I have been in contact with Christopher who has created a reproduction of the Ferrari 400 rear bumper. It should fit on all series: 365GT4 2+2, 400, 400i and 412 since they are identical.
He is based in France and is offering the first build for only € 800,- to the person who is willing to try it out. Christopher sold his 400 some while ago and there is no one near who can have it double checked.
He is a professional and has created various items for other car brands. If the try out works out good, and I don't see why not, the next ones produced will cost around € 1.450,-
You can contact him via Facebook / messenger, see this link on Facebook:
As I mentioned in that blog; I can't believe I never had this further worked out. The article provided in that blog did mention the following:
"The car, owned and driven by Enzo Ferrari, had been sold to Antonio Giacobazzi who willingly lent it to Villeneuve"
But as pointed out, that car is equipped with a manual gearbox while the personal chauffer of Enzo clearly stated he owned a Ferrari 400 Automatic. And I trust that source more than anyone else.
Was the car really owned by Enzo himself and sold to Giacobazzi? I first had to retrieve the VIN of this car. Somehow luck was on my side and I was able to obtain more details on this car:
So yes, the car is really a manual 400 GT. I reached out to Mr Massini who kindly provided the following details:
20767 is the 10th of a total of 149 units built
Original exterior color: Azzurro Hyperion.
Original interior color: Leather Connolly Blu VM 3282.
26 January 1977 factory completion date.
Delivered new to official dealer Motor S.a.s. di Carla
Allegretti e C., located in Rome, Italy.
So it's a very early 400 and effectively a one-family owner car - how cool is that. VIN 20767 has always been owned by Giacobazzi, confirmed by the Italian
registration authorities. So its very unlikely this was Enzo's personal car or owned by him.
It's still unclear why it does have the 400 Automatic badge on the rear panel. It is also strange why it has been delivered to a dealer in Rome since Giacobazzi is Modena based. The same dealer was also located nearby in Bologna, so perhaps it took a different paper route nevertheless. It was a well-known dealer in the 1970s, Motor S.a.S had
branches in both Bologna and Rome, but they are last mentioned in
1978, the same year in which SAMOCAR is first recorded. So it certainly looks
like SAMOCAR took over the Ferrari franchise in Rome in 1978 from Motor S.a.s.
Meanwhile also this magazine article from 2015 came to my attention:
So it was very easy to have this translated via Google. Below you will find both the Italian and there under the English version:
-GLI UOMINI DI FIDUCIA DEL DRAKE-
Dino Tagliazucchi, Autista del Drake dal 1°Febbraio 1969 al 14 Agosto 1988...
Esistono ancora luoghi dove la macchina del tempo sgomma via velocissima.Come su questa strada di via Abetone a Maranello dove riemerge dalla memoria un mondo che non c'è più.Il mondo dell'Ingegnere,del Commendatore,del cavaliere e del ragioniere.
Il mondo di Enzo Ferrari e anche quello di Dino Tagliazucchi che del Drake è stato autista per quasi 20 anni: dal 1 febbraio 1969 al 14 agosto 1988. "Non ho nessun segreto da svelare" gioca d'anticipo Dino. Chi lo conosce aveva avvertito: "E' una persona abbastanza riservata,uno che certe cose le ha sempre tenute per se.Non ha mai fatto lo sborone nei bar della zona".Ha compiuto 73 anni da poco:sembra un figurino.Eccolo li impettito come ai vecchi tempi.Fissa e squadra con gli occhi vispissimi.Ci mette un po a parlare.
Poi inizia e non la smette più regalando ai lettori di Autosprint una grandissima lente d'ingrandimento sui dettagli di una vita trascorsa a fianco di uno dei personaggi più grandi della storia,non solo automobilistica.Innestiamo una gigantesca retromarcia.Torniamo nel secolo scorso.Racconta Tagliazucchi: "Sono entrato alla Ferrari nel 1966 con l'incarico di meccanico generico: mi occupavo di realizzare la 275 Gtb berlinetta e la 330 Gtc,montando i collettori,facendo lo spurgo dei freni e frizione.Si lavorava duro: la catena di montaggio proseguiva per poco meno di tre ore e,se rispettavamo la tempistica,potevamo goderci dieci minuti di libertà. Poi,dopo due anni di catena,nel 1968,improvvisamente,arriva da me Enzo Zironi dell'ufficio personale: mi informa che Peppino Verdelli,allora autista di Ferrari,stava poco bene e il grande Drake stava cercando un giovane sposato che non fumasse e non avesse vizi. Iniziai a tremare e a sudare freddo. Quando mi condussero nell'ufficio di Ferrari ero incandescente,avevo le guance rosse,la tuta da meccanico e le dita ancora unte di grasso.Il Drake mi mise subito a mio agio e da allora iniziò un insieme di grandi avventure.Quando sono diventato l'autista di Ferrari avevo 26 anni. All'inizio non si andava mai a letto prima delle 2 di notte. L'ingegnere era uno che amava intrattenersi fuori. A me andava bene anche perchè il mio stipendio era raddoppiato: con tutti quegli straordinari... Ero papà di due bambini: uno di 4 anni, l'altro appena nato. Iniziava la mia missione". La missione di Dino,uno che con quel nome non poteva certo restare indifferente a Enzo Ferrari.
Estate 1970. Solo un anno prima è stato aperto un lungo tratto autostradale da Bologna fino ad Ancona.Enzo Ferrari stà tornando da Viserba,riviera romagnola.Sorride il Sig Dino e ricorda."Quella volta avevamo una Ferrari 365 Gt,guidave l'Ingegnere. La mendia 220km/h. Lo rivedo ancora con la camicia bianca,le maniche arrotolate che si gratta un braccio e serpeggia in mezzo alle vetture. Destra o sinistra: Lui passava in tutti i modi se qualcuno aveva l'ardire di non dargli strada. Una grande soddisfazione averlo visto guidare.Davvero.Era braviossimo.Proprio per questo quando fui nominato suo autista ero molto preoccupato.Sarei stato capace di guidare una vettura con al mio fianco Enzo Ferrari? Sarei stato soprattutto all'altezza? Lui era un autentico manico.Vuole che le dica una cosa? Nei miei 20 anni al suo fianco non ho mai ricevuto un appunto. La vettura che ha fatto divertire di più Ferreari,quando ancora guidava,non ci crederete ma è stata l'A112 Abarth. Rammento la volta in cui l'Ingegnere al volante aveva al suo fianco la moglie,io ero sul sedile posteriore assieme al cane.Eravamo a Sestola,la strada sembrava una serpentina.Io e il cane venivamo sballottati da una parte all'altra. Era divertente. Rimase affascinato da quella specie di scatoletta con le ruote". Poi però il Drake smise di guidare.Spiega Tagliazucchi. "Era il 1° di Novembre del 1971, andavamo al cimitero. Ferrari era al volante di una Fiat 125. Nevicava. Come si dice: abbracciammo un palo della luce.Sbattando contro il cambio,l'ingegnere si fece male ad un ginocchio. Nella primavera del 1972 mi cedette definitivamente il volante".
Certo deve fare uno strano effetto essere l'autista di un mito dell'automobile. Roba da palpitazioni,cose da stare sveglio la notte. sottolinea strascicando un musicalismo Modenese,Dino: "la prima volta che ho guidato per lui mi sono tremate le gambe da Bologna fino a largo Garibaldi,Modena,dove abitava l'Ingegnere: mi sembrava quasi di non saper più guidare. Ma lui invece non mi ha mai detto niente, ho ricevuto molte più critiche da mia moglie che da lui. Per me è stata una persona eccezzionale,un secondo padre. Anzi quello che ho fatto per lui non l'ho fatto per mio padre. L'imperativo categorico era quello di guidare in maniera pulita. A volte, al sabato, dopo un bel pranzo magari quassù nelle nostre montagne, Ferrari si divertiva a lanciare delle sfide e fare le gare con alcuni dei suoi commensali a chi andava più veloce. Abbiamom sempre vinto noi. Nessuno riusciva a starci dietro: le nostre macchine erano molto truccate. Quale doveva essere il mio passo? solo uno: stare davanti a chi ci precedeva. Rammento ancora quanto tempo impiegava con la Fiat 130 coupè da Modena sud a Sasso Marconi: 11-12 minuti. E sa perchè ricordo quel tempo? Perchè a Ferrari piaceva cronometrarmi".
La scena più bella era senza dubbio ai semafori."Noi ci affiancavamo sempre: se vedeva scattare una vettura prima della sua non lo digeriva - ride di gusto tagliazucchi- Voleva che le macchine avessero tanta ripresa:non c'erano storie lui godeva a stare sempre davanti agli altri anche sulle strade di tutti i giorni. Ed è per questo che le auto che utilizzavamo erano sempre abbastanza modificate rispetto all'esperienza della casa madre. Ogni volta che saliva su una nuova vettura,iniziava a elencare pregi e difetti. Soprattutto faceva delle pronte relazioni che inviava puntualmente alla Fiat a torino quando riteneva che ci fossero delle pecche. E' chiaro che guidavo anche auto non italiane. Ferrari era in ottimi rapporti con Pininfarina il quale disegnava le Peugeot poi,nel modenese, Martino Severi della concessionaria Peugeot Interauto gliele consegnava. Penso alla 404 e alla 405 della Casa francese: ne abbiamo avute tre. e poi la Renault 18 Turbo: quando uscii questa motorizzazione lui volle subito scoprire l'innovazione. Però si puo dire che era ferma e ai semafori prendevamo la paga visto il ritardo nell'erogazione della potenza. Una volta provammo anche una Mercedes 3500cc: dovevamo andare a Bologna. Arrivati poco prima del casello autostradale di Modena sud, mi disse: "riportami indietro che questo barcone qua non lo voglio". A lui piacevano le macchine ben assettate. In inverno soprattutto con la neve preferiva una trazione anteriore: ad esempio la Mini Cooper che gli aveva regalato Issigonis, il padre della Mini. Poi aveve una Ferrari 365 Gt che però usava perlopiu come auto di rappresentanza. Il grigio e l'azzurrino erano i suoi colori preferiti.
