He also wore his watch over his cuff: the lawyer knew how to stand out. Style created it. He was one who could afford any car, as well as almost any joke. “Not all Italians cheer for the national team, while all Italians and fifty percent of non-Italians cheer Ferrari”, said Gianni Agnelli. To which the Prancing Horse museum in Modena is dedicating an exhibition on the occasion of the centenary of his birth, which took place on 12 March 1921 in Turin. The review “Gianni Agnelli and Ferrari. The elegance of the myth”Was inaugurated today, naturally digitally through social media channels and on the site of the exhibition centers of the Maranello company. The exhibition brings together for the first time the custom-built cars made by Ferrari and “customized in close collaboration with the lawyer”. “A unique collection, which testifies to a harmony that lasted over fifty years between two of the most charismatic and authoritative figures of the twentieth century”, informs a note. Agnelli was more than just a customer, even before Ferrari joined the Fiat galaxy in 1969.
“Between them (Gianni Agnelli and Enzo Ferrari, ed) there was a natural understanding, consolidated over the years until the decisive agreement that gave way to one of the strongest partnerships in the automotive world”, remembers Piero Ferrari, son of the founder and number two of the company. Even after the spin-off of the company, the Maranello house is one of the jewels of the Agnelli / Elkann dynasty.
In the window there are models such as the 166 MM exhibited in 1948 at the Turin Motor Show, which the lawyer defined as “barchetta”, a nickname which later remained to indicate racing discoveries. That car became Gianni Agnelli’s first custom-built car. “My father was impressed by Gianni Agnelli’s strength, talents and business prowess,” adds Piero Ferrari.
At the Enzo Ferrari Museum there is also the 212 Inter from 1952 made in two shades: the “family” blue 456 and the magnolia white. Other historic models wanted by the lawyer are the 1955 375 America coupé designed by Battista “Pinin” Farina characterized by an exclusive chronograph in the center of the tunnel, the “one off” 400 Superamerica, the 1966 Berlinetta 365 P Speciale which for the Advocate was painted silver. In 1986 he wanted a convertible version of the Ferrari Testarossa which is distinguished by the magnolia white of the soft top, the Nürburgring gray of the bodywork and the blue of the interior. The list of custom-built cars is completed by the F40 (black fabric of the seats and Valeo electronic clutch for the Avvocato) and by Luca di Montezemolo’s wedding version of the 360 Spider. Ferrari’s greatest tribute to Gianni Agnelli, however, is the 2003 Formula 1 single-seater that the team dedicated to him a few days after his death on 24 January of that year. “The exhibition – summarizes John Elkann, grandson of the lawyer and current Ferrari number one – combines on the one hand the emotions that the most beautiful cars in the world arouse in those who love to drive, and on the other hand the enormous respect and true passion that my grandfather had for the cars of Maranello ”.
Pending the authorization to reopen the museums, at least until April 1st, two free virtual guided tours of the exhibition are scheduled every day. The duration is about half an hour with illustrations in Italian and German. Reservations must be made on the Museums website (Ferrari.com/it- IT / museums).
