You’ll probably counter that not much will change for a Pistunzen like me. That’s where you’d be wrong. How would you like to be answering to an over-excited driver demanding more horsepower or cutting off your fuel to brake in a hurry?
That whole scenario worries me a little. Sure, Ferraris will always be driven. But where will it all end? Will we end up racing in cars driven by ghosts?

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They’re worth the trip alone. Of course, the new LaFerrari is also still on show as are all the Supercars and Formula 1s. Then there’s the new entrance, the new Caffetteria del Cavallino and a big events hall that can be hired for private evenings. Really fantastic. We finish the fit-out on Friday and so we look forward to seeing you all from Saturday, May 4th...

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In fact it’s debatable which substance means more to him: Modena’s famous balsamic vinegar or the motor oil that courses through the area’s most famous exports. ‘It’s breathtaking,’ he says, sitting in an armchair in a room directly above Enzo Ferrari’s old office on the Fiorano circuit. ‘It’s quite eerie, in a way, the level of expertise that’s on display here. Especially from a chef’s point of view, being control freaks, being the figure at the helm, sitting in the front seat, driving the team at 1,000mph… I’ve been having anxiety attacks about coming here for 10, maybe 15 years. So, you can imagine how it feels.’ Ramsay is a remarkable 21st-century media hyphenate. Scottish by birth but raised in England, one of four children, he had a difficult upbringing, and seems to have been on a life-long quest for selfimprovement and perfection via his chosen medium: cooking. Having had a promising professional football career sabotaged by a dodgy knee, this setback sent him off instead on a worldwide culinary odyssey designed to hone his skills and armour-plate his personality. He worked with the likes of Marco Pierre White and Albert Roux in London, and trained in Paris with Guy Savoy and Joël Robuchon. His first big success came with Aubergine in 1995, followed by the opening of Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea in 1998. Fifteen years later, he is no longer just a chef but a bona fide worldwide brand; a million-selling author, with multiple Michelin stars, an ever-expanding restaurant empire and, thanks to his pull-no-punches persona, a highly paid global TV phenomenon into the bargain (his shows are syndicated to 125 countries.) Today, however, the superstar is willingly reduced to Ferrari fan-boy. From the moment the Lancia people-carrier decants him at the old entrance, flanked by the famous ochre two-storey buildings, he’s clearly in his element. We tour the production line, where we make halting progress, such is his popularity with the workforce. Two GTOs and other precious Ferrari jewels await in the Classiche building, including an archive containing the original technical drawings for every Ferrari, right back to the earliest 125 S model. ‘What an amazing artefact,’Ramsay says under his breath, as he cradles the manuscript gently in his hands as though it were an authentic Da Vinci drawing. He’s introduced to the Tailor-made programme, and is intrigued to hear about the special projects division while wandering through the design centre. The Corse Clienti F1 and XX cars are as awesome as ever. After which there’s a prolonged pit-stop at the Ferrari staff restaurant, probably the best work canteen in the world and certainly the most aerodynamic looking, where staff enjoy cucina emiliana like tortellini and tagliatelle al ragù. Photography with the Ferrari canteen’s thrilled chefs completed, we repair to the Chairman’s private dining room. Given that he is currently one of the judges on TV ratings behemoth Masterchef in the United States, one can only imagine what terror his presence is wreaking in the kitchen. Thankfully, lunch is genuinely excellent, though it’s worth pointing out that the off-duty Ramsay is substantially less splenetic than in broadcast spec.But his conversational style has the same energyefficient staccato rhythm. This is a man whosepassion is precisely mirrored in Maranello.

The Official Ferrari Magazine As strange as it is to ask this while sitting here, but… why Ferrari?
Gordon Ramsay [pause] Why Ferrari? If you saw one on the motorway when you were five or six, you never forgot it. It was a spectacle, like magic. So you have that in your mind, and you get on with your career, and you focus and you keep pushing.

My dream was to win three Michelin stars and to own a Ferrari. Driving mine is that unique special time. It’s not eight hours a day. It’s 60 or 90 minutes a week. An absolute release of pure perfection. From starting up, to holding the steering wheel, the cornering, the noise it makes… It’s the quality you get in a Ferrari. The connection. The sheer perfection. I can relate to the car because it’s like
every corner of my kitchen that I’ve gone through, from top to bottom.
TOFM You’re unbelievably passionate about what you do. Can you relate to what you see here?
GR God, yeah. You sense that drive for perfection the moment you walk in, the attention to detail. The processes. Microscopic attention to detail, in fact. Lots of similarities.
TOFM You must be under an immense amount of pressure to keep on delivering.
GR When you’re at three [Michelin] stars, the only way is down. The year we won our first star we had more complaints than ever before. Because everyone was dissecting everything 10 times more. It’s like winning the Champions League or the Constructors Title in Formula One… Every year, you’re scrutinised with greater intensity. I model Royal Hospital Road [Restaurant Gordon Ramsay] on a fool-proof level of perfection: 10 tables, 38 seats, 38 lunch, 38 dinner, Monday-to-Friday. So I can see the synergy between that and what happens at Ferrari, walking around the factory. It’s repeatability, but also you instil that consistency across everything. From taking a reservation to pouring a glass of wine to saying goodbye to a guest, every little detail is critical. Which is why there aren’t 250 restaurants with three Michelin stars. Four in England, barely a handful in Italy.
TOFM How the hell do you do it?
GR Teaching is the hardest thing. To instil that level of confidence in a chef. Getting that consistency from palate to palate. I’m a realist, though. I don’t teach my guys how to cook first, I teach them how to taste first. If they don’t know how to taste, and can’t tell the difference between the textures, they won’t be able to cook and they shouldn’t be doing it.
Their palate would be absolutely shot.
TOFM You must have incredible discipline.
GR I won’t stop until I’ve got something 100 per cent right. I had six months travelling Europe and to the Caribbean; I always wanted to get out of my comfort zone. Broadens your shoulders. Increases your awareness. Learn, learn, learn. It was absolute focus. I cooked in a little brasserie in Paris, when I could barely afford a Métro ticket. All I wanted was to become fluent in French; the more fluent I was, the more I could steal from them in terms of knowledge.

You’re like a magpie taking all these glittery bits from the kitchen, and you store them. But what you can’t do is copy, because that’s just lazy. That’s one thing I admire about Ferrari. They consistently do their own thing, push boundaries. Look at the FF… All-wheel drive. Very clever.
TOFM What’s your take on the so-called “molecular gastronomy” phenomenon?
GR I like the sense of discovery. I always say to people, “go and have fun, but don’t go to eat.” It’s theatrical. You’ve got to be a legend to really pull it off. Heston [Blumenthal]. Ferran [Adria]. René [Redzepi] in Noma. Amazing. Amazing. It’s the ones who don’t orchestrate it properly that are the danger zone. But I’m a classicist. I need to focus on the flavour, find the balance in what I cook. I don’t have the time or desire to reposition in that way. But hey, go and have fun…
TOFM You’re a big personality, and hugely successful. This inevitably generates criticism from some quarters. How do you cope with that?
GR You develop a thick skin. I’ve been dragged through the hedge backwards. But what do you do? Crumble? It makes you a stronger person. Someone said to me, the amount of shit you’ve taken in the press, you’re going to be one wise old man. [pause] I put it into context. The success in the US. The foundations I have. The unity of my family. The team I have around me. I’ve learned to stop taking it personally. Having the failure we’ve had [Ramsay parted company very publicly with
his CEO and father-in-law Chris Hutcheson] has only enhanced the success. You can’t have it all your own way. I’ve made some big mistakes. But f**k me, have I learned. And you don’t make that mistake again. So, it’s a fascinating time.
TOFM Have you learned to let some things go? I guess you have to, or you’d drive yourself mad.
GR Ah, that takes time. I didn’t find that so easy five or 10 years ago. But you grow up. I keep my foot in the real world. And also, I deserve a certain amount of shit. I give it out, so it was always going to come it. [pause] And I would never hire anyone who smoked. Their palate would be absolutely shot.
TOFM Are you a hard man to live with?
GR No. Relatively easy. Switch off. Little quality time, but it’s high quality. I shut the door and I can turn off. Instantly. Like turning off a light. The Masterchef in Maranello. In many ways, it’s a perfect fit. Sitting alongside de Simone in a 458 Italia, Ramsay has mastered the proper racing line round Fiorano within two laps. He clearly has impressive natural ability and determination, good foundations for lasting success. But beyond that, what connects Gordon Ramsay and Ferrari isn’t just an aptitude for what they do, it’s their insatiable appetite for hard work in pursuit of perfection. ‘People seem to think that when you become successful you don’t need the kitchen any more, but I wouldn’t be where I am today without it,’ Ramsay says. ‘Running the hot plate. Gettino behind the stove.’