L'Ingegnere parlava spesso in dialetto col suo autista e a volte si lasciava anche andare a qualche piccola confidenza. Magari sui piloti. "Ho ancora in mente quando lo accompagnai a Parma a casa del suo amico Pietro Barilla a fare il contratto con Jody Scheckter. Si adagiò sul seggiolino,chiuse la portiera e mi disse: " Non mi è costato poco: 780 milioni di lire( erano tanti soldi all'epoca), spero almeno che mi vinca il campionato del mondo". Così fu. In quel periodo nel suo cuore c'era soprattutto Gilles Villeneuve. L'ingaggio del canadese fu una specie di lotteria: Ferrari l'aveva visto debuttare in F1 a Silverstone con la terza McLaren ed era rimasto affascinato. Scommise su questo ragazzo che tra l'altro come ingaggio costava anche poco. Gilles si presentò a Ferrari con uno zainetto dietro alle spalle: poco piu che ragazzino. Firmarono il contratto in via Trento e Trieste. Alla tv il Drake rimaneva affascinato dalle imprese di villeneuve. Il giorno che il Canadese morì a Zolder,ero a fianco dell'Ingegnere in pista a Fiorano. pioveva a dirotto. Ricevette una telefonata. Lo accompagnai con l'ombrello in ufficio, gli allungai la cornetta del telefono: si mise a piangere come un bambino. mi disse: non vorrò mai piu bene a un pilota. Secondo me ha voluto bene anche a Niki Lauda; rimase molto male Ferrari quando l'Austriaco andò via. Quando a Silverstone l'aveva visto per la prima volta in azione con la Brm compagno di squadra di Beltoise e Regazzoni, chiese subito informazionio a Clay: voleva sapere tutto su chi fosse questo Lauda. Pioveva e lui disse " mi hanno impressionato le partrenze di quel ragazzo". Lo volle a tutti i costi. Con Reutemann e Arnoux, viceversa,i rapporti furono più difficili. di fronte a uno Schumacher, un Alonso, un Vettel, quale sarebbe stato l'atteggiamento di Ferrari? Secondo me , a lui sarebbero piaciuti un sacco. A Enzo Ferrari piaceva come piolota Ronnie Peterson ma non l'ha mai potuto prendere a suo servizio. Il giorno che morì a Monza il Drake era a letto ammalato. E poi ricordo il giorno maledetto in cui perse la vita Giunti in Argentiona nel 1971. Ferrari prese la valigetta 24 ore che aveva in mano e la scagliò fino in fondo al corridoio, urlando frasi irripetibili".
Quando ne aveva voglia Enzo Ferrari in macchina era un gran commentatore,sempre pronto a regalare battute simpatiche. Molte altre volte se ne stava in silenzio. Ma erano più i commenti dei silenzi. "Gli piacevano donne e motori - racconta Dino- Quando venne fuori la moda della minigonna si divertiva a guardarsi in giro e commentava l'autentica rivoluzione dell'epoca. Comunque sia, Enzo Ferrari per prima e unica cosa ha sempre avuto il lavoro. Ha sempre guardato al futuro. Era sempre ansioso di scovare delle macchine con delle novità. Diceva che le corse servivano per lo sviluppo delle vetture di tutti i giorni. L'ultima vettura usata dal Drake lungo la strada che da maranello porta a Fiorano è stata la Thema Ferrari. Quel giorno il Drake avrebbe dovuto incontrare papa Wojtyla,ma l'Ingegnere stava male e quindi quello storico incontro non si potè fare.
Quel giorno nella tarda primavera del 1988,il Papa visitò gli impianti di Fiorano. fece anche un giro di pista,a bordo di una Ferrari che aveva al volante Piero,il figlio del fondatore del Cavallino. Quella immagine fece il giro del mondo,mentre rimase circoscritta a pochi intimi la conversazione telefonica che il Drake ebbe con il successore di pietro. fu un dialogo emozionante: Ferrari non era lontano dalla morte e fino all'ultimo aveva cercato di mettersi in piedi per incontrare personalmente l'uomo vestito di bianco. Non ci riuscì e se ne crucciò moltissimo.
Ma come si svolgeva la vita al fianco del Commendatore? Puntualizza Tagliazucchi: " La giornata iniziava presto alle 8 meno 20 dovevo raggiungere la sua abitazione, in largo Garibaldi,11,a Modena. Gli portavo i giornali,una dozzina,poi entravo in casa,lo aiutavo a vestirsi, gli preparavo il caffè d'orzo e poco dopo le 9 eravamo pronti per andare da Antonio, il barbiere di corso Canalgrande. Poi la consueta visita al figlio Dino al cimitero. Mi capitava di sentirlo parlare di suo figlio al mattino, quando si vestiva. Per il resto era un uomo silenzioso e concentrato sul lavoro, che era la sua unica e grande passione. tutte le mattine lo accompagnavo al cimitero,anche la domenica e il giorno di Ferragosto. Dopo la tappa al cimitero seguiva l'arrivo in viale Trento Trieste, dove si trova l'assistenza clienti Ferrari, per poi raggiungere Maranello soltanto in tarda mattinata,per rimanervi fino alle 19.30. Pioggia,sole,neve,o tempesta. Il giro era sempre quello anche a Natale e in tutte le altre feste comandate. Ferie non ne ha mai fatte. Io nel mio periodo passato con lui ho fatto solo una settimana di pausa nel 1969 a Luglio e poi nente fino al 1988. E poi c'era il rito del barbiere anche alla domenica quando veniva a casa a fargliela. Lui non è mai stato neanche una settimana senza farsi la barba dal barbiere. E quando chiudeva il negozio di Modena ci trasferivamo a Maranello".Per ingannare il tempo in attesa dell'ingegnere, Dino a volte giocava a carte,tante altre restava in macchina. Doveva essere sempre a disposizione. " Quando l'Ingegnere mi chiamava anche di notte -chiarisce l'ex autista- Il mio era il clasico impegno 0-24. A volte ho dormito sulla poltrona vicino al suo letto.A volte ho pure cucinato. Pasta proteica e un sughetto di pomodoro con il basilico. Tutto abbastanza semplice. Tante volte partivamo da Bologna,anche a mezzanotte,e diceva: " Dino,passiamo da Maranello perchè ho i meccanici che stanno finendo una vettura che domattina va alle prove,passiamo a vedere in che condizione è la macchina".E infatti veniva qua a Maranello,chiamava il gestore del ristorante vicino e faceva portare una bottiglia di lambrusco e del salame per i meccanici, così lavoravano fino al mattino. Questo era Ferrari. Amava sempre tornare a casa, dormire nel suo letto. D'estate andavamo a Viserba al mare poche ore: alle due del pomeriggio della domenica ripartivamo subito un pò per evitare il traffico,un pò perchè dovevamo fare il giro al cimitero. Ferrari in quelle ore stava all'ombra nella sua villetta a leggere i giornali non è mai andato neanche a una volta sulla spiaggia. leggeva fino a dodici quotidiani al giorno".
Si accende un sorriso sulla faccia di Dino quando parla del rapporto tra Ferrairi e i giornalisti. E spiega: " quando leggeva qualche cosa che non gradiva chiamava subito il cronista che aveva scritto certe cose. Poi si confrontava. Aveva uu rapporto speciale con Marcello Sabbaatini, il direttore di autosprint, un professionista che non ha mai tirato fuori i segreti dell'Ingegnere; Che non ha mai voluto fare qualche scoop con la vita privata del Drake. E guardate che visti i suoi rapporti con Ferrari di cose Sabbatini,ne sapeva davvero tante. Ma non ha mai rivelato nulla di sconveniente. Marcello non ha mai diffuso le cose private del personaggio pubblico Ferrari. L'ex direttore di As era sicuramente tra i preferiti di Enzo Ferrari. A Sabbatini Enzo Ferrari faceva molte confidenze ma rimanevano tali. Tanto di cappello. Anche Pino Allievi dellla Gazzetta dello Sport era di quella pasta. All'Ingegnere poi piaceva pure ascoltare le storie di donne raccontate dall'allora inviato del Resto del Carlino,Ezio Pirezzini: erano veramente uno spasso".
