Ferrari: the car with the rearing horse emblem. In a game of free association,
a large proportion of people will immediately link Modena with
Ferrari. Formula 1 racing, with its prestige, thrills and tragedies,
is news world-wide and brings fame to the cars that achieve success,
including Ferrari itself. Ferrari's international prestige has
been consolidated over time through victory in 42 world championships
and over 5,000 races, 105 of these in formula 1. However, the
rearing horse emblem does not only appear on racing cars, as Ferrari
is an important automobile manufacturer on the Italian scene,
with a workforce of 1700 working in production facilities of 346,400
square metres, 101 thousand square metres of this area under buildings.
The foundry, machining, composite materials, assembly and painting
shops for both formula 1 and GT cars are at Maranello, while the
body production shop is in Modena. Output is about 3000 cars
a year, 80% for export, generating a turnover of over 500 billion
lire. At present the Maranello factory turns out 12 cars a day,
8 with eight cylinders and 4 with twelve. The latest 8 cylinder
model, launched in 1995, is the F355 sports car which marks a
return to the company's tradition of open-topped designs. Ferrari's
largest market is the United States, followed by Germany, Italy,
South America and the Far East. The name of Fiorano, where