Published on The Official Ferrari Magazine issue 18, September 2012

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The story of Daytona didn’t, however, begin in 1962. The really tough sand of the beaches there had long been a favourite location for sporting activities. The circuit we know, the one of the 24-hour race, is the one that is to be celebrated with an exhibition at the Museo Ferrari, which runs from mid-September to mid-November. Not to be missed, among others, is the presence of the most symbolic car from the 24 Hours: the 330 P4.
Daytona has a racing tradition dating back to the early part of the 20th Century, when speed trials took place from 1903 on Ormond Beach, just to the north, before then moving south to the harder packed sand of Daytona Beach. It was even used for land speed record attempts, with Malcolm Campbell in Bluebird, setting a new land speed record of 528km/h there in 1935.
As America opened up, the chosen venue for land speed records became the more stable Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, leaving Daytona Beach out on a limb. However, as motorsport attracted crowds to the area, the city council wanted to maintain the tradition as it brought in valuable revenue, and instituted stock car and motorcycle races on the beach.
One of the main protagonists in the promotion and running of these races was Bill France, who founded NASCAR in 1948, still one of the most popular forms of motorsport in the United States.
In the early 1950s, beachside development was increasing and it was becoming more difficult to organise races on the beach and adjacent roads. Bill France looked further afield, and persuaded the city council to ratify the construction of a speedway to host NASCAR races. He then managed to integrate an infield section of the course as part of the overall design, with a view to hosting major international events.
The Daytona International Speedway opened in 1959, but two years prior to that France had organised a sports car racing event at New Smyrna Beach Airport, just south of Daytona, as the finale to the Daytona Beach Speed Week, which is where the Ferrari connection with Daytona really started.

The event attracted many of the country’s top sports car drivers, including John Edgar from California, who had a number of Ferraris in his stable through the mid-1950s. For this meeting, he entered Carroll Shelby in his Ferrari 410 Sport, who won both his preliminary race on the Saturday, as well as the main race on the Sunday.
Endurance racing, which marked a new beginning with a specially constructed track at the Daytona Speedway, started with a three-hour race in 1962. This was followed by another in 1963, before going to a 2,000-kilometre format (just over 12 hours) in 1964 and 1965, with the first 24-hour race held in 1966. It has retained the 24-hour format ever since, apart from a reduced duration running of six hours in 1972, and the cancellation in 1974 due to the energy crisis.
The inaugural endurance race in 1962, named the Daytona Continental, was won by Dan Gurney in a Lotus Climax, which he amously parked just before the finish line in the final stages, and then coaxed over the line, using the starter motor and slope of the banking, as the clock signalled that the time was up, to take victory. Following this event, the practice was banned, and rules introduced stating that a car must cross the finish line under its own power.
The Ferrari Dino 246 S, driven by then World Champion Phil Hill, finished second, and the 250 GT SWB “Sperimentale”, driven by Stirling Moss, finished fourth and won the 3.0-litre GT Class. The entry list also included Jo Bonnier, Jim Clark, Innes Ireland and the Rodriguez brothers, Pedro and Ricardo. The second running of the Daytona Continental in 1963 saw Ferrari post its first victory, when Pedro Rodriguez won in a 250 GTO entered by Luigi Chinetti Sr, with Roger Penske finishing second in a similar car.
The first of the 2,000-kilometre events in 1964 once again saw a Ferrari cross the finish line in first place, but with two drivers ecause of the longer duration; the previous year’s winner Pedro Rodriguez was teamed with Phil Hill, once more in a Luigi Chinetti Sr 250 GTO, this time a 1964 model. Not only did a Ferrari 250 GTO win, but they filled the podium, with David Piper/ Lucien Bianchi finishing second, and Walt Hangsen/Bob Grossman/John Fulp finishing third.
The last of the 2,000-kilometre races and the first of the 24-hour duration events, in 1965 and 1966 respectively, were Ford benefits. This was the era of Ford versus Ferrari on the endurance race tracks of the world, each battling for supremacy during a golden age for sports and GT car racing.

In 1966, Ford had taken the proverbial sledgehammer to crack a nut to win what was (and still is), undoubtedly the greatest prize of all, Le Mans 24 Hours, in which seven Ford Mk IIs, plus a number of privateer GT40s, took part. They succeeded in filling the podium, leaving Ferrari licking its wounds as the pair of works entered 330 P3s retired. One consolation for Ferrari was a class
victory for the Maranello Concessionaires entered 275 GTB/C in the over 3.0-litre GT class. Not only did Ford win Daytona and Le Mans in 1966, but it took what might be termed the “Triple Crown” with further victory in the 12 Hours of Sebring.
The first round of the 1967 season was the 24 Hours of Daytona, where the Ferrari–Ford rivalry was renewed. Ferrari entered two of its new 330 P4 models, which were backed up by a pair of 412 Ps from Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team (NART) and Jacques Swaters’ Ecurie Francorchamps, while Ford entered six Mk IIs. This race would prove to be sweet revenge for Ferrari
over the ignominy of defeat by Ford in the 1966 Championship, and produced one of the most widely reported sports racing victories ever.
The picture of the pair of works 330 P4s and the NART entered 412 P, sweeping around the banking in formation to take the chequered flag, in a onetwo-three finish, made headlines around the world. It was regarded as a David against Goliath slaying of Ford on home soil and has become one of motorsports’ most iconic images.
Also deserving of great fame was the decision, taken by the then Ferrari Sporting Director Franco Lini, to ask the drivers to cross the finishing line in side-by-side formation, to send out a message of superiority to the rest of the motorsports world. Indeed, such was the impact of this victory, that the 365 GTB/4 road car announced in 1968 was dubbed the Daytona by the motoring press in
recognition of the win the previous year.
The model went on to race in the 24 Hours of Daytona between 1972 and 1981, dominating during a period when the pace of change in racing was rapid. The model won second overall driven by a François Migault/Milt Minter in 1973.
Four years later, the film actor Paul Newman teamed up with Minter and Elliott Forbes- Robinson to finish fifth overall in the 1977 race. This was surprisingly surpassed in 1979, when John Morton/Tony Adamowicz gave the model another second place overall, a very respectable result for what by then was an outdated racing car.
After the 1967 win, Ferrari didn’t return to Daytona as a works team until 1970. By this time Ford had pulled out of endurance racing, and the new rival was Porsche, with their 917 going head to head with Ferrari’s 512 S model. Porsche took the two top spots, with the 512 S of Mario Andretti/Arturo Merzario/Jacky Ickx salvaging Ferrari’s reputation with third position.
In 1971 Ferrari decided to leave large engine capacity sports car racing in the hands of private teams with the upgraded 512 M model, while it concentrated on the Formula One-based, 3.0-litre flat 12 312 P model.
At Daytona that year it was once again a Porsche 917 victory, but a pair of Ferraris joined it on the podium. The 512 S driven by a partnership of Ronnie Bucknum/Adamowicz/Alain De Cadenet finished second, and the 512 M of Mark Donohue/David Hobbs third.
The latter, the famous blue Sunoco model, was a certain contender for victory, but an accident with an errant GT Porsche caused considerable damage, which the team gallantly repaired. The car missed 53 laps as a result, but eventually finished just 14 laps behind the winner.
The final Ferrari works entry at Daytona came in 1972, with the 312 P model, and it was victorious in the hands of Mario Andretti and Jacky Ickx, followed home by the sister car of Tim Schenken and Ronnie Peterson. The third works entry of Clay Regazzoni and Brian Redman finished fourth.
Over the ensuing 40 years the sports racing and GT categories at Daytona have varied and Ferrari appearances have been less than in the first decade. However with the emergence of the 333 SP in 1994, once again there was a sports racing Ferrari available to privateer clients, and it wasn’t long before the model raced at Daytona.
Its first taste of success came in 1996, when Gianpiero Moretti/Bob Wollek/Didier Theys/Max Papis finished second overall, with another second overall in 1997 courtesy of Andy Evans/Fermin Velez/Charles Morgan/Rob Morgan. Victory for the model came in 1998 with the driving team of Moretti/Arie Luyendyk/Mauro Baldi/Theys, victory coming close again in 1999, finishing in second,
third and fourth positions.
Since then, occasional Ferrari participation at the Florida circuit has been in the hands of privateers with varying degrees of success. One of the most recent was in 2003, when the Ferrari of Washington entered 360 GT driven by Cort Wagner and Brent Martini won the GT class in the Grand-Am Series finale at Daytona, which gave the team the Grand-Am GT Championship, with the
drivers tying for the GT Driver’s Championship, plus it gave Ferrari its first ever GT Manufacturer’s Championship in the United States.
In 2012, Ferrari returned to the GT class of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, (as it is now officially known) with a Grand-Am version of the 458 Italia GT3 and, although it wasn’t an auspicious debut, the development bodes well for the future, with the AIM Autosport Team FXDD Racing With Ferrari entry performing very competitively in subsequent Grand-Am races.
This detailed chronicle shows us how, in various ways and with various cars and drivers, Ferrari has tied its name to the celebrated bowl circuit and the extremely demanding 24-hour race.
However, the reputation of an event and of a brand is built up through persistence and commitment, two things that are never in short supply in either Maranello or Florida.