Ma come era Enzo Ferrari nei Week end di gara? Come si comportava quando alla televisione vedeva le sue Rosse ai Gran premi? Quanti uomini possono vantare un privilegio del genere? Pensateci solo un attimo: deve essere stata un'esperienza entusiasmante vivere quei momenti assieme al Commendatore. Già, un'esperienza entusiasmante ma da consumare nel più assoluto silenzio. Torna a quei giorni Dino Tagliazucchi. "Per tanti sabati e tante domeniche l'ingegnere si ritrovava a seguire le corse col " carrozzaio" Scaglietti,il fido Gozzi,il ragionier Benzi. Quando si guardavano i GP con l'ingegnere la bocca doveva rimanere chiusa fino a quando non finiva la gara: sia che la macchina andasse bene o che andasse male. Lui non commentava le immagini e si infastidiva se qualcuno in quel momento lo faceva. Bisognava stare zitti: altrimenti ti sbatteva fuori. In caso di vittoria alla fine faceva i complimenti,quando le Rosse perdevano si arrabbiava. Schizzavamo tutti fuori dalla sua stanza appena sentivamo lo squillo che annunciava la telefonata del tecnico immediatamente dopo la fine del GP. Si Arrabbiava così tanto che era difficile stargli intorno".
" Il Drake amava di più le trattorie,i cosiddetti posti da camionisti,che i ristoranti di lusso. Nei dintorni di Modena si faceva portare al Cavallino,alla Baia del Re,a Cogniento e poi dalla Muzzarelli su a Montagnana. Gli piaceva andare anche a Mongardino,vicino Bologna,dove c'era un posto in cui si mangiava bene. Frequentavamo il Pedretti di Casalecchio e lo Chalet delle Rose a Sasso Marconi.Per lui la pausa pranzo o cena era qualcosa di importante: non dimentichiamo che l'ingegnere i più bei contratti li ha spesso firmati a tavola. Lo diceva sempre. Un giorno lo accompagnai in un ristorante di gran lusso di cui ovviamente non faccio il nome. Camerieri in livrea,sottopiatti d'argento,una composizione infinita di posate. Solo clientela selezionata.Quando l'ingegnere finì il pranzo e risalì in macchina mi disse: "Qui non ci metterò mai piu piede:ci sono delle porzioni così scarse che ho ancora una gran fame". Adorava i tortelloni o al burro o al ragù. Amava la buona cucina ma dopo una lunga cura di cortisone ebbe un problema ai reni e quindi dovette iniziare a controllarsi nel mangiare. Facevamo le analisi delle urine tutte le mattine e al sabato arrivavano gli esami del sangue: se la zootemia si era alzata sopra i livelli di guardia si limitava anche nel fine settimana con il cibo. Quando era tutto nella norma almeno per una volta alla settimana mangiava con maggiore libertà.Quella dieta e quel nuovo modo di vivere( che gli erano stati consigliati dal professor Coppo che l'aveva curato per un mese a Villa Laura una clinica di Modena) veniva seguito rigorosamente dall'ingegnere. Si comportò da uomo che amava la vita. Così più che nei ristoranti i pasti venivano consumati direttamente in pista". A Fiorano c'era una cucina,una sala da pranzo e soprattutto un'ottima cuoca. Proprio la signora Aldegonda Bertani tempo fa ha raccontato: "Ferrari aveva un vero amore per la cucina Modenese,ma senza un piatto preferito. L'unica specialità della quale era veramente geloso era lo gnocco fritto che mangiava col prosciutto".
Via Abetone Inferiore,Maranello. Poco oltre l'entrata del vecchio stabilimento del Cavallino, c'è l'officina Toni,vera sancta santorum per gli appassionati delle auto che fanno ancora battere il cuore. E' qui che oltre a Dino Tagliazucchi facciamo un altro incontro d'altri tempi. Parcheggiata nel piazzale ecco una fiat ritmo molto particolare,una di quelle che ai semafori,non ce n'era per nessuno. Racconta l'ex autista mentre torna a sedersi nel vecchio abitacolo e stringe il volante tra le mani: "Questa vettura fu regalata al Commendatore per i suoi 88 anni. Gli venne consegnata il 18 febbraio del 1986 dal cavalier Bottoni e dal cavaliere Navone che era stato anche il navigatore di Biondetti alla Mille Miglia del 1948: era stato inoltre collaudatore alla Ferrari negli Anni 40. La vettura era stata immatricolata come prototipo,unico esemplare. Aveva un motore Lancia 2000 di cilindrata, erano stati sostituiti cambio, freni e sospensionio. Questa è stata una vettura che Enzo Ferrari ha gradito molto: la riteneva un giocattolo,anche lui ci ha fatto dei giri in pista. Dal libretto di circolazione si legge che è stata presa in carico dalla Ferrari Auto Spa nel 1985, 9 aprile. Inizialmente la vettura era targata TOY48401 dopo MO647739. Enzo Ferrari non ha mai avuto una vettura intestata a suo nome. C'era anche un'altra particolarità. L'ingegnere da un certo punto della sua vita in poi preferì avere vetture a cinque porte perchè c'era da caricare spesso la sua guardia del corpo che in caso di emergenza avrebbe avuto la possibilià di uscire immediatamente dall'auto. Una volta gli regalarono una Uno Turbo tre porte, gli piacque così tanto che la volle modificare in cinque porte. Quando c'erano delgli scioperi non usavamo mai una Ferrari o altri macchinoni,usavamo sempre vetture di piccola cilindrata: non ci teneva a farsi vedere. Gli piacevano le auto piccole e scattanti e non voleva mai dare nell'occhio. Sulla Thema Ferrari,ad esempio,non abbiamo mai alzato l'alettone posteriore. non amava mettersi in mostra".
"L'insegnamento che mi ha lasciato il Drake? la cultura del risparmio in tutto. Era in quel modo che sio facevano le aziende - conclude Tagliazucchi- Una volta nel maggio del 1988 l'avevo accompagnato in ufficio: "Dino,ci sono tutte le luci accese nel corridoio, fammi un piacere spegnile". Se tagliavo due fette di prosciutto in più mi guardava e mi diceva "la prossima volta tagliane due in meno,che sono rimaste". Il giorno del suo funerale nel Ferragosto del 1988 a San Cataldo nel cimitero di Modena eravamo presenti in pochi. Oltre a Piero e alla sua famiglia, il ragionier benzi,il suo amministratore personale,Scaglietti,Gozzi,la guardia del corpo Valentini,i vecchi capomeccanici Bellentani e Borsari,l'ingegner Forghieri. Fu fatto in gran segreto con alcuni depistaggi:la sua volontà era quella di non voler confusione. Dopo la morte dell'ingegnere ho fatto la guardia giurata in pista nella garitta,poi me ne sono andato in pensione e mi sono goduto gli anni che avevo perso con la mia famiglia per la mia missione. E devo dire la verità: per un personaggio come Enzo Ferrari lo rifarei ancora".
di Andrea Cordovani
TRANSLATED ENGLISH VERSION
-DRAKE'S TRUSTED MEN-
Dino Tagliazucci, Driver of the Drake from 1 February 1969 to 14 August 1988...
There are still places where the time machine speeds away very quickly. Like on this road in Via Abetone in Maranello where a world that no longer exists reemerges from memory. The world of the Engineer, the Commander, the knight and the accountant.
The world of Enzo Ferrari and also that of Dino Tagliazucchi who was the Drake's driver for almost 20 years: from 1 February 1969 to 14 August 1988. "I have no secrets to reveal" Dino anticipates. Those who know him had warned: "He's a fairly reserved person, someone who has always kept certain things to himself. He's never shown off in the bars in the area." He recently turned 73: he looks like a fashion model. Here he is strutting like in the old days. He stares and looks at you with very bright eyes. He takes a while to speak.
Then it starts and never stops, giving Autosprint readers a huge magnifying glass on the details of a life spent alongside one of the greatest characters in history, not just automotive history. Let's engage a gigantic reverse gear. Let's go back to the last century. He tells the story Tagliazucchi: "I joined Ferrari in 1966 with the role of general mechanic: I was responsible for building the 275 Gtb berlinetta and the 330 Gtc, assembling the manifolds, bleeding the brakes and clutch. We worked hard: the assembly line it continued for just under three hours and, if we respected the timing, we could enjoy ten minutes of freedom. Then, after two years of chain, in 1968, suddenly, Enzo Zironi from the personnel office came to me: he informed me that Peppino Verdelli, then a Ferrari driver, he was unwell and the great Drake was looking for a young married man who didn't smoke and had no vices. I started shaking and breaking into a cold sweat. When they took me to Ferrari's office I was glowing, my overalls were red as a mechanic and my fingers were still greasy with grease. The Drake immediately put me at ease and from then on a series of great adventures began. When I became the driver of Ferrari I was 26 years old. At first he never went to bed before 2 am. The engineer was someone who loved to entertain himself outside. It was fine with me also because my salary had doubled: with all that overtime... I was the father of two children: one 4 years old, the other just born. My mission began". The mission of Dino, someone who with that name certainly could not remain indifferent to Enzo Ferrari.
Summer 1970. Only a year earlier a long stretch of motorway from Bologna to Ancona was opened. Enzo Ferrari is returning from Viserba, the Romagna Riviera. Mr Dino smiles and remembers. "That time we had a Ferrari 365 Gt, the engineer was driving I see the man at 220km/h again with his white shirt, his sleeves rolled up, scratching his arm and weaving between the cars It was a great satisfaction to see him drive. He was very good. Precisely for this reason, when I was appointed his driver, I was very worried. Would I have been able to drive a car with Enzo Ferrari at my side? Would I have been up to the task? handle.Do you want me to tell you something? In my 20 years at your side I have never received a note. The car that entertained Ferreari the most, when he was still driving, you won't believe it but it was the A112 Abarth time when the Engineer at the wheel had his wife at his side, I was in the back seat with the dog. We were in Sestola, the road seemed like a serpentine. The dog and I were tossed from side to side. It was fun. He was fascinated by that sort of little box with wheels. "But then the Drake stopped driving. Tagliazucchi explains." It was November 1st 1971, we were going to the cemetery. Ferrari was at the wheel of a Fiat 125. He was snowing. As they say: we hugged a light pole. Hitting the gearbox, the engineer hurt his knee. In the spring of 1972 he finally handed over the wheel to me."
