Skip advert
Advertisement
Features

The secrets of Enzo Ferrari's Fiorano office

From purple pens to race results in carefully-filed folders, here's our look behind the scenes at Enzo's Fiorano office

I’m not entirely sure the purple pens sitting in a small leather tub on Enzo’s desk are original, but the sentiment is there. You’ll know by now of course that Il Commendatore used to sign his letters with a fountain pen, in violet ink, and Ferrari has kept Enzo’s house at Fiorano much as he left it on his death in August 1988. That includes the pens, or at least facsimiles of them.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Old photos of Enzo tend to depict him in his office, but his house at the Fiorano circuit – where Michael Schumacher later stayed during his testing days – is equally fascinating.

Behind the desk with its purple pens is a tiled wall. Bright yellow. Subtle it is not, but the faded Cavallino on each tile is nothing if not unique. Alongside the desk you’ll find a cabinet, atop which sits a telephone and a small television. To the left is another cabinet, decorated with a crankshaft and exhaust manifold.

Most interesting of all is the bookcase featuring tweed-bound folders, each containing a full list of racing results from every racing season in which Scuderia Ferrari has competed as a constructor – initially in the 12-cylinder, 1.5-litre Tipo 125. The faded script on the very first folder reads ’47 48 49’. 2004’s folder – a year in which Schumacher took 13 victories from 18 rounds – is notably thicker than the others.

The house itself is striking. Numbered 27 – the favoured number of Gilles Villeneuve and since adopted by several other Ferrari drivers – it sits at the head of Piazza Michael Schumacher. The house runs three storeys high and sports a large yellow flag above its front door. The door – and every shutter and window frame – are painted bright red.

Across the courtyard are the company’s original racing garages, now converted to offices but retaining the rustic façade, and an old barn, complete with an enormous Scuderia shield and also converted for modern use. You’ll probably be familiar with Piazza Michael Schumacher – it’s been the backdrop in dozens of TV and magazine car handovers, ahead of inevitable tyre-squealing fun on the Fiorano circuit itself. It’s an oasis of calm.

Amazingly, Enzo’s house can be rented for meetings, conferences and the like – there are of course many more rooms than the preserved office, though most still creak under the weight of Ferrari memorabilia.

There’s no word on whether purple ink is provided but with F1 testing now banned, the neighbours aren't as noisy as they used to be.

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Best Ferraris – evo’s favourite road cars from Maranello
Best Ferraris
Best cars

Best Ferraris – evo’s favourite road cars from Maranello

Ferrari is a brand with more than its fair share of illustrious highlights, so we’ve recapped some of the best Ferrari road cars we’ve driven
12 Nov 2024
Great Ferrari hypercars driven: 288 GTO, F40, F50 and Enzo head-to-head
Ferrari hypercar supertest
Group tests

Great Ferrari hypercars driven: 288 GTO, F40, F50 and Enzo head-to-head

As Ferrari’s new F80 hypercar follows the hybrid path of the LaFerrari, we look back at its iconic forebears from a time when cubic capacity and large…
23 Oct 2024
Legendary Ferrari 288 GTO to get brand new tyres from Pirelli
Ferrari 288 GTO
News

Legendary Ferrari 288 GTO to get brand new tyres from Pirelli

Vintage supercar tyre availability increases again, with new Pirelli P7 Cinturato rubber for the Ferrari 288 GTO
7 Oct 2024
The Ferrari 12Cilindri's 'special on demand' paint costs as much as a Golf GTI
Ferrari 12Cilindri – front
News

The Ferrari 12Cilindri's 'special on demand' paint costs as much as a Golf GTI

Ferrari’s Vanquish-rivalling V12 GT is available to order in the UK, and comes with a £39,624 exterior paint option...
11 Sep 2024
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Best Jaguars – big cats that defined the breed
The best Jaguars
Best cars

Best Jaguars – big cats that defined the breed

As Jaguar stares down the barrel of a polarising new era, it’d do well not to forget some of the brilliance from its past. We list Jag’s modern greats…
6 Dec 2024
BMW M135 xDrive 2025 review – all-wheel drive hot hatch eyes Audi S3
BMW M135
Reviews

BMW M135 xDrive 2025 review – all-wheel drive hot hatch eyes Audi S3

The M135 has lost an ‘i’ and gained chassis revisions and a restyle. Is it enough to make it a benchmark hot hatch?
30 Nov 2024
2024’s best performance cars battle it out – car pictures of the week
evo Car of the Year 2024 lineup
Features

2024’s best performance cars battle it out – car pictures of the week

A little taste of eCoty 2024 to whet the pallet is the subject of this week’s car pictures
8 Dec 2024