Published on The Official Ferrari Magazine issue 18, September 2012

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Gilles was the shock factor that interrupted normality, someone who met the consequences of both the risks he faced and his success with disarming nonchalance. At last, there was someone who transgressed, who brought creativity to bravery, who rocked a worrying complacency. Someone who showed, with Formula One as a pretext, a way to break with the past, and who, in the process, became a legend. ‘When Dad ate in this room, my mother and my sister waited for him in our camper van parked over there. We were very close but Melanie and I were small, we didn’t really know…’ says Jacques, beginning to feel more at home. The questions begin. Piero first asks about Indianapolis, where the race is to take place at the end of the month. Jacques gets carried away: ‘I have wonderful memories. The Indy 500 is an odd race, even if you have the fastest car. To gain a tenth of a second per lap you have to drive around for three days. And the three weeks of trials before the race end up sending you to sleep and at that point it gets easy to make mistakes.

‘During the race, you drive with the steering wheel turned towards the left the whole time. There are slow drivers, drivers who get tired. The tension makes you lose speed. And then, with the controls in the cockpit, the handling changes on every lap. It’s a monstrous job over a seemingly never-ending distance.’ Piero asks which is more difficult, the Indy 500 or Nascar. Jacques is in no doubt: ‘In Nascar you can make up for the car problems with your driving, and if you bump into something, there’s no great harm. In the Indy you’re going at 300km/h all the time; when you see the wall coming up to you, you’re sure you’re going to hurt yourself. In Indy-type races I’ve always had an advantage, that of consuming less petrol, and wearing out the tyres and the brakes less than the others.’ Piero returns to the past: ‘The brakes only lasted three laps for your father before they were burnt out. It was staggering to see how he wore them out and we were struck because we had had [Niki] Lauda in the team until the year before, and at the end of the race his brakes were still as good as new. They were very different characters: Niki was a careful, precise driver, Gilles was more decisive and drove more violently.’ ‘What was [Alain] Prost like? Last winter in France I entered some Andros Trophy events on ice with Skoda. He was there too…’ Piero, directly involved in managing races during Prost’s two years at Ferrari, has an anecdote. ‘Alain came close to winning the World Championship in 1990, but his contract was broken off early the following year because he didn’t get on with some of the mechanics. But as soon as he arrived he put the car in order and did an excellent job. [Jean] Alesi was with him, but he didn’t have the same experience and copied the set-ups. Alain let him get on with it, then changed the settings between the warm-up and the race, and Jean found that he was racing with the wrong set-up. Prost was very astute…’ Jacques smiles. ‘Do you know that today is the first time I’ve been round Ferrari? When I was a child I wasn’t interested. As a driver I was engaged with other teams, so I’ve never been able to come back here till now. I’ve seen the Fiorano track, where I did my first Formula Three tests. Did my father like Fiorano?’ Piero nods. ‘He drove round Fiorano all the time, the tests were only carried out at Fiorano. Gilles had a mania, he never completed the home lap. As soon as he saw the “in” sign, he span round and went back to the pit from the opposite direction. Forghieri used to get very angry because the manoeuvre was dangerous for the drive-train. But my father enjoyed it, so he let him get away with anything. You were at home here, your camper was always next to the track.’ Jacques is evidently moved by all this. ‘Yes, it was so nice, we were all together, there was a dog, too. It wouldn’t be possible today, this is the time of drivers who are paid to race, of teams bought and sold again. I don’t enjoy seeing Grands Prix knowing that even the real champions can’t go at top speed from start to finish, because the tyres are in danger of losing grip at any moment. And the moveable rear wing? If there had been DRS in the 1980s, my father would only have done three laps in front of Jarama and then they would have overtaken him.’

Piero remembers that day very well. ‘Your father achieved a historic feat, he kept them all behind him with his flair for driving. But Gilles was never unfair.’ Jacques smiles. ‘It’s true, I must have seen the Dijon duel thousands of times and both my father and [René] Arnoux left room, neither ever tried to push the other off the track. Gilles always respected his adversaries. Because it was an F1 in which everyone knew they could get really hurt. ‘Now the circuits are wide, the run-off areas are enormous and you can go over the limit without running any risks. It’s a video game. The cars are very safe. It made me nervous to get into the cockpit of my father’s car with my shoulders
exposed without protection. Look at some of the accidents that took place at the time, and yet Gilles and De Cesaris always came out unharmed.’ Talk moves on to one of Jacques’ celebrated overtakes, one of the finest ever seen, in which he passed Michael Schumacher on the long Estoril bend at Magny-Cours in 1996. Jacques relives the moment: ‘The day before the race I had told my mechanics that I would willingly try and overtake someone there. They looked at me as if I were mad. “Tell me what lap you’re going to do it on, so we can come and pick up the pieces, you can’t overtake there, remember…” And yet, I overtook Schumacher, of all people, who was dealing with a driver that he was lapping. He didn’t leave me much room, to tell the truth, but I managed it. The only way to pass Schumacher was to surprise him. He was convinced it would be impossible for anyone to overtake him round there, but I did it, preparing the manoeuvre in advance. At the very moment he braked, without looking in his mirrors, I went outside him and managed to get past.’ Piero is impressed. ‘But at Jerez things didn’t go so well…’ Jacques shrugs: ‘Yes, that’s true. But you know what I remember about it? That I was afraid the springs had broken after the collision. In addition to this, the battery was attached to a cable that had almost snapped. After that episode, every time Schumacher was battling against me, he always braked a metre before without taking any risks. I’m enormously pleased to have won the World Championship beating him above all. That was a wonderful day…’ Piero smiles again. ‘But your father was a little crazy, he really was…’ Jacques laughs. ‘Well, he was a bit. Did you know that when I was 10 he tried to make me fly a helicopter? He wedged me between his legs and rested my hands on the controls… In a helicopter he did the maddest things, he was never afraid. Life was like that for him. He liked challenges. ‘A little like me when I went round the Eau Rouge bend at Spa at top speed for the first time. It was a risk that only gave you an advantage of a tenth of a second a lap, but it was good to do it for your pride, in order to feel you were stronger, to make the others afraid of you.’ Piero finds himself in the unusual situation of inquiring into the life of Gilles’ son in order to uncover the secret hiding places of the champion who played such an important part in the Ferrari story. He’s clearly fascinated. He asks Jacques about the challenges he faced with establishing a career with that surname. Jacques is as stoic as ever. ‘Pfft! Every time I made my debut, in Formula Atlantic, then Indy and F1, everyone was asking me if I was doing it to continue Gilles’ achievements. And I started by not saying anything. It was only after I had won the World Championship that I became Villeneuve, cancelling out “Gilles’ son”. When he died I became the man of the family. But if he hadn’t died, I wouldn’t have become what I am. ‘Fame? It’s overrated. It actually isn’t easy to be the son of someone famous. I’ve lived the same experience as Gian Maria Regazzoni, Nico Rosberg, other “sons of”. ‘People expect you to go on track and win in your first race: you sense all this and it puts you under tremendous pressure. If you then manage to survive, all of the pressure you faced before helps you afterwards.’ Jacques reflects on a father who lit up the racing world with his supernatural car control and flamboyance. ‘Gilles had awesome reflexes. I can remember the time I saw him change a lens in his camera with a lightning move: he took a second to remove one lens and fit another. I was at a loss for words. It wasn’t a mechanical ability, but a question of the brain. The brain is fundamentally important when it comes to putting things together and making decisions. Some people are simply unable to make two movements at the same time.’ ‘Did your father take a lot of photos?’ Piero asks. ‘Yes, he had a special dark room at home. He took snaps, printed them and kept them in order.’ ‘Talking about speed of execution,’ Piero continues, ‘did you know that Gilles was absolutely the first to try the steering wheelmounted gear shift, instead of the usual floor mounted one? It was 1978, he did a test drive at Fiorano with the T3. ‘At first, there were two buttons on the spokes of the steering wheel, up and down. But your father said that taking his thumbs off the wheel, even for an instant, affected his grip. And so, at his suggestion, we gave him paddle gear levers like those mounted on all our F1s and GTs today. He invented them! And yet, he didn’t want to use the system because he didn’t get any fun out of it. So, we forgot all about it for a few years…’ It was Nigel Mansell who, in 1989, took a Ferrari equipped with an electro-hydraulic steering wheel mounted gear lever to victory. A hero, Nigel.