Of course, being the driver of a car legend must have a strange effect. He stuff to palpitations, things to stay up at night. Dino underlines, drawling a Modenese musicalism: "the first time I drove for him my legs trembled from Bologna to Largo Garibaldi, Modena, where the Engineer lived: I almost felt like I no longer knew how to drive. But he didn't he never said anything to me, I received much more criticism from my wife than from him. For me he was an exceptional person, a second father. In fact, what I did for him I didn't do for my father was to drive cleanly. Sometimes, on Saturdays, after a nice lunch perhaps up here in our mountains, Ferrari enjoyed throwing challenges and competing with some of his table companions to see who went the fastest. We always won we. Nobody could keep up with us: our cars were very souped up. What was my step supposed to be? just one: staying ahead of those in front of us. I still remember how long it took with the Fiat 130 coupé from Modena south to Sasso Marconi: 11-12 minutes. And do you know why I remember that time? Because Ferrari liked to time me."
The most beautiful scene was undoubtedly at the traffic lights. "We always went side by side: if he saw a car go ahead of his he couldn't stomach it - Tagliazucchi laughs heartily - He wanted the cars to have a lot of recovery: there were no fuss, he enjoyed being there. always ahead of others even on everyday roads. And this is why the cars we used were always quite modified compared to the experience of the parent company. Every time he got into a new car, he started listing its pros and cons he made ready reports which he promptly sent to Fiat in Turin when he thought there were flaws. It is clear that I also drove non-Italian cars. Ferrari was on excellent terms with Pininfarina who designed the Peugeots and then, in the Modena area, Martino Severi of the dealership. Peugeot Interauto delivered them to him. I'm thinking of the 404 and the 405 from the French company: we had three of them then: when this engine came out he immediately wanted to discover the innovation. But we can say that it was stopped and we were getting paid at the traffic lights due to the delay in the delivery of power. Once we also tried a Mercedes 3500cc: we had to go to Bologna. When we arrived just before the Modena Sud motorway toll booth, he said to me: "take me back, I don't want this boat here". He liked well-trimmed cars. In winter, especially with snow, he preferred front-wheel drive: for example the Mini Cooper that Issigonis, the father of the Mini, had given him. Then he had a Ferrari 365 GT which he mostly used as a representative car. Gray and light blue were his favorite colors.
The Engineer often spoke in dialect with his driver and sometimes even indulged in a few small conversations. Maybe about the pilots. "I still remember when I accompanied him to his friend Pietro Barilla's house in Parma to sign the contract with Jody Scheckter. He sat down in his seat, closed the door and told me: "It didn't cost me little: 780 million lire (they were a lot of money at the time), I hope at least that he wins the world championship". So it was. In that period, Gilles Villeneuve was above all in his heart. The Canadian's hiring was a kind of lottery: Ferrari had seen him debut in F1 at Silverstone with the third McLaren and he was fascinated. He bet on this boy who, among other things, also cost little as a salary. Gilles showed up at Ferrari with a backpack behind him: little more than a boy. They signed the contract via Trento and Trieste. On TV Drake was fascinated by Villeneuve's exploits. The day the Canadian died in Zolder, I accompanied him on the track in Fiorano. I received a phone call in the office, I handed him the telephone receiver: he started crying like a child. he told me: I will never love a pilot again. In my opinion he also loved Niki Lauda; Ferrari was very upset when the Austrian left. When he saw him in action for the first time at Silverstone with the Brm teammate of Beltoise and Regazzoni, he immediately asked Clay for information: he wanted to know everything about who this Lauda was. It was raining and he said "I was impressed by that boy's starts". He wanted it at all costs. With Reutemann and Arnoux, on the other hand, relations were more difficult. faced with a Schumacher, an Alonso, a Vettel, what would Ferrari's attitude have been? In my opinion, he would have liked them a lot. Enzo Ferrari liked Ronnie Peterson as a driver but he was never able to take him into his service. The day he died in Monza Drake was sick in bed. And then I remember the cursed day when Giunti in Argentiona lost his life in 1971. Ferrari took the 24-hour briefcase he had in his hand and threw it to the end of the corridor, shouting unrepeatable phrases."
When he felt like it, Enzo Ferrari was a great commentator in the car, always ready to offer funny jokes. Many other times he remained silent. But they were more comments than silences. "He liked women and engines - says Dino - When the miniskirt trend came out he enjoyed looking around and commented on the authentic revolution of the time. Whatever the case, Enzo Ferrari always had work first and only. always looked to the future. He was always eager to find cars with innovations. He said that racing was for the development of everyday cars. The last car used by Drake along the road from Maranello to Fiorano was the Theme Ferrari. That day no, the Drake should have met Pope Wojtyla, but the Engineer was ill and therefore that historic meeting could not take place.
That day in the late spring of 1988, the Pope visited the Fiorano plants. he also took a lap of the track, aboard a Ferrari with Piero, the son of the founder of the Cavallino, at the wheel. That image went around the world, while the telephone conversation that Drake had with Pietro's successor remained limited to a few close friends. it was an emotional dialogue: Ferrari was not far from death and until the end he had tried to stand up to personally meet the man dressed in white. He didn't succeed and he was very upset about it.
But what was life like alongside the Commendatore? Tagliazucchi points out: "The day started early at 8 to 8, I had to reach his house, in Largo Garibaldi, 11, in Modena. I brought him the newspapers, a dozen, then I went into the house, I helped him get dressed, I made him coffee. barley and shortly after 9 we were ready to go to Antonio, the barber on Corso Canalgrande. Then the usual visit to his son Dino at the cemetery. I happened to hear him talking about his son in the morning, when he was getting dressed silent man and focused on work, which was his only and great passion. Every morning I accompanied him to the cemetery, even on Sundays and on August 15th. After the stop at the cemetery, he arrived in Viale Trento Trieste, where he is located Ferrari customer support, and then only reached Maranello in the late morning, to stay there until 7.30pm. Rain, sun, snow or storm, it was always the same even at Christmas and on all other holidays never done. In my time spent with him I only took a week's break in July 1969 and then nothing until 1988. And then there was the ritual of the barber even on Sundays when he came to the house to do it for him. He has never gone even a week without having a shave at the barber. And when the Modena shop closed we moved to Maranello. To pass the time while waiting for the engineer, Dino sometimes played cards, many others he stayed in the car. He always had to be available. "When the engineer also called me at night - clarifies the former driver - Mine was the classic 0-24 commitment. Sometimes I slept in the armchair next to his bed. Sometimes I even cooked. Protein pasta and a tomato sauce with basil. All quite simple. Many times we would leave Bologna, even at midnight, and he would say: "Dino, let's go through Maranello because I have the mechanics who are finishing a car that goes to tests tomorrow morning, let's go and see what condition the car is in". And in fact he would come here to Maranello, he called the manager of the nearby restaurant and had a bottle of Lambrusco and some salami brought for the mechanics, so they worked until the morning. This was Ferrari. He always loved coming home, sleeping in his bed. In the summer we went to Viserba by the sea for a few hours: at two in the afternoon on Sunday we left immediately partly to avoid the traffic, partly because we had to go around the cemetery. During those hours, Ferrari was in the shade in his villa reading the newspapers and never even went to the beach once. He read up to twelve newspapers a day."
A smile lights up on Dino's face when he talks about the relationship between Ferrairi and the journalists. And he explains: "when he read something he didn't like he immediately called the reporter who had written certain things. Then he discussed it. He had a special relationship with Marcello Sabbaatini, the director of autosprint, a professional who never revealed the secrets of Engineer; Who never wanted to make any scoop on Drake's private life. And look, given his relationship with Ferrari, he really knew a lot private things of the public figure Ferrari. The former director of As was certainly among Enzo Ferrari's favourites. Enzo Ferrari made many confidences to Sabbatini but they remained so, too The engineer also liked listening to the women's stories told by the then Resto del Carlino correspondent, Ezio Pirezzini: they were truly fun."
But what was Enzo Ferrari like during race weekends? How did he behave when he saw his red cars at the Grand Prix on television? How many men can boast such a privilege? Just think about it for a moment: it must have been an exciting experience to live those moments together with the Commendatore. Yes, an exciting experience but to be consumed in absolute silence. Dino Tagliazucchi goes back to those days. "For many Saturdays and Sundays the engineer found himself following the races with the "bodybuilder" Scaglietti, the faithful Gozzi, the accountant Benzi. When they watched the GPs with the engineer's mouth had to remain shut until the race was over: whether the car went well or not. He didn't comment on the images and was annoyed if anyone did so at the time. You had to stay quiet: otherwise he'd throw you out. In the event of a victory at the end he complimented them, when the Reds lost he got angry. We all rushed out of his room as soon as we heard the ring announcing the technician's phone call immediately after the end of the GP. He got so angry that it was difficult to be around him."
