SARATOGA — Racing excellence, history, and innovation combine for the Saratoga Automobile Museum’s newest exhibit that is curated to capture a legacy in motion. Running from February until October 28, ‘Enzo Ferrari: An Obsession with Speed’ is a daring, creative exhibition that follows in the footsteps of its namesake.
The exhibit was inspired by Brock Yates, a journalist, an early advisory board member for the museum, and longtime executive editor for ‘Car and Driver’ magazine. Yates’s work, ‘Enzo Ferrari: The Man and the Machine’, was the book behind the 2023 film ‘Ferrari’, where his wife, Pamela Yates, served as executive producer.
“We thought that it would be a good time. We’ve never done just a Ferrari exhibit,” said Creative Director Brandon Salls. “We’ve had some Italian exhibits where we’ve featured all Italian brands. But Pam has been a longtime supporter of the museum, and we’ve borrowed some of Brock’s cars when he was still with us. I think just that connection with that movie that was coming out was the impetus for it.”
Visitors will be treated to an immersive experience that explores Ferrari’s vision as a company and the man behind the iconic symbol. With each car on display, the exhibit delves into what makes each car special, from where they raced to the drivers behind the wheel.
“It just kind of sets it into a historic perspective,” said Salls. “You don’t really need to be a car lover to appreciate that, or even need to understand the mechanics of a car.”
One of the cars on loan courtesy of the Audrain Automobile Museum in Rhode Island is the Ferrari F310. It was raced by Michael Schumacher, “who is probably the most famous car driver to race in America ever. It’s an amazing piece of automotive history and represents a really substantial car for Ferrari,” said Salls.
Also on display is the Ferrari F1 375 Indianapolis, on loan courtesy of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum in Indianapolis. “This is a very famous Ferrari that raced at the Indy 500, which Ferrari only did a couple times,” noted Salls, highlighting the ‘beautiful’ historic quality of the car.
One of the most valuable cars in the exhibit is a 1950 Ferrari 166 Barchetta. The car has won an impressive number of races in its history. It raced at the 24 hours of Le Mans, won the 12 hours of Paris in 1950, and was imported into the United States, where it raced at Watkins Glen in the U.S. Grand Prix. From there, it raced in Buenos Aires and all over the world.
“This car has a very famous history,” said Salls. “It doesn’t have his number on it, so it doesn’t look like much of a race car, but there is a great vintage picture that goes with the display that shows it.”
In addition to rare photographs and artifacts, the museum will feature evocative Ferrari-themed paintings from artists Lyn Hiner and George Frayne (better known by his stage name, Commander Cody).
”I think a lot of people think that when they think about the Auto Museum, it might not be just for your regular museum goer or just as entertainment,” said Salls. “But we’ve got some great artists on exhibit as well that I think help round off the exhibit and give people something else to enjoy.”
“We have a series of paintings from him [Frayne] that are in the museum on consignment,” he continued. “We have about eight Ferrari paintings from her [Hiner] that are just beautiful, and we have a bunch of her pieces as prints that are for sale in our gift shop.”
The exhibition is intended to provide something for the entire family, including the younger attendees. “For the kids, we have a little red race car called a Formula V— it looks like a baby Ferrari,” said Salls. “We have a little photo op that we made for kids, and there’s a cool backdrop for people to sit in this car and experience it.”
The immersive journey through Ferrari history continues for visitors curious about what it would be like to race a Ferrari, with racing simulators that are open to the general public. This includes a Formula 1 racing simulator, a fitting race for visitors to experience, as the signature sporting event is an essential aspect of the company’s history.
Ferrari remains the only company to race in Formula 1 since its inception in the 1950s until now, without interruption. Racing remains at the core of Ferrari’s work, stemming from Enzo’s own start as a race car driver.
Enzo started his career as a handyman after World War I, eventually working for Alfa Romeo as a race car driver. “That’s where he got his start, working for Alfa Romeo for almost 20 years,” said Salls.
After leaving Alfa Romeo, he formed his own company. Even when Fiat took the majority share position, Enzo stipulated that he had control of the racing aspect of the Ferrari company, which he maintained until his death in 1988.
This past is analyzed in the exhibition, with the title “Enzo Ferrari: An Obsession with Speed” serving as a ‘two-fold’ representation of both the company and its origins to the present day.
The timeline follows through to the newest car they have on display, the Ferrari 812 Superfast. Selected because it is a 12-cylinder car, the choice harkens back to Enzo’s preference for 12-cylinder cars, drawing a clear line from the past to the present.
“I don’t think a lot of people know that Ferrari worked for Alfa Romeo and was instrumental in their early years, or that he was a race car driver,” said Salls. “There’s really cool history as to where the Ferrari logo came from and his race career.”
“We have a lot about the man, the company, and the race history. We have a huge wall dedicated to the race history of Ferrari from 1898— when Enzo was born— and its timeline,” Salls reflected on ‘Enzo Ferrari: An Obsession with Speed’. “It’s truly a history piece.”