Like Jody Scheckter. Jacques warms to the mention of the Scheckter name. ‘He had an extraordinary relationship with my father. Team mates and rivals, but friends too. There was another driver who was a real friend of Gilles, Patrick Tambay. His son races too now and is doing really well. I hope he breaks through, he has quality. Who do I currently like in F1? Certainly Alonso, who was with me for three races at Renault. Very good on the track, and off the track too.’ Jacques, speaking with Piero in perfect Italian, is curious about something: ‘How did your father and mine talk to each other at the beginning?’ Piero explains: ‘My father spoke a little French, there was a dialogue. Jody, on the other hand, didn’t understand and so was a bit left out. After each test drive at Fiorano, your father always wrote a report for mine.’
Jacques smiles softly. ‘Just think, I once went along to one of those chats…’ There is a moment’s silence, broken by the lady that has been serving us: ‘Will you have coffee?’ ‘No thanks, I won’t have any. And you, Jacques?’

Published on the Official Ferrari Magazine issue 18, September 2012

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Obviously these qualities have proven equally effective with the establishment of his airline businesses and role as Formula One adviser and consultant. Again, his ability to embrace the politics and complications with a direct approach makes for a fabulously entertaining story.
The other thing I found particularly interesting was his skill at evaluating his own strengths and weaknesses, and making adjustments accordingly. One has read innumerable descriptions of athletes and performers responding to pressure, and in general it seems that an ability to transform stress into motivation is a prerequisite for success. In Niki’s case, he appears to have an alternative solution in recognising pressure and being able to divest himself of some of it. Fascinating.
Then there was his relationship with Enzo Ferrari. It’s clear that despite the Machiavellian politics, arguments and shouting matches, there was considerable respect and genuine affection between them… Apart from his obvious talent as a driver, Niki was part of Ferrari’s transition to a more modern motorsport era, where the driver played a wider role as part of the development team. In a world before computers and telemetry, there was still a gap between the engineers and the physical car that could only be bridged by the driver, presenting an opportunity for him to reposition himself as team leader and motivator.
Finally, it was illuminating to talk to Niki about the upcoming feature film Rush, directed by Ron Howard and currently in post-production, that vividly depicts Niki’s 1970s rivalry with James Hunt. Niki clearly appreciated that this was a bigbudget feature, not a documentary in the style of Senna. He seemed relaxed, and indeed amused, to learn that elements were fictionalised to attract an audience beyond the typical F1 fan. His view on the subject also revealed his acute sense of humour and something else perhaps unexpected: a willingness to laugh at himself.
Nick Mason How do you spend your time now?
Niki Lauda I sold Niki, my second airline after Lauda Air, to Air Berlin, last November. I had a “put” option that they asked to bring forward. In eight years of operation, we were profitable from the second year. We grew to 4.2 million passengers, 22 planes, and we always made money. We had a proper low-cost structure, we expanded like crazy, never had bank loans other than to finance the purchase of the planes. I’m on the board of Air Berlin now, to help them get their act together. So my work now is much less, because my day-to-day work was the airline. I’ve also been with RTL [German broadcaster] for 15 years, covering F1, and I travel to every grand prix.
NM From what I gather, you could write several books based on your exploits in the aviation industry alone.
NL I came out of a competitive environment in motor racing. When I started Lauda Air, I tried to find a better product for a reasonable price. We were the first to fly to Australia: Austrian Airlines didn’t even know where Australia was! I sold one airline to them and built up another one. Learning to fly and becoming a fully qualified commercial pilot myself also meant nobody could bullshit me when we were negotiating.

TOFM Like some of your contemporaries in motor racing, you have a pronounced entrepreneurial streak. In effect, you have had a three-act career, with no end in sight either…
NL I’m enjoying it, which is the number one thing. I always try to come up with a crazy idea and then make it work. The idea is the easy bit, making it stick is the difficult part. I like to have everything well under control and I can analyse things properly. What drives me crazy is the amount of talking that goes on. I like to make my life simple. I get straight to the point. If it’s my mistake, it’s my mistake. In motor racing, you learn to achieve the best result in the shortest amount of time. It applies in life too. Be quicker than the others. And don’t make mistakes. Even if things fail, have the discipline to find a new way, rather than embarking on a pointless emotional journey.

NM It’s about having the ability to function under duress. In motor racing, but also in negotiation… Your family background is interesting. Did that shape you significantly?
NL My biggest problem was my grandfather. He was president of the Red Cross and ran a huge company in Austria. I had a good relationship with my mother and father, but my grandfather… I remember eating in this very hotel [The Imperial in central Vienna] – we had lunch here every Christmas Day – and there was one rule, we were not allowed to talk. And we kids talked and we were thrown out. I fought my grandfather like you wouldn’t believe. I went my own way, and decided to become a racing driver. I don’t think I would ever have fought as hard as I did if my grandfather had been a reasonable person.
TOFM Did he ever say, “Sorry Niki, you did well…”
NL No. I broke with him, and the poor guy died before we had a chance to make peace.
TOFM You paid to drive for March and BRM, and secured a bank loan against your life insurance. When did Ferrari enter the scene?
NL “If Ferrari calls, don’t forget to tell me.” It was a running joke, I would always say this as I left my little office in Salzburg before a race. I got back on Tuesday and my secretary said, “Ferrari called.” “Don’t joke,” I said. “No really, someone called Monteprezelo or something…” I called him, I went to Maranello, I saw the Old Man and he said, “I want you to drive for me.” I said, “Why?”
“Because you’re ahead of [Jacky] Ickx and you’re an unknown and nobody knows why you are so fast…” I said I’d just had dinner with Mr Stanley [BRM’s boss] and done a deal. The Old Man said, “I’ll fix it.” Then we got to Brands Hatch and there was a rumour in the paddock that the police weren’t going to allow the Ferrari transporter through because of a dispute between BRM and Ferrari over the driver Niki Lauda! Actually, it was Bernie [Ecclestone] who helped sort that out.