"Drake loved trattorias, the so-called truck drivers' places, more than luxury restaurants. In the surroundings of Modena he would be taken to Cavallino, to Baia del Re, to Cogniento and then to Muzzarelli up in Montagnana. He also liked to go in Mongardino, near Bologna, where there was a place where you could eat well. We frequented the Pedretti in Casalecchio and the Chalet delle Rose in Sasso Marconi. For him the lunch or dinner break was something important: let's not forget that the engineer. he often signed the best contracts at the table. One day I accompanied him to a very luxury restaurant whose name I obviously won't mention. Waiters in livery, silver chargers, an infinite composition of cutlery selected. When the engineer finished lunch and got back into the car he said to me: "I will never set foot here again: the portions are so small that I'm still very hungry". good food but after a long course of cortisone he had a kidney problem and therefore had to start controlling his eating. We did urinalysis every morning and on Saturday the blood tests arrived: if the zootemia had risen above the warning levels we also limited ourselves to food at the weekend. When everything was normal, at least once a week he ate with greater freedom. That diet and that new way of life (which had been recommended to him by Professor Coppo who had treated him for a month at Villa Laura, a clinic in Modena) was strictly followed by the engineer. He behaved like a man who loved life. So, more than in restaurants, meals were consumed directly on the track". In Fiorano there was a kitchen, a dining room and above all an excellent cook. Mrs Aldegonda Bertani herself said some time ago: "Ferrari had a true love for Modenese cuisine, but without a favorite dish. The only specialty he was truly jealous of was the fried gnocco he ate with ham."
Via Abetone Inferiore, Maranello. Just beyond the entrance to the old Cavallino factory, there is the Toni workshop, a true sancta santorum for fans of cars that still make their hearts beat. It is here that, in addition to Dino Tagliazucchi, we have another meeting from times gone by. Parked in the square is a very particular Fiat Rhythm, one of those that wasn't there for anyone at the traffic lights. The former driver says as he sits back down in the old cockpit and holds the steering wheel in his hands: "This car was given to the Commendatore for his 88th birthday. It was delivered to him on 18 February 1986 by Cavaliere Bottoni and Cavaliere Navone who was he was also Biondetti's navigator in the 1948 Mille Miglia: he had also been a test driver for Ferrari in the 1940s. The car was registered as a prototype, the only example. It had a 2000 displacement Lancia engine, the gearbox, brakes and suspension had been replaced. This was a car that Enzo Ferrari really liked: he thought it was a toy, he also took some laps on the track. The registration document states that it was taken over by Ferrari Auto Spa in 1985, 9 April the car was registered TOY48401 after MO647739. Enzo Ferrari never had a car registered in his name because from a certain point in his life he preferred to have five-door cars His bodyguard often had to be loaded so that in case of emergency he would have been able to get out of the car immediately. Once they gave him a three-door Uno Turbo, he liked it so much that he wanted to modify it into a five-door one. When there were strikes we never used a Ferrari or other big cars, we always used small-displacement cars: we didn't want to be seen. He liked small, fast cars and he never wanted to stand out. On the Thema Ferrari, for example, we have never raised the rear wing. He didn't like to show off."
"The teaching that Drake left me? The culture of saving in everything. That was how companies were built - concludes Tagliazucchi - Once in May 1988 I accompanied him to the office: "Dino, they're all there the lights on in the corridor, do me a favor, turn them off." If I cut two more slices of ham he would look at me and he told me "next time cut two less, which are left". On the day of his funeral in August 1988 in San Cataldo in the cemetery of Modena, few of us were present. In addition to Piero and his family, the accountant Benzi, his personal administrator, Scaglietti, Gozzi, the bodyguard Valentini, the old chief mechanics Bellentani and Borsari, the engineer Forghieri. It was done in great secrecy with some misdirections: his intention was not to want confusion. After the engineer's death I worked as a security guard on the track in the sentry box, then I retired and enjoyed the years I had lost with my family for my mission. And I have to tell the truth: for a character like Enzo Ferrari I would do it again."
by Andrea Cordovani
In the article a Ferrari 365GT is mentioned and very likely it's the 365GT 2+2 as listed below in the table from that magazine:
It does however not mention a 365GT4 2+2 nor a 400 Automatic. Nor this 330GT 2+2 (chassis no. 4085), which effectively was a factory prototype and driven by Enzo himself. I suspect the 365GTC/4 might be a mistake and should be a 365GTC instead
Photo together with Prince Bernhard (he didn't own a 330GT though but had multiple other Ferrari's during the years).
1964: Enzo Ferrari test drive with the 330 GT 2 + 2 Series 1 at the Autodromo di Modena.
Waving to a driver leaving the factory with a new 330 GT
Enzo discussing a possible car racing interest with Giacomo Agostini motorbike racing world champion. In the background his personal Ferrari 365GT 2+2
September 8, 1968, from the same serie, Enzo Ferrari in conversation with Giacomo Agostini, with his wive Laura Ferrari in the background in the private car of Enzo Ferrari (Ferrari 250 GTE 2+2 Prototipo #1287GT afterwards #2257SA
Enzo behind the wheel of his 330 GT 2+2
Enzo behind the wheel of his 365 GT 2+2
Enzo leaving the gate in his 365GT 2+2. Unfortunately not a good photo with him in it. The 2nd photo shows a very nice positano yellow Fiat Dino Coupe in combination with his 365GT 2+2:
Autodromo Modena 1970: while racing driver Jacky Ickx is training on the racetrack, the Ingegnere Enzo Ferrari is quietly reading the newspaper sitting in his 365 GTC
Or what about the 250 GTE, I think that's missing on the list as well:
Testdrive in Monza 1963. Surtees in a new 156 F1-63, Enzo Ferrari and Foghiere. In the background the 250 GTE.
The car is the prototype 158 in late 1963. By the time the car first raced in 1964 the cylinder heads had been revised with the inlet ducts between the camshafts. In the background a 250 GTE
250 GTE and 250 Lusso
And another 250 GT Lusso on Modena plates
and the 250 GT Coupe
Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta SWB
Adding a few more cars in combination with Enzo because I consider them rare and not because they were in his possession or driven for personal usage.
1968 The first Daytona production with Charles Pozzi and Pierre Lemonnier
Dino / Ferrari 308GT4
Fiat Dino Coupe
Fiat Dino Spider
Dino 206/246 GT
In any case I consider the provided list not accurate nor complete. I furthermore suspect the Ferrari's he did own and drove were mostly prototype's and demonstrators cars hold by the factory, which makes sense.
Coming back to the 365GT4 2+2, there is only this known picture taken with him behind the wheel:
And a more complete photo. I'm very curios to know who owns the original photo:
Enzo delivering the new 365GT4 2+2 to Prince Bernhard
The 365GT4 2+2 was also prominent used in the movie Enzo Ferrari 2003:
That car used in the movie was first owned by Enzo Varianini and then was part of Fabrizio's Violati's Maranello Rosso car collection for many years. For reference these 2 blogs:
And a 400i phase 2 (1982 - 1985) in front of his house. I suspect this photo was made for press material purposes and not in use by him. Although it has a blue color. Thinking about it, all the brochures for the 365/400/412 were having either blue or silver/grey cars presented, his favorite colors.
And an example of the 412 in front of his house. Although I have never seen these photo's officially published.
From the same Autosprint article you will read his favourite car colors were gray and blue indeed. And mostly he liked the small cars. The mini is a known one and this one was gifted by Alec Issigonis. Note the Modena license plate. Apparently he owned two of these:
Just to go back in time a little more before we move on as I thought this is a nice example to show as well. And it's listed in the table as a ASA 1000:
This car also showed up at the Zandvoort Formula 1 in 1961. It does have the same Modena license plate. There is a female passenger and a male driver in it but it's not Enzo.
It's however not a ASA 1000 but a Ferrari 854 prototype "Ferrarina" 1959. The bodywork is based on a Fiat 1200 Coupe, 4 cylinder 854 cm3 0 75 HP engine, tubular chassis by Giotto Bizzarrini. Design by Pininfarina.
Here is however a photo with Enzo and the ASA 1000 GT
The Fiat 1900, introduced in 1952, was an upmarket model that used the same body as the 1400, but came with a 1.9 litre engine and more standard features. The petrol-engined Fiat 1900 A, introduced in 1954, now offered a claimed 70 bhp.Unusually for that time, it featured a 5-speed column shifted manual transmission.It also offered an hydraulic joint, Fiat's first tentative foray into automatic transmissions. Here you see Enzo next to a Fiat 1900. I'm unsure if it was his:
Next a Fiat 2100 (1959 - 1961) Again, I'm unsure if it was his, it's at least not in the table. Often when a photo was taken with Enzo it was not unusual his personal car was very nearby.
Same Fiat 2100 in 1961 and on a Modena plate:
When Ferrari was taken over by Fiat he consequently used their vehicles, likely these were Fiat company cars provided to him or else he could obtain them for very friendly prices. These "funny" advertisments used them as well, but fact is, he liked them very much.
And all of these are listed in the car table as well. Interestingly the 128 sport coupe does have a Modena license plate and was indeed green.
This is a known one but I'm unsure if it was his Fiat 850 or one of the mechanics. I don't think anyone dared to sit in his personal car. Nevertheless it's a nice photo.
And I found these photo's from the same scene:
Clearly these small cars were not always practical so also slightly larger 4 door cars were used, Especially if there was a need for a chauffeur and bodyguard for important visits.
