at the Cavallino Classic Modena in 2023.

11. 1987 Ferrari 408 4RM

Four-wheel drive may have come to Ferrari way past the millennium, but Ferrari developed two prototypes to develop the theory way back in 1987.

Designed by IDEA, the 408 featured a 4-litre V8 that was good for 296bhp.

Ultimately, Ferrari decided against taking the project far because at the time it didn’t fit with its philosophies, plus it was 200kg (441lb) heavier than an equivalent production model.

1987 Ferrari 408 4RM (cont.)

The first prototype, a red car, was built around an all-steel welded chassis in June 1987.

The yellow car you see before you was built much later, and had an aluminum frame bonded with adhesives.

12. 1973 Ferrari 365GT4 BB

Even though the Formula One design preference had been for mid-engined cars for some time, Enzo Ferrari had resisted doing the same with his road cars since the mid-’60s.

It took until 1973 before the boss relented, placing an 180º V12 behind the driver’s head.

The results were very well received by customers and the press alike, and mid-engined cars would act as the flagship two-seater Ferrari series-production models until the 1990s.

13. 1984 Ferrari 288GTO

The birth of Ferrari’s ‘Limited series’ of supercars, the 288GTO drew on motorsport heritage to deliver a true icon of the 1980s.

It wasn’t the first turbocharged Ferrari – that was the 208GTB Turbo, created to get around Italian tax laws.

However, that car set the engineers thinking and this was the result, a halo model to reinvigorate Ferrari’s image and improve sales.

The result was a 2.9-litre twin-turbocharged V8 with 394bhp, in a muscular body that looked like a 308 had been packing steroids.

14. 2005 Ferrari FXX

Ferrari’s take on the track-day-only hypercar was based on the Enzo, but it reset the bar when it came to the breed.

The FXX could be stored where the customer liked, but it could only be driven on official Ferrari track days and only after technicians had given it the once-over.

What did you get? 789bhp from a 6.2-litre V12, and 0-60mph in 2.77 secs and a 214mph top speed.

15. 2011 Ferrari FF

Not only was this Ferrari’s first four-wheel-drive production car, it was a major stylistic change for the company’s 2+2 models.

Gone were the curvy lines of its predecessors and in came the angular breadvan-style vibes of the FF.

Its V12 could catapult you and your passengers to 60mph in around 3.5 secs, and Ferrari claimed it was the world’s fastest four-seat car at the time.

16. 2023 Ferrari Purosangue

Is this arguably the most controversial Ferrari of all time? It’s certainly the brand’s first four-door, four-seat model and most definitely a game changer.

The Ferrari Purosangue is powered by a 6.5-litre V12 that produces 715bhp, marshalled to the road through a four-wheel-drive system and an advanced suspension set-up.

It’s certainly potent, but is it enough to win around the Tifosi?

17. 2003 Ferrari F2003-GA

When we visited Ferrari’s museum, away from the game-changers exhibit, there’s plenty to see in the place of Enzo’s birth.

How about this? A V12-powered F1 car driven by Rubens Barrichello and Michael Schumacher.

Enzo’s office

One of the most poignant parts of the experience is seeing a recreation of Enzo Ferrari’s office.

It provides an insight into the man’s character and also a chance to reflect on the untimely death of his son, Dino.

Fancy going?

Have we whet your appetite? The Game Changers exhibition runs until 15 February 2024.

Entry to the museum costs €22 (adults), while for those aged 5-18 it costs €9 to get in – children younger than that go for free.

Find out more here.