NM Didn’t things get off to a tricky start, with that famously difficult first test?
NL Well, the first time I met Enzo Ferrari, [Franco] Gozzi and Montezemolo were there. It was quite simple negotiating with him because I didn’t have very much to negotiate about. I think he paid the equivalent of about €50,000 today. I said, at least let me have a car, and they sold me one – at a discount. A cheap car but not free, not part of the deal. That really annoyed me! Then I came over to do my first test. The 1974 car was very uncompetitive, remember. At Fiorano, TAG Heuer had installed photo-cell timing equipment, which was very clever, and I thought, “If they have this technology and they still can’t make a competitive car, I don’t understand the world any more.” I told Piero [Ferrari], to push him, “The car is shit [his curt assessment of the car was meant more as a wake-up call for those involved in its design], it understeers everywhere…” He replied, “You can’t say that, it’s a Ferrari!” I replied, “You tell the Old Man I think the car is no good. It doesn’t turn in properly, there is no balance.” Then [Mauro] Forghieri was brought back from Siberia. Together we decided that we could go half a second faster. Piero said, “That’s very brave. If you say this, you have to make it happen.” Forghieri then fixed the geometry, and lowered the roll centre on the chassis, and I went 8/10ths of a second quicker. And, for whatever reason, the Old Man then trusted me from that moment on.
TOFM Maybe you’d passed a sort of initiation test…
NL Ferrari’s only interest was winning. He cared more about the cars than the drivers. He liked Villeneuve because he was crazy. And he liked me because I told him the truth, I didn’t bullshit him. He was friendly with me, he accepted me. I would simply knock on his door. Looking back now, after all the fights I had with him after my accident, he was a very egocentric man. Absolutely focused on his cars, on his ideas, being successful. But in the end, he was Italian and he had a heart. I had the opportunity to experience it on the odd occasion, but the rest of the time it was not funny. Let me tell you this. Audetto [Daniele, then team manager] visited me in hospital, after my accident, then went back to the paddock, went up to [Emerson] Fittipaldi and said, “Lauda is dead, we want to offer you a two-year contract.” This was an order from Ferrari himself. But listen, in terms of charisma and personality, none of today’s F1 managers compare with Enzo. Think how long he has been dead, and we’re still talking about him!
NM In the music industry, there are no more big characters like that. Now if you have a problem, you deal with business affairs. The legal department, basically.
NL There are people in F1 who wish they were like Enzo Ferrari, when they should concentrate on being themselves. Why was Enzo Ferrari different? Because he was who he was, and never wanted to be somebody else. Montezemolo has a big burden, but he has done a great job this past 20 years. The cars are excellent. And he has a charisma himself, he does it his way. He is the best man to continue the job Enzo started, doing it his own way, while keeping the spirit of the Old Man alive. When he was team manager, he had a different approach. A new type of manager. He came from the outside. He made us very successful.
TOFM Your comeback after the accident at the Nürburgring in 1976 remains arguably the greatest act of sporting bravery ever. You were badly burned, your lungs were severely damaged. And yet you were racing again just six weeks later.
NL I always knew about the risks I was taking. Every year, someone you knew was killed racing. You had to ask yourself, do you enjoy driving these cars so much that you’re prepared to take that risk? When I had my accident, I was not surprised. So I never moaned or bitched with myself. Then there was a simple question: is the pleasure of driving still strong, or do I want to retire? I remember I went running while listening to some good music, and I thought: do I retire for good, or do I fight fear, fight the accident and go for it? [thumps table] After my accident, I never worried about how I looked. It was how it was. I asked a nurse in the burns clinic, “When can I look in the mirror?” “Any time,” she said. It should never have been allowed. And she switched on a neon light, and my head was as big as this [makes expansive gesture with his hands] because of the heat and the water retention. My head went straight into my shoulders… I had to squint my eyes to see… “F**k,” I thought. Of course, it got better and better. I had seen my injuries at their worst.
NM What happened when you returned to the team? What was their reaction?
NL I went to Fiorano, and I said, “Let me drive a car.” I was still in pain, so I needed to see if I could drive it. I went to see Ferrari – “I want to drive at Monza”, I told him. He was surprised, and said, “It’s a bad idea. If you miss this race, it’s just one more race, and if we lose the championship, people will understand.” I said, “Excuse me, I’m fit, I don’t give a f**k about the championship. I want to get back to work. Simple.” And he said, “Ah, but we took a decision and we have [Carlos] Reutemann now, too.” My contract with Ferrari stipulated two cars not three. “Only in Monza you have three cars,” I said. My first day at Monza was terrible, I was putting too much pressure on myself. And I had to fight the idiots at the track to let me drive. The next day, I calmed myself down and drove like there was no grand prix – I was the quickest Ferrari in practice. My confidence came back. And I finished fourth in the race.
NM And after that?
NL Well everything seemed OK until Fuji, when I got out of the car. I called the Old Man afterwards and said I wasn’t going to drive in those conditions [there was torrential rain at Fuji; in the race James Hunt finished third, and won the world championship over Lauda by a single point]. There was a nice, positive reaction from him, so I was relieved. Then I had to have another operation on my eyelid, so I was out for two months. After that I called and said, “I’m ready to go testing, I’m fit.” And Ferrari said, “Good. You can test brake pads at Fiorano.” I said, “Are you f**king nuts?” And he said, “I took a decision, Reutemann is the new number one and he’s fully in charge of testing.”
NM You had to hustle to get a proper test in the car, didn’t you?
NL Yes. And in three laps, I blew away Reutemann’s best time. And he’d been testing [at Paul Ricard] all week! The Old Man called the next day and I told him, “You will never win the championship if he does all the testing.” He accepted this, off we went, Reutemann was still part of it, of course, and I won my second championship at Ferrari. And then Bernie [Ecclestone, then team principal at Brabham] came along, offered me a load of money to leave Ferrari and drive for him, and I’d had enough of the political problems by then. Two days later, I’m in a room with all of the big Ferrari hitters, not just the Old Man. I thought, wow, they really want to make a new contract. Forghieri said, “How much do you want?” which they never would have asked before. “I’m leaving,” I said. And Ferrari looked at me and I could see in his eyes that he was hurt and he could not believe it. It was Ferrari. They
had the best car. But I was leaving. And I walked out like I was walking on air.
NM And pretty soon we’ll be able to see you on the big screen, in Rush. That must feel rather special.
NL I know Peter Morgan [the film’s scriptwriter]. I had actually known his wife for a while before I met Peter. So, actually I wasn’t aware of his body of work, and of course he is one of the finest screenwriters working in cinema. I met him, and he started telling me about his idea for a film. I told him pretty much what I’ve just told you today. Anyway, we were having dinner some time later, and Peter told my wife Birgit, “Niki won’t like what I have done. This is a Hollywood film and I’ve had to change lots of things.” [laughs] I haven’t even read the full script. I don’t care, I can accept it. I think Ron Howard is fantastic. I know Eric Fellner, one of the producers – he’s a big Ferrari fan. Daniel Brühl [the actor portraying Lauda] is terrific.
TOFM I met him on the set earlier this year, and I can tell you his take on you is inspired.
NL I trained him well! He came to Vienna and worked with a speech coach. I asked him, “How difficult is it for you to play me?” He replied, “Extremely, because you are still alive. People will know if I am a bad actor.” Marlene [Lauda’s first wife] told him all sorts of things about me. [laughs] Peter showed me the scene where my injuries are shown for the first time, on my return at Monza.
It’s shot extremely well, I must say. The horror of the moment. I finally understood how the people at the time must have felt. At the time I didn’t care.
TOFM You recently became a father again, at the age of 60. Another pretty significant development…
NL It’s very funny. Honestly. Max and Mia, they’re almost three now. To see them every day, how funny they are, the things they do… With Lukas and Mathias [his sons from his first marriage], I was never there. I was egocentric. Racing was dangerous. It was about me staying alive in a very extreme sport. Children are unpolluted by the things that adults worry about. I am still a kid, in a way. It’s not difficult for me to go back there. At least, that’s what I like to tell my wife, Birgit…

Published on The Official Ferrari Magazine issue 18, September 2012

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The English musician also got the chance to meet President Montezemolo, giving his impressions of the first ever hybrid supercar produced by Ferrari. “It’s an amazing car and, just looking at it makes you want to drive it,” said Jay. “I think it’s hard to imagine such a concentration of style, technology, performance and excitement all in the one package.”
During his stop in Maranello, Kay visited the factory and spent a long time in the Atelier Ferrari, where he was able to see for himself all the latest personalisation options on the cars available for customers of the Prancing Horse.