Here you can see a Fiat 131 on the Ferrari premises and it has a Torino license plate
Here you can see a Fiat 132 used for an important visit including his personal chauffeur Dino Tagliazucchi and a bodyguard.
And another one, note the Torino license plate:
Enzo Ferrari, Giancarlo Minardi, Roberto Farnetti keeping an eye on Lamberto Leoni at Fiorano in 1975, March 752 BMW (F Minardi)
In the background a Fiat 131 Mirafiori on a Modena plate
Franco Gozzi and Enzo Ferrari at the practice of 1969 Italian GP in Monza. With his light blue Fiat 125 berlina 4 door in the background. It's on a Torina plate
Enzo Ferrari & Gian Paolo Dallara at racetrack Varano de' Melegari and the Fiat 125 in the foreground:
Enzo and his son Piero with two Fiat 125 berlina's:
1970 Test della 312PB at Fiorano, Peter Schetty, Mauro Forghieri, two mechanics Guidetti and Toni, Piero Ferrari and Ignazio Giunti. Although Enzo is not on this photo, he might be around though. I suspect this was a very important test given the other attendees but also far away in the backgound there is a small crowd gathered. There are two Fiat 124 Coupes, a Fiat 125 and a Citroen DS present on this photo. According to the car table Enzo did own two Fiat 124 Coupe's, a green and a white one. The Fiat 124 Coupes in this photo are the series 2, since this photo is from 1970 they must be fairly new. So I suspect these 4 cars might belong to either Enzo Ferrari, Piero Ferrari, Mauro Forghieri and Iganzio Giunti. Not sure who owned what though.
Enzo behind the wheel of the 125 berlina
Enzo at the Fiorano track and a Fiat 125 in the background
Enzo's house at the Fiorano track in late 1972 with multiple Fiats parked in front of it and one Alfa. Including the Fiat 125 but also a brand new Lancia Beta Berlina - Not sure which one was his. I just double checked and there is 1x Fiat 125, 1 x Fiat 127, 1 x Alfa Romeo GT Junior, 2 x Fiat 128, 1 x Fiat 600 and 1 x Lancia Beta Berlina.
Or how about the Fiat 130 Coupe, he had a blue one indeed, this photo shows Enzo and Franco Gozzi
And another one, the license plate is hardly readable but it's a Torino plate.
And one more whereby Agnelli is his passenger. The license plate is identical as used above and is a Torino plate:
Note the Fiat 130 Coupe was an important trigger for Enzo Ferrari. According to an interview with his personal chauffeur the following was mentioned:
“Among the full size models that he liked, I must mention the 130 coupe, and that he really was fond of that car because it was equipped with an automatic transmission. Later on, his personal Ferrari, which we rarely drove, became a 400 automatic".
This specific interview was published in the Cavallino magazine nr 193, february/march 2013. So that's 2 years earlier than the Autosprint magazine article. You can read the Cavallino article here:
Coming back to the Autosprint article, there is also a mention about a Lancia Prisma and a Lancia Delta. I was not able to find anything for the Prisma but found two photo's with Enzo and the Delta. These were taken in November 1979 at the launch of the Ferrari 312T15 at Fiorano. The Delta is on Modena plates. Note by then also Lancia was absorbed by the Fiat group.
Side step story, remarkably Ferrari obtained Lancia's formula 1 car in 1955: Following Ascari's death, and in increasing financial trouble, the Lancia family sold their controlling share in the Lancia company, and the assets of Scuderia Lancia were given to Scuderia Ferrari. Ferrari continued to develop the car, although they removed many of Jano's most innovative designs,and the car was rebadged as the "Lancia-Ferrari D50" and later simply the "Ferrari D50". Juan Manuel Fangio won the 1956 World Championship of Drivers with this car modified by Ferrari.
Peter Collins bought a Lancia Flaminia four door saloon in Turin and arranged to sell "the row of shops' (Mercury Station Wagon) in England. He and Louise loved the Lancia but Enzo Ferrari didn't approve, being firmly of the opinion that his young driver should be seen in a Ferrari. Early in 1958 he arranged for Peter to part exchange the Lancia for the special bodied Pinin Farina bodied 250 GT cabriolet"
in the same Autosprint article there is also a special mention about a Fiat Ritmo:
"This car was given to the Commendatore for his 88th birthday. It was delivered to him on 18 February 1986 by Cavaliere Bottoni and Cavaliere Navone who was he was also Biondetti's navigator in the 1948 Mille Miglia: he had also been a test driver for Ferrari in the 1940s. The car was registered as a prototype, the only example. It had a 2000 displacement Lancia engine, the gearbox, brakes and suspension had been replaced. This was a car that Enzo Ferrari really liked: he thought it was a toy, he also took some laps on the track. The registration document states that it was taken over by Ferrari Auto Spa in 1985, 9 April the car was registered TOY48401 after MO647739. Enzo Ferrari never had a car registered in his name because from a certain point in his life he preferred to have five-door cars His bodyguard often had to be loaded so that in case of emergency he would have been able to get out of the car immediately.
by sheer coincidence I bumped into this photo on a little while ago, and it's indeed this specific car in front of his office with Enzo himself and the chauffeur. And note the comment in the article about the car registration.
And the actual Autosprint article had this photo published I just realized:
And two more photo's
And another photo I got ahold of which shows the Ritmo with Enzo and his son Piero. I think this is the Ritmo 125 TC Abarth based on the air intake. The article mentioned he had 2x a 100 version though(1x white and 1x grey):
Magazine excerpt:
"It was one of the first cars you came across: impossible not to see it, in the middle of the central gallery of the fair, in the Abarth parade, one of the central themes of the 2018 edition of Modena Motor Gallery (September 22-23). At first glance, it seemed like a "fake": a five-door Ritmo Abarth never existed. But that was not just any Ritmo because its "fake" was Enzo Ferrari."
"A Scorpion in the Prancing Horse's lair. On March 9, 1985, the Drake registered this Ritmo 85 S, registered on November 22, 1982 and previously owned by Fiat Auto Torino, to Ferrari Esercizio Fabbriche Automobili e Corse. A company car, in short, that from Rivalta (where they produced the Ritmo) had ended up straight in Maranello but that the Commendatore wanted to customize. For this reason he bought it and sent it back to Turin, to Abarth, having the 1500 single-camshaft replaced with the 2000 twin-camshaft used on the Scorpion, the American version of the Lancia Beta Montecarlo, and asking them to adapt the fuel system, exhaust, gearbox, brakes, tires and instrumentation. This Ritmo was the last car that the great old man drove."
Today I hit this Youtube video by surprise, it was only released 3 days ago. It's a great story by the current owner. He also lived for 10 years with Enzo's driver Dino Tagliazucchi. Apparently Enzo was annoyed by the fact he was overtaken by a VW Golf. Hence this special one-off Ritmo was provided a 2 liter engine by Abarth. It was also pointed out Enzo did not want a car that attracted attention. Also the Nardi steering wheel is nice option which was a must have by Enzo. The Youtube comments are interesting as well since the son of Dino Tagliazucchi responds to it. I have enabled the English transcript on the youtube video:
Another interesting photo in the same spot as the first Ritmo. It's however the 400i of his son Piero. It's on Modena plates and it's a manual version. Later on Piero had a 412 model, also a manual version.
And there is a mention about a Fiat Regata too. This was another tough one to find. But I stumbled upon this photo by sheer coincendence. Someone who visited the Ferrari Factory in fall 1988 shortly after Enzo passed away made this photo at the entrance of the factory. It caught my eye immediately. It's another Fiat in Modena on Torina plates, it's grey and parked at the Ferrari premises. The table mentioned it's a 2000 cc. The 2 litre's were produced but only available in Latin America. The inscription on the back is hard to read but seems to indicate Regata Turbo DS. It's an uplifted model from 1986 and by then Turbo Diesels were provided. So it's a 1.9 litre diesel engine. D stands for Diesel and S for Super. How's that, has Enzo been driving a Turbo Diesel?
From the same guy a photo of the same cars but the 288 GTO without a number plate and the Regata on the right side:
For comparisson I found this supporting press photo:
And guess what, on top of that I
found this photo:
And yes, it has the
same Fiat Regata parked at the front of the Ferrari Factory. Coincidence? The
photo was taken in May 1987. At first glance nothing spectacular or unusual.
The Ferrari 328 GTS was a car from that era and can be expected there. The Fiat
Regata is a low profile car and might have belonged to someone off the working
staff.
What about the other cars parked over there. The Lancia Thema appears to be the
normal version and not the 8.32 version. I conclude that based on the color, it does
not look like “winner red” and more importantly it’s missing the unique pin
striping.
The next car is much harder to identify and clearly it has to be a hatchback.
My first hunch is a Lancia Delta.
The last one is a tough one. At first glance I figured it was a
Lancia Thema Stationwagon. When inspecting closer I figured the rear side
window looked slighty wider but also is having a slightly sharper angle. Maybe it was a Alfa Rome 33 SW, but no, it was not. Another thing which I
noticed was the used roof carrier, it certainly was not used on a Lancia Thema
SW. Than I figured it was maybe a Fiat Regata Stationwagon (aka Weekend). It seems to use a similar roof carrier and having the same size and
position alignment. Also the rear side window looks similar. Then again, I
could not identify the contour of a gas cap which is positioned on the right
side.
