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Inside Maranello - The Home of Ferrari
Shell is a prominent fixture at the Ferrari factory in Maranello and was there when Enzo Ferrari first started producing his cars in the 1940's. Find out more about Maranello, the home of Ferrari, and how Shell works with the different departments at Ferrari.
The new Ferrari 458 Italia
At the heart of the Ferrari compound in Maranello is the desire to strive for the highest levels of quality. The Gestione Industriale is where this excellence and perfection is translated into the production of famous Prancing Horse cars for the road.
The cars that leave the Gestione Industriale every year are built entirely at Maranello. The newest Ferrari, the 458 Italia, takes Ferrari engineering to a whole new level – it pushes the boundaries of road car technology to deliver maximum horsepower with very much reduced CO2 emissions. Its impressive performance and amazing design are directly linked to the most recent innovations from the Ferrari Formula One™ single-seaters.
Each Gran Turismo undergoes a series of rigorous track and road tests before reaching its new owner in perfect condition. Every car departs the hallowed Maranello factory with the complete care package of Shell V-Power fuel and Shell Helix lubricants for the road.
Shell’s work with this department is wide ranging - covering fuels, engine lubricants and transmission fluids. The demanding Gran Turismo engines provide a perfect testing ground for constant improvements to the Shell road products and Ferrari’s approval and endorsement is an important quality target.
In return, Shell provides Ferrari with important insights into development trends in fuel and oil technology, so that its cars - which have a much longer lifetime than conventional road cars - will still run at their optimal level using the products of tomorrow.
Ferrari GT Cars testing at Maranello
The Gestione Sportiva is home to Ferrari’s Formula One™ division, Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro. Located alongside the Gestione Industriale, this department was built in 1982 and is today the symbol of Ferrari’s achievements in motorsport.
It is here that the Ferrari cars competing on race tracks around the world are designed and assembled. The facility is a hive of activity throughout the year as the race and test teams travel around the globe, returning regularly to prepare the cars for their next competitive outing.
As Ferrari engineers devote their time to developing the finest in Formula One™ cars, technical partner Shell dedicates its energies to building the optimal portfolio of products which contribute to success on the track. In fact, all fluids in the Ferrari Formula One™ car – with the exception of brake fluid – are produced by Shell. This ensures a complete, packaged and consistent approach to performance optimisation.
The Shell facility in Maranello allows Shell scientists and technicians to work hand-in-hand with Ferrari engineers during any development stage in the car’s life, to ensure that the design is optimised for maximum performance and reliability. Shell takes an integrated design approach alongside Ferrari to the Formula One™ programme and the challenge as always is to improve the development rate, pushing the boundaries of Formula One™ fuel and lubricants to a new and ever more competitive level.
Keeping hold of the silverware is never a foregone conclusion, but Shell will be working hard to help Ferrari uphold the championship honour.
The Ferrari complex at Maranello
Maranello has been the iconic home to the Ferrari road and race headquarters for seven decades, ever since Enzo Ferrari, the founder and mentor of Ferrari S.p.A., moved his workshop from Modena to this small town in the foothills of the Italian Apennines in the early 1940s.
During that time, the factory has changed significantly to move with the times. Last year Ferrari continued to update the facilities with two buildings that completed their “Formula Uomo” development programme, continuing the transformation from an enchanting historic compound into a state-of-the-art technical facility.
The developments reflect Ferrari’s commitment to continual improvement, performance and cutting-edge technology. This aesthetic combination of old and new continues to advance technologically, with plans to create new energy generation plants which decrease the electricity taken from the public stream and reduce manufacturing emissions by 35 percent.
The strength of Shell’s technical partnership with Ferrari was clearly demonstrated during this period of transformation. Today the Shell filling station takes pride of place near the ‘Logistica’ building. But perhaps more symbolically, Shell’s effect on Ferrari is seen all over the Maranello complex – from the Fiorano race track just next to Enzo Ferrari’s white house, to the uniforms of every Ferrari employee.
Maranello now welcomes visitors from across the globe and the Galleria Ferrari, a tribute to all things Ferrari, sits alongside the factory gates. Every year thousands of people from all over of the world visit Maranello and its Galleria, which displays Ferrari single-seaters, prototypes and Gran Turismo cars, together with trophies and memorabilia. Ferrari fans are invited to taste the charm and to feel the passionate atmosphere of this spot where myth and tradition meet dynamism and technology.
Beyond the factory gates, Ferrari spirit pervades through the surrounding area. The Ferrari logo can be spotted on most street corners as shops, bars and restaurants proudly display the Prancing Horse in support of the team. Streets are named after famous drivers. On days when the Formula One™ cars take to the team’s private test track – Fiorano – the engine noise carries across the rooftops.
Maranello, a small town in Italy, has become a huge tribute to the spirit of motor racing.