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Which brings us neatly back to his Ferrari fixation. In a two-hour conversation that finds Hagar, 64, as animated as a child at Christmas, what becomes immediately clear is that cars have played an integral part in his emotional life. And although he keeps more than a dozen vehicles of different makes at the ready for his spontaneous drives around mountainous Marin County, it is his half-dozen Maranello-built machines that launch him into some particularly passionate stories. There’s the one about his personal best time for a highway blast from his home in Malibu near Los Angeles to Mill Valley up north in his 1982 512 BB; four hours and 18 minutes to cover 665km. ‘I must have averaged about 150mph [241km/h] during some stretches,’ he says with an irrepressible grin. Or the time he got a phone call from Eddie Van Halen asking him to join the band, after the Lamborghini-loving guitarist admired one of Hagar’s Prancing Horses at the garage of LA mechanic Claudio Zampolli. ‘It’s true, Claudio got me in the band, but he was also the most amazing mechanic ever, able to fix my cars just by hearing them drive up,’ Hagar says of Zampolli, famous for melding two Ferrari V8s to form the power plant of his Cizeta-Moroder supercars, co-founded with Oscar-winning composer Giorgio Moroder. And he can’t forget the time he was recording in the same Los Angeles studio as Pink Floyd one year in the 1980s, when the American would drive a new exotic in each morning just to get a rise out of his British rock heroes. ‘I’m such a Pink Floyd fan, David Gilmour is up there with Eric Clapton for me, so to get so much car love from him and Nick Mason, particularly for my 365 GTC convertible, was just a thrill,’ he says.

But perhaps the most intriguing tale Hagar tells is about how the impassioned cry of a Ferrari engine at speed – particularly his favoured Colombo V12s – helped him find his guitar and vocal sound. ‘I get goose bumps thinking about this, but when I first went searching for a signature guitar tone in the 1980s, I decided it had to sound like a Ferrari at about 4,500 or 5,000rpm. It had to have that whoooomp, that tearing sound, like the speakers were being ripped out,’ he says, leaning forward in his chair. ‘Now, when I scream, I want smoothness. If it weren’t for Ferraris, I wouldn’t scream like I do. I scream at about 9,000rpm, and I sing at around 4,000. On [the Van Halen track] Dreams, the part where I sing “higher and higher,” that’s me being a Ferrari at the redline.’ Hagar slaps his palms together, flops back in the chair and laughs. It’s the contented boom of a man in his prime, successful both personally (he has two young daughters with wife Kari, and two grown sons from an earlier marriage) and professionally (beyond Chickenfoot, he recently launched a new premium rum, and his non-profit Sammy’s Beach Bar & Grill restaurant chain benefits sick and hungry children in five US cities). However, life wasn’t always so rich or rewarding. Sam Roy Hagar was born in 1947 and raised in Fontana, California, an hour’s drive east of LA. His father worked for a steel company and loved to box, instilling in his son the need to be tough and persistent in life. That fundamental lesson proved invaluable, as Hagar would repeatedly turn misfortune into success. He scored hit singles after being dismissed from both Montrose and Van Halen, and struck business gold with his tequila and, more recently, a restaurant in his Mill Valley hometown, El Paseo, which serves dishes conjured up by American celebrity chef Tyler Florence. ‘I wanted to be rich and famous because I was born poor, but once I got fame and money, I became addicted to the sheer creativity of launching new ventures,’ Hagar says, sitting near a wall of sketches depicting his Beach Bar & Grill eateries, which are largely found in airports and which, to date, have donated more than a million dollars to children’s charities.

‘It’s no longer about the money. What I make now, I largely give away. It’s about the challenge. Coming up with a good song is like coming up with a good business concept. You want a hit.’ At every stage of Hagar’s lengthy career, financial success has been followed by automotive rewards. Just a few years after his epiphany in the passenger seat of J Geils’ 250 Lusso – until then, Hagar had largely been a die-hard Ford enthusiast, a love that’s reflected in the gleaming white-withblue stripes 2005 Ford GT in his cavernous garage – the singer decamped to London with $5,000 in royalty cheques and went hunting for Ferraris. What he found was a four-headlight 330 GT 2+2 painted in Bluebird blue, which he says belonged to British speed record king Donald Campbell. ‘I’d looked at some Maseratis but, in the end, I wanted a Ferrari 12-cylinder,’ he says. ‘I drove that car everywhere, all over England, then shipped it back and drove it all over the US. I didn’t know about Ferraris at first, I didn’t realise they were such redline machines. But that car taught me all I needed to know.’ In the early 1980s, the 330 was starting to ail. Hagar sold it, and spent a few months in a new 308 GTB before spotting a black 512 BB in Zampolli’s shop. The mechanic offered to help him buy one, but Hagar didn’t have the cash.

‘But then my album Standing Hampton came out, and Three Lock Box went platinum, and I marched back to Claudio’s and ordered a BB,’ Hagar says, beaming at the memory of that triumphant moment. ‘There you go. The trip started.’ Hagar’s cyclone of Ferrari enthusiasm soon sucked in his Van Halen band mate, bassist Michael Anthony, who Hagar jokingly snipes ‘was driving a Mercedes or something like that’. Anthony, who is a member of Chickenfoot along with guitarist Joe Satriani and drummer Chad Smith, recalls things a bit differently. ‘I had a [Porsche] 911SC, but then I met Sammy and the next thing I know, I own a 1972 Dino 246,’ he says, chuckling. ‘If you value your marriage, you don’t become friends with Sammy. I went from two cars to having 12. Luckily, my wife realises that things could be a lot worse than your husband being addicted to cars.’ Hagar laughs when told the anecdote. He agrees that his car lust has kept him from going off rock’s deep end. ‘You can’t drive messed up,’ he says, ‘and I just love to drive.’ But he adds that cars were never a way for him to unwind from the stress of the music industry. ‘Quite the opposite, they kept my adrenaline going. I’d come off a tour all revved up, and the best thing I could do was get in one of my Ferraris and drive from LA to the Bay Area and back,’ he says. One such round trip was made in Hagar’s new black-on-red leather 400i, whose keys Anthony grabbed one day. ‘I fell in love with it, and with Ferrari 12-cylinders at that moment,’ says
Anthony, who made a concession to that bond recently when he took delivery of an eightcylinder Ferrari California. ‘All four of us [in Van Halen] were into cars and driving fast around the canyons near Malibu, which was fun. There were some pretty white-knuckle moments back then.’

Although enamoured with his 512 and 400i, Hagar felt it was the right time for him to match his growing success with Van Halen in the late 1980s with the proper Italian mount. He debated between a 275 GTB and a Daytona, finally opting for a 1971 Daytona whose history, he says, included being seized from a porn star with drug problems. ‘I’m not sure if it was John Holmes,’ Hagar says with a sly smile. ‘But he was a tall guy, and this car’s seat was set way back.’ And there things sat for a good long while. A number of other cars came (another familyinspired Ferrari 2+2, this time a 456) and went (including a ‘brutal’ Shelby Cobra and a few Jaguars). After the sale of Cabo Wabo tequila, inspired by his bar and home in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, another automotive celebration was in order. Well, two actually. First came a black 599 GTB, notable for its factory-applied red stripe that flows along the snout and tail of this imposing machine. Two other custom touches include wheel caps that are red instead of the traditional yellow, and a dash-mounted plaque that indicates that the car was built for him and delivered on his birthday. ‘That is, quite simply, my favourite ever Ferrari,’ he says firmly. ‘People will say that I’m old fashioned, and maybe I am, but a Ferrari to me is a 12-cylinder car. And this one is a monster. I really think that 20 years from now, it’ll be like the Daytona is today. Maybe even a Lusso. To me, all Ferraris are great, but there are times when they really hit it big, like with the GTO or the original Testarossa, and I think the 599 has that sort of appeal going for it.’
The sixth of his half-dozen Ferraris (the full roll call being: 275 GTS, 512 BB, Daytona, 456, 400i and 599) found its way to his garage indirectly. Hagar had actually been looking to buy himself an Enzo, much to his own surprise. ‘I did not like the car at all when it first came out, it was too Formula One for me,’ he recalls. ‘But the car hasn’t changed, so obviously I have. When I saw a black-on-black Enzo at Concorso Italiano [the annual gathering of Italian steeds that parallels the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on California’s Monterey peninsula] I thought it was the most beautiful car I had ever seen in my life. I fell in love. I tried to buy it, but it cost too much.’