Another thing I could not identify was the contour of this typical curvy crease
on the rear side panel.
I thought the
predecessor of the Regata SW would be to old and to be much different. But upon
checking the Fiat 131 I discovered it has to be one of the last series. A similar roof
carrier is used, the rear window size and angle looks similar. The gas cap is on the left side. And the rear panel lines and bumpers seems to
be similar as well. In 1983, the production of the 131 saloon version was
discontinued, but the estate, now named 131 Maratea, remained in production with two engine choices (115 PS 2.0 TC and 72 PS 2.5 D) until 1984. Very
likely it was the 115 PS 2.0 TC version. For educational purposes; series 1
Familiare, series 2 Panorama and series 3 was called Maratea.
For comparison I found
this photo:
Don’t you think the
131 Maratea is a sexy car?
So yes, I’m convinced
it’s a Fiat 131 Maratea. And when going over some photo’s which I already had in my
archive I came across this photo again. Which was already published earlier above:
It’s Enzo and his Fiat
Ritmo and in the background a Fiat 131 Stationwagon in a light color, However
without the roof carrier. As such I now suspect the hatchback in the ohter photo is not a Lancia
Delta but a Fiat Ritmo instead.
My guess is
that Enzo and some of his close inner circle were doing a specific meeting at
the factory. Hence the security guard is outside of his office and a paparazzo was lurking around and made a photo of the scene. But maybe my imagination is going on the run ... In any case I consider the Regata confirmed as one of his used cars. Not sure about the Fiat 131 Maratea though since it's a SW.
Before moving on I would like to cover the other non-Italian brands in the list, Peugeot and Renault. The Peugeot 404 is a very known one and also the Peugeot owners club had dedicated a small article about it with the personal driver of Enzo. And of course this article is in French. Oui! Next to the 404, he had a 504 berlina and a 504 coupe, both in the color blue. And this link has got a English translation of the French article:
This one wasn't mentioned either but was in use by Enzo in the fifites. The Peugeot 403, 1958:
It was also prominent in use in the movie Ferrari in 2023:
I was only able to find this photo of the Peugeot 404 berlina in the background (1965):
As for the 504 berlina and coupe no further historical information could be found by me. Apparently the Ferrari crew used a Peugeot 404 break as a service / maintenance car.
1964, Monza : Ex 250 GTE Enzo Ferrari personal car... and Peugeot Break 404 with Mauro Forghieri and John Surtees.
For the Renaults owned by Enzo it was even more difficult to find supporting information.
According to the car table he had two Renault 18 Turbo and one Renault 25. But apparently he also had a Renault 5 Turbo I which was for sale a little while ago:
And it was equipped with a original Ferrari radio, well, a Pioneer radio with a Ferrari badge:
The Citroen DS is a odd one which I stumbled upon. And neither was it mentioned in the table. The following story came with it:
Una Citroen DS, il Commendatore l'aveva acquistata da Danilo Panini, per poi donarla a qualcuno. C'è un aneddoto che a Maranello ricordiamo con simpatia: quando il Comm. andò a provarne una in concessionaria a Sassuolo, volle sedersi su un sedile posteriore perché gliene avevano decantato la comodità. L'auto era appena stata spenta, per cui quando lui si sedette, le sospensioni idrauliche si scaricarono ed anche loro si sedettero. "Vede Panini, disse il Comm. a me queste auto così soffici, fanno venire da rimettere". Danilo di rimando: sapesse invece Commendatore a me quanto fanno guadagnare! Episodio raccontato dallo stesso Danilo, in presenza di Carlo Benzi, che era aveva assistito alla scenetta.
English translation:
A Citroen DS, the Commendatore had bought it from Danilo Panini, to then donate it to someone. There is an anecdote that we remember fondly in Maranello: when the Comm. went to try one at the dealership in Sassuolo, he wanted to sit in a back seat because they had praised its comfort. The car had just been turned off, so when he sat down, the hydraulic suspensions went out and they sat down too. "You see Panini," said the Commendatore, "these cars are so soft, they make me want to give them up." Danilo replied: if Commendatore only knew how much they make me earn! 🤣 Episode told by Danilo himself, in the presence of Carlo Benzi, who had witnessed the scene. 👍
Another interesting remark about his car preference and usage is the following:
"Once they gave him a three-door Uno Turbo, he liked it so much that he wanted to modify it into a five-door one. When there were strikes we never used a Ferrari or other big cars, we always used small-displacement cars: we didn't want to be seen. He liked small, fast cars and he never wanted to stand out. On the Thema Ferrari (Lancia Thema 8.32), for example, we have never raised the rear wing. He didn't like to show off."
As for the Fiat Uno Turbo, I was unable to find anything, it was however mentioned in this article:
Find hereunder some shots of the Lancia Thema 8.32 with the driver and Enzo. After Enzo Ferrari's death the 8.32 was registered to Ferrari SPA and changed its license plate, from TO 4....F to MO 8.... and after a while it was sold.
The son of Dino Tagliazucchi made the following remark: "I remember the beautiful thema 8.32 very well also because I made the Modena-Maranello journey several times together with the Commendatore and my father and I can also say that it was much appreciated by Ferrari because it combined comfort of a sedan with an engine built in his factories that he cared a lot about"
Condoleance register of Dino Tagliazucchi with the same photo used:
Guess what? The spoiler is out ;-)
And of course his son Piero had a Lancia Thema 8.32 and this one was delivered without the integrated bootlid spoiler. And it was registered on Modena plates and Enzo's Thema 8.32 was on Torino plates:
For the records, find hereby a screenshot of Enzo and his normal Lancia Thema i.e. Turbo. It's on Milano plates though:
May 1987
27 Juni 1998, Enzo Ferrari arrives at Fiorano with the Alfa Romeo 164, supported by Dino Tagliazucchi and Franco Gozzi. The Alfa is also on Milano plates:
For the records another shot of Enzo with the new Testarossa and Franco Gozzi:
Very likely this was taken for the Goodyear commercial:
So to summarize, Enzo liked the smaller cars and the bigger cars were only driven for the specific occassions or when the situation required. In general he liked to stay low profile, this goes not only for cars. He did not follow a fancy lifestyle, so exotic holidays or expensive dining was not his thing. In fact he never went on vacaction. If you are interested the following page does contain a very good overview including the interview by Catherine Spaak for the Autosprint magazine in 1982:
At a later stage in his life the cars were no longer registered on his name. As for the Ferrari's he owned and drove himself they were likely and mostly the 2+2 series, ie the 250GTE, the 330GT, the 365GT 2+2, the 365GTC and very likely the 365GT4 2+2 and finally the 400. Except for the latter 400 I don't have a supporting photo in combination with Enzo. As pointed out by the chauffeur his 400 Automatic was rarely used. Furthermore this very likely was a prototype registered on the company. And there is effectively only one in existence. Well, there is another one, which is more or less the first production car, which is also regarded as a prototype, see these blogs:
“Driven by Enzo” shows off the four-seater models driven personally by Ferrari. "As is well known, Enzo Ferrari used to try out every car produced at Maranello himself, but not all of them were for day-to-day driving. On his daily journeys, he particularly loved four-seater cars because of their combination of comfort and sportiness and often ferried around his illustrious visitors in them.
His passion for these cars began with the 1960 Ferrari 250 GT 2+2 and continued for the rest of his life with the 400 GTi, the 412, and finally the Ferrari 456 GT, a car he personally approved in 1988. Even when he decided to employ a chauffeur in 1969, the latter was often a passenger and travel companion of a man who always felt himself to be a driver."
Even once he's hung his helmet up for the last time, a driver will always be a driver. After a commendable career behind the wheel, in 1929, Enzo Ferrari decided to focus on managing the Scuderia. His love of driving, however, would never fade. The Commendatore would personally test every model created at Maranello, and it was through this testing that he found, in the shape of the 250 GT 2+2 from 1960, a car that could fuel his passion for driving even on the roads he had to use every day. This was when he first fell in love with the 2+2 genre for its ability to reconcile comfort with sports performance, and from that day on, his personal car would always be a four-seater GT. After the 250 GT 2+2, Enzo Ferrari's car of choice became the 330 GT 2+2, which he enjoyed driving on a daily basis for years. Even when he decided to employ a driver in 1969, most of the time this was essentially a privileged passenger, and the only witness to Enzo Ferrari's penchant for bowling along the highways at a brisk pace. In late 1972, Ferrari decided to stop driving himself, but only on the route between his home and the Maranello factory. But the Commendatore never let an opportunity to test the latest production model on the track go to waste. He loved testing his cars himself - and his 2+2 models in particular - exploring their limits on the track. And the suggestions he would give the engineers at Maranello on how to improve certain aspects of a car never fell on deaf ears. Enzo Ferrari's predilection for four-seaters only became stronger over the years, with models such as the 400 GTi and 412 letting him take to the wheel and give illustrious visitors to Maranello a ride as back seat passengers. Politicians, royalty, actors and many other celebrities have been treated to the experience of being driven in the 400 by the Commendatore himself who, once the engine started, never missed a chance to showcase not just the abilities of a Ferrari, but also the skills of a man who would always continue to be a race driver at heart.
Taken from the Ferrari website and published on my blog:
Interesting to read that Enzo gave his approval for the 456 already in 1988, which only got released in 1992. Also remarkable to read that VIPs got driven around in the 400 in Maranello by Enzo with them as passengers in the back seat.
The first photo below shows a 250GT Lusso and a 330GT with EE plates, meaning it's an export car.
Same cars with Enzo and John Surtees
While being on the official Ferrari website source this section fits in nicely as well: Game Changers, another museum exhibition:
"A prime example of Ferrari’s technological innovation is the 400 Automatic, the first 2+2 Grand Tourer to introduce in 1976 the automatic gearbox in response in market demand and the needs of an increasingly sophisticated international clientele"
In this picture below you can spot the 400 on the top left corner.
On the wall they have this enlarged photo of the centre console with the prominent Automatic gearbox lever
This car has been recently being auctioned, see blog:
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."
French publication:
Also this article points out very nicely and in favor of the automatic. For those who do not speak French, this ''publi-reportage'' reports on Charles Pozzi's personal experience of the 400 Auto in Maranello. It says that Enzo had wanted an auto gearbox for at least ten years and had tested it extensively before installing it in the 400. Allegedly, he drove the 400 auto the day when worldwide importers of Ferrari - including Pozzi - were invited to Maranello to test it : ''he (Enzo), who is usually so aloof'' (the article actually says that Pozzi was a passenger of Enzo).
The article puts forward the ability of the car to offer a gentle and silent ride in town (800 rpm) as well as ''brutal'' accelerations, it says that the auto gearbox does not hamper the engine whilst offering a lower fuel consumption (crisis, crisis) than manual. I find it interesting that the author also offers a description of the ability to ''choose'' between the three gears just like with a manual, depending on the desired rpm regime, at different speed. A very ''modern'' argument, just like for the F1 gearbox two decades later. Although the drafting can be a bit amusing for todays reader ''in first gear, I mean it, in first gear, you can get to 100 km/h before the cigarette lighter gets red''. The article also praises the tubular chassis, the design by Pinin Farina (in two words) and the comfort of the car, as well as the smell of leather (I can testify that even after 30 years, it smells!). The final reference to the manual gearbox is almost dismissive. Only one conclusion: the 400 automatic was ahead of its time.
Effectively the real 400 Automatic prototipo was derived from a 365GT4 2+2, see this blog:
It was a very interesting video and it received quite a bit of comments. It was a long read but I went over each of them. What stood out is there are so many positive remarks made about these cars. While usually the 130 and 400 are not liked or valued accordingly.
In any case, one comment stood out for me as that person knew this prototipo quite well:
I think the earlier version of the Ferrari 412 in its 365 GT4 2+2 guise was a much better looking car – the 'flat' wheels for example on the 412 don't do it any justice. My elder brother owned an early auto 400 for a while – a stunning car to drive. A few years back in Tasmania of all places I found a dusty 1979 400i on display in a car museum. It's an ex Ferrari development vehicle retained by them and was the very first one to have the auto trans fitted (it was an ex manual car built in 1975). It started out with a carb fed engine, but was converted to fuel injection by Ferrari. It was used by Ferrari as the launch vehicle for the 400i at the Paris Motor Show in 1979. What makes this one unique is that it has ceiling mounted controls in the headlining for the entertainment system etc ala aircraft style above ones head – looks very smart. It was eventually sold in 1980 by Achilli Motors in Milan. It remained in Italy till 1996 when it new owner took it to Japan, then onto Tasmania. It's all matching numbers and has full Ferrari history and had only done 28,500 miles. Apart from the dust it looked in amazing condition, paint, trim etc. When I saw the 400 it was being advertised 4 sale – clearly a unique and fascinating Ferrari if your into this model.
I was unaware it was on display in a car museum. And as pointed out, it was also used at a Paris Motor Show in 2004 : Salon du cabriolet & du coupé 2004
Sidestep story: the supporting text in Youtube mentioned alos the following:
1979 Ferrari 400i (ex personal car of Gabonese President) displayed as guest star and surrounded by Crazy Horse top models - Salon du Coupé et du Cabriolet - April 2004
Upon further checking this Gabonese President it must have been Omar Bongo:
"Bongo's collection was superb and extravagant. He used to own this Tickford Aston Martin Lagonda, which is now for sale. He also had a Ferrari 612. Here is a Ferrari 400 that used to belong to him. Me thinks he drove his prized cars mostly in France. He had 33 luxury homes throughout Paris and Nice. Not bad for a former postal worker."
Coming back to the car museum. A quick research revealed it was this one:
The National Automobile Museum of Tasmania, Launceston, Australia
1975 Ferrari 365 GT4 2+2, Chassis No 18415, barn-find in Hobart, Tasmania in early 2023. The first Ferrari with automatic transmission.
Ferrari launched its 365 GT4 2+2 in 1972 at the Paris Salon. Total factory production of this V12 was just 521 units plus three prototypes. Its direct replacement, maintaining the wedge-line Pininfarina styling, the 400 Series was launched in 1976. 502 cars designated 400 GT were manufactured until it in turn was replaced by the 400i in 1979. The car on display 365 GT4 2+2 chassis number 18415 started out life as a March 1975 manual car in Argento silver. However, what makes this car unique is that it was retained by Ferrari as its “Esperienze” (experience) car, becoming the first pre-production car of the 400 Series and being fitted with, amongst other things by the Factory, automatic transmission. Up until the launch of the 400 Series Ferrari had never produced a production car with automatic transmission. Of the 502 Ferrari 400 Series built between 1976 and 1979, 355 were delivered to their new owners with the optional General Motors Turbo Hydramatic 400 automatic gearbox.
18415 is accompanied by complete Ferrari factory engineering documentation from when it came off the production line at Maranello on March 12, 1975 until it was sold in 1980 via Achilli Motors in Milan. This car remained in Italy until 1996, when its new owner took it to Japan for a short while before being brought to Australia by that same owner. The last time it was registered, as proclaimed by the sticker still on the front windshield was in Lombardy in Northern Italy in 1996, and it was last serviced on 22nd July 1996 at 46,653 kilometres. It has sat in a dry shed in Hobart, Tasmania for some 20 years, in good condition, but slowly gathering dust until earlier this year. This true barn find car is still matching numbers, despite all the changes made by the technicians at Maranello.
Though it was built in 1975, the car wasn’t road registered for the first time until March of 1980, it was then sold to its first private owner a month later in April. The car would pass through the hands of six owners before being exported from Italy in 2002.
I also suspect this must be the same car that has been used for these press photo's in 1976:
I have been in touch by the person who had bought this car somewhere in 2017
In that blog you can read it was being discussed on Ferrarichat.com and the new owner started off the thread discussion. Someone remarked it was offered for sale in 2017:
"The car was offered in 2017 for $15,000 and was located at a body works in Hobart, Tasmania where it had sat under a tarp since being imported from Japan. This photo was taken as it sat in the body works."
A few years fast forward and the 400 with Chassis 18415 was sold at the RM Auction in Monaco in 2024 for €40,250 EUR ($43420 USD):
As said, I had been in contact with the person who bought it in 2017. In 2018 I helped him to source a front spoiler and found one in the Netherlands and shipped it to Melbourne. It was quite an undertaking. Also I have been supporting him to obtain some specific engineering papers via another Dutch seller. Remarkably these unique technical papers for this car were showing up for sale on Ebay and this Dutch guy purchased them: "For sale original Ferrari factory research and
development documentation for the 400 (F101CL) from 1978 and 1979. These
original Ferrari 'Servizio esperienze e omologazione' department documents show
handwritten notes and graphics, made and used during the brake testing program.
Very rare and incredible to learn and that testing work was manually
documented! A one off opportunity to own a piece of history."
Unfortunately I didn't keep any record or photo's from Ebay nor from the reseller.
So to summarize the current timelines from the available sources:
1975: Ferrrari 365GT4 2+2 converted into a 400 Automatic
1976: Ferrari 400 Automatic launch
1979: Ferrari 400 Automatic converted into a 400i Automatic
1979: Paris motor show demonstrator
1980: Achilli Motors Milan bought and sold it - it stayed in Italy 15 years
1996: Bought by a Japanese Collector
1998: Parked in Tasmania
2002: exported from Italy ???
2004: Paris Salon du cabriolet & du coupé ???
2017: For sale: for $15,000 and was located at a body works in Hobart, Tasmania 2017: For sale in December by the new owner via Ebay but was unsold in Tasmania
2018: I arranged a front spoiler and engineering paperwork for the current owner in Tasmania
2020: Acquired by ??? put into the Tasmania car museum ???
2024: Sold for € 40.250,- via Auction Paris RM Sothebys
The details for the years 2002 and 2004 in the timeline are not very likely though, it's only what I captured from different sources and snippets.
Here you can see the 400 Automatic prototype being tested by the Factory. Note the new 400 front spoiler and still having the 365GT4 2+2 knock off wheels.
This rare press photo is a also showing the knock off wheels but is having a very unusual front spoiler. It has four small narrow air intakes and they are slightly wider leaving no space to fit a number plate properly.
The next photo is potential the same prototipo. It's having non standard rims and is quite well used. It has the same scratch/chipped damaged corner on the left sideof the front bumper as the one found in Tasmania.
So whomever bought this prototipo has got a very nice piece of history in their hands. And likely the last 2+2 that has been in use by Enzo himself.
Let's see where it pops up next. I'm curious regarding the outcome or what the current plan is for this car.
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@marknelson5929