Both high prices and warnings not to drive the car too much because it would affect resale value, eventually led him to make a far different choice, says Hagar. ‘The 275 GTS is perhaps my favourite of the small Ferraris,’ he says, walking past endless cratefulls of musical equipment, walls that are lined with gold records and a small but well-outfitted recording studio before emerging into his sun-streaked garage. He runs a hand over the convertibles’ graceful flanks. ‘Look at this thing. You talk about getting things right. It’s a bit underpowered but it handles so well,’ he says. ‘I drive it everywhere, despite what it’s worth, because I will never buy a Ferrari and just stick it in a garage. My cars will be driven.’

Hagar’s about to do as much, hopping in an anthracite-over-tan-leather FF that a Ferrari of San Francisco representative has brought by for the committed Ferrarista to assess. At first, Hagar is sceptical, mumbling about the back end of the cavernous four-wheel-drive car being hard to swallow compared to sleeker sports car forms. However, four blips of the paddle shifters and a few miles later, he’s a convert. ‘“Wow”, that’s really all I can say,’ he states, back at his garage and circling the FF like a predator. ‘That car gives up nothing to my 599 when it comes to performance, amazing.’ And his young daughters can sit comfortably in the back. Hagar shakes his leonine mane of blond curls. He is impressed, but still no sale. ‘I’m waiting for the next supercar, the new Enzo,’ says Hagar. ‘Ferraris have been such a big part of my life for so long, and I’ve rarely made a mistake except for the time I didn’t buy an Enzo when I was offered one. Life is sweet and short, and I’m not going to make that mistake twice.’ And with that, Hagar slips into his distinctive 599 and fires up the engine. ‘Aaaaaooooo!’ he shrieks, blipping the throttle, the rock star’s signature yell climbing the musical scale as the 12 cylinders ascend theirs. Hagar cocks his head, winks, and is gone.

Published on The Official Ferrari Magazine issue 18, September 2012

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See and do
At the foot of Grant Park, facing the Loop, the ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO (artic.edu) cloisters prized collections of European Impressionist, post-Impressionist and modern art (in its new wing designed by star-architect Renzo Piano). A pedestrian bridge from the new Modern Wing links the museum to MILLENNIUM PARK (millenniumpark.org), 24 acres seeded with art installations including a video water fountain, sculptor Anish Kapoor’s reflective Cloud Gate (known locally as “The Bean” for its kidney shape), and a second serpentine footbridge by architect Frank Gehry. On the south end of Grant Park lies a trio of popular museums including the SHEDD AQUARIUM (sheddaquarium.org), the natural history-focused FIELD MUSEUM (fieldmuseum.org) and the nation’s first planetarium, ADLER PLANETARIUM (adlerplanetarium.org). To see all of Chicago from on high, ascend to the 103rd floor Skydeck at the WILLIS TOWER (theskydeck.com), the nation’s tallest building. To experience Chicago’s famed architecture from sea level, take a docent-led cruise on the Chicago River with the CHICAGO ARCHITECTURE FOUNDATION (architecture.org). Cap the day with a performance at one of the area’s many theatres including the dramatic powerhouse GOODMAN THEATRE (goodmantheatre.org).

Eat and drink
Several of the area’s top cultural attractions aim to feed bodies as well as minds. On the third floor of the Art Institute’s Modern Wing, TERZO PIANO (terzopianochicago.com) offers artful Italian food, plus city views in a window-wrapped room. Next door at Millennium Park, the PARK GRILL (parkgrillchicago.com) serves modern American food. South of the Loop, ACADIA (acadiachicago.com) offers upscale American fare, while in the West Loop, BLACKBIRD (blackbirdrestaurant.com) features seasonal American cuisine in a gallery-spare but convivial setting. Down the
street, GIRL AND THE GOAT (girlandthegoat.com) showcases the namesake goat as well as seasonal vegetables on the American tapas-style menu. Chef Grant Achatz’ wildly popular NEXT (nextrestaurant.com) changes its menu and theme four times each year to channel a specific time and place (ie, Paris 1912), while its adjoining cocktail lounge THE AVIARY (theaviary.com) brings molecular gastronomy to the highball.

Shop
The Loop’s main shopping thoroughfare, known as the State Street Corridor, hosts grand department stores like MACY’S (macys.com), high-street chains, including H&M (hm.com), and specialty shops, such as bath-and-body-care merchant MERZ APOTHECARY (smallflower.com). The shop at the CHICAGO ARCHITECTURE FOUNDATION (architecture.org) sells books, stationery and gifts designed by the city’s best architects.

Stay
Some of Chicago’s most historic hotels lie in the Loop, including its oldest and central THE PALMER HOUSE (palmerhousehiltonhotel.com), which features a gilded lobby, stylishly updated rooms. Nearby, the boutique HOTEL BURNHAM (burnhamhotel.com) is housed in a historic building, one of the city’s first skyscrapers, designed by its namesake, Daniel Burnham. The new JW MARRIOTT CHICAGO (Marriott.com) boosts the Loop luxury factor with spacious suites and spa. The RENAISSANCE BLACKSTONE CHICAGO (blackstonerenaissance.com) is set in a Beaux Arts building with a 1,400-piece art collection. Overlooking Millennium Park, both the elegant FAIRMONT CHICAGO (Fairmont.com/Chicago) and streamlined SWISSOTEL CHICAGO (swissotelchicago.com) offer stunning views of the lake and river. New neighbour the RADISSON BLU AQUA HOTEL CHICAGO (radissonblue.com/aquahotel-chicago) is housed in the sinuous Aqua Tower with a terrace featuring a swimming pool.

RIVER NORTH/MAGNIFICENT MILE
Chicago’s stoniest residential and shopping districts lie just north of the Chicago River in several adjacent neighbourhoods. The shop-lined stretch of Michigan Avenue running from the Chicago River north to its terminus at Oak Street Beach is known as the Magnificent Mile. Just west of Michigan Avenue and north of the river lies River North where warehouses have been refashioned as art galleries and restaurants

Eat and drink
On the seventh floor of the Park Hyatt, overlooking the Water Tower, NOMI KITCHEN (parkchicago.hyatt.com) blends regional produce and French flare. Another hotel with stellar views and fine fare is SIXTEEN (trumphotelcollection.com). On the 16th floor of the Trump Hotel, it features the crafted cooking of Joel Robuchon’s protégée Thomas Lents. A popular stop for Mag Mile shoppers, THE PURPLE PIG (thepurplepigchicago.com) combines nose-to-tail cookery and smallplate offerings at perennially packed communal tables. Another Mag Mile mainstay, RL (rlrestaurant.com) stands for proprietor and designer Ralph Lauren, whose Colorado ranch produces the burgers served at the clubby, artfilled bistro. At the north end of the Mag Mile, SPIAGGIA (spiaggiarestaurant.com) pairs highend Italian luxuries with views over the lake. Thronged newcomer TAVERNITA (tavernita.com) in River North does faithful Spanish food and barrel-aged cocktails and, in the bar BARCITO (standandeat.com), tiny pintxos Iberian nibbles. FRONTERA GRILL (fronterakitchens.com), from chef Rick Bayless, introduced the country to authentic regional Mexican cuisine. The chef takes it upscale in the neighbouring TOPOLOBAMPO. Chicago has a reputation for steakhouses dating back to its roots as a butchery site and GIBSONS (gibsonssteakhouse.com) honours the tradition with massive portions in a see-and-be-seen setting.

See and do
The city’s most-visited attraction, the former wharf-turned-entertainment-centre NAVY PIER (navypier.com) has something for everyone, ranging from carnival rides including a 14-storey Ferris Wheel and Lake-Michigan-plying tour boats, to the more sophisticated Smith Museum of Stained Glass. Its highly regarded CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEAtre (chicagoshakes.com) channels Stratford-Upon-the-Great-Lakes on a 535-seat thrust stage. BIKE AND ROLL CHICAGO (bikechicago.com) located here offers bike and skate rentals that access 18 miles of lakefront trail. On the Mag Mile, the landmark WATER TOWER (806 N Michigan Avenue) was the sole survivor of the Great Fire, and now houses a photography gallery. Its matching pumping station, across the street, lodges the inventive LOOKINGGLASS THEATRE (lookingglasstheatre.org). One block behind, the MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART (mcachicago.org) mounts art exhibitions in a range of mediums as well as performing arts programmes, including dance and theatre.

Shop
The MAGNIFICENT MILE (themagnificentmile.com) strings together designer shops by the likes of Ferragamo, Burberry, Cartier and Louis Vuitton with big-brand outlets including Apple and Disney, plus a series of vertical shopping malls, such as the Nordstrom-anchoring Shops at North Bridge. Take a left at the north end of Michigan Avenue to reach OAK STREET (oakstreetchicago.com), a more intimate version of the Mag Mile with smaller, but equally upscale, stores, including international designers like Hermès and Jil Sander, local start-ups, such as The Denim Lounge and the high-end department store Barneys New York. A destination stop for fashion-lovers, including First Lady Michelle Obama, IKRAM (ikram.com) showcases emerging designers in both women’s and men’s collections. Art galleries tend to cluster on Superior, Huron and Erie Streets, including the CARL HAMMER GALLERY (carlhammergallery.com), which showcases both American and outsider art, CATHERINE EDELMAN GALLERY (edelmangallery.com) for photography and the
MAYA POLSKY GALLERY (mayapolskygallery.com) highlighting Russian artists.

Stay
The majority of Chicago’s luxury hotels cluster around the Mag Mile, including the FOUR SEASONS HOTEL CHICAGO (fourseasons.com/chicagofs) with 345 rooms, including a series of suites newly updated by designer Pierre-Yves Rochon, and the modern new restaurant Allium. The Four Seasons also runs the nearby RITZCARLTON CHICAGO (fourseasons.com/chicagorc) where the atrium Greenhouse lobby is a popular spot for afternoon tea. Amenities at THE PENINSULA CHICAGO (peninsula.com/Chicago) include a sprawling top-floor spa, featuring a lap pool with floor-to-ceiling windows, and several dining options from a French café to an Asian restaurant. An arresting art collection, including a centrepiece by Gerhard Richter, introduces residents to the PARK HYATT CHICAGO (parkchicago.hyatt.com), which also houses the popular restaurant NoMI Kitchen, a seasonal terrace and a popular boutique spa. The INTERCONTINENTAL CHICAGO (icchicagohotel.com) combines modern and historic halves, the latter hosting a clubby wine bar and a tiered, 1920s-vintage swimming pool. The TRUMP INTERNATIONAL HOTEL & TOWER CHICAGO (trumphotelcollection.com) with its exterior glass walls provides stunning views over the Chicago River and surrounding cityscape. There are 339 rooms, an amazing 11-treatment-room spa and popular river-view cocktail lounge.

NORTH SIDE
Following the Lake Michigan shore northward, the North Side hosts a patchwork of eighbourhoods
ranging from affluent Lincoln Park to the nightlifefocused district around the baseball stadium Wrigley Field, known as Wrigleyville.

Shop
Armitage Avenue hosts VOSGES HAUT CHOCOLAT (vosgeschocolate.com), which features various exotic truffle combinations, PAPER SOURCE (paper-source.com) for arty stationery and ART EFFECT (shoparteffect.com) for creative home accessories. The Ferrari dealer LAKE FOREST SPORTS CARS lies just to the north of the city (990 North Shore Drive, Lake Bluff).

Stay
The best hotels on the North Side reside near Lake Michigan, including PUBLIC CHICAGO (publichotels.com) where Ian Schrager brought his clubby, minimalist style to a former 1920s-vintage hotel. Opposite Lincoln Park and the Lincoln Park Zoo, the new HOTEL LINCOLN (hotellincolnchicago.com) is another stylish rehab, this one housing 184 cosy rooms and a rooftop lounge overlooking the lake and park.

See and do
The popular LINCOLN PARK ZOO (lpzoo.org) is one of the last remaining free zoos in the country. Sports fans hail WRIGLEY FIELD (chicago.cubs.mlb.com) as one of the oldest, most intimate baseball parks in the country, despite the Chicago Cubs’ losing record. Chicago is the nation’s home of improvisational comedy and SECOND CITY (secondcity.com) is its ground zero, featuring improv shows on three stages.

Eat and drink
Chef Grant Achatz creates molecular gastronomy at ALINEA (alinea-restaurant.com). Italian fare is served at BALENA (balenachicago.com). Opposite the Green City Market, PERENNIAL VIRANT (perennialchicago.com) offers contemporary American fare. In Lincoln Park, NORTH POND (northpondrestaurant.com) serves up elegant American cuisine. The PUMP ROOM (pumproom.com) updates a traditional dining room, while in Andersonville, BIG JONES (bigjoneschicago.com) specialises in Southern and Creole fare, HOPLEAF (hopleaf.com) focuses on Belgian specialties and beer, and GREAT LAKE PIZZA (1477 W Balmoral) serves creative, daily changing artisan pizzas.

NEAR WEST/OAK PARK
Chicago’s West Side includes the Bucktown and Wicker Park neighbourhoods, a bohemian mix of artists, urban gentry and Polish and Latino communities. Logan Square has some of the city’s most exciting restaurants. Oak Park is home to the world’s largest concentration of buildings designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright

Eat and drink
Dining in Bucktown, Wicker Park and Logan Square means digging into adventurous fare. BIG STAR (bigstarchicago.com) brings some quality ingredients to a taco-and-margarita-focused roadhouse. THE VIOLET HOUR (theviolethour.com) shakes up inventive, pre-Prohibition-era cocktails. GREEN ZEBRA (greenzebrachicago.com) gives vegetables the gourmet treatment in artful and delicious dishes. LULA CAFÉ (lulacafe.com) serves market-focused rustic food to a loyal bohemian tribe. YUSHO (yusho-chicago.com) is the city’s best yakitori, or Japanese tavern, with delicious dishes. Chicago’s finest brewpub is REVOLUTION BREWING (revbrew.com) pouring six seasonally rotating, house-made beers accompanied by upscale pub fare, spanning bacon fat popcorn and pork belly and egg sandwiches.

See and do
One of Chicago’s chief attractions, ironically, resides just outside the city limits in suburban Oak Park. Tour the FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT HOME AND STUDIO (gowright.org) to see where the founder of the Prairie School of Architecture got his start in 1889. A separate audio tour walks you around the adjacent neighbourhood, past a string of Wrightdesigned homes. Wicker Park and Bucktown are nightlife hotspots with live music clubs led by the DOUBLE DOOR (doubledoor.com). Local troupes perform at the CHOPIN THEATRE (chopintheatre.com), including THE HOUSE THEATRE (thehousetheatre.com) and THE HYPOCRITES (the-hypocrites.com), known for reinventing classics from Gilbert and Sullivan to Shakespeare.

Shop
Small shops cluster around the Division and Damen intersections, including spa shop RUBY ROOM (rubyroom.com) and fashion boutique ROSLYN (roslynboutique.com). At the intersection of Milwaukee, North and Damen, brands such as MARC JACOBS (marcjacobs.com) meet local boutiques including P.45 (p45.com) and STITCH (stitchchicago.com). Don’t miss Asian antique specialist PAGODA RED (pagodared.com).

Stay
The celebrated gastropub LONGMAN & EAGLE (longmanandeagle.com) has six rooms decorated in retro style with exposed brick walls and wood floors. The salon and spa shop RUBY ROOM (rubyroom.com) also offers eight cozy and stylish rooms with downy bedding and garden.

Published on The Official Ferrari Magazine, issue 18, September 2012

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This time I really am part of it: I have a very important role to play at the supercar exhibition at the Museum in Maranello. My job, in fact, is to explain all the technical stuff to visitors. It might seem only natural for a Ferrari Pistunzen to be asked to do something that tricky, but it won’t be easy. However, I’ll do my best to deliver the goods as usual.
Sticking with family gossip for a moment, I recommend that you don’t miss my 12 brothers who’ll be looking good in the engine of the LaFerrari, Maranello’s new supercar. The hybrid engine set-up is presented pretty spectacularly as it’s been broken down into its various components so it’s very easy to see how it works. Even though I’m not that keen on them because they don’t have pistons, I have to concede that the two electric motors do help my brothers punch out almost 1,000 hp.
Looking forward to seeing you all at the Museum. It’ll be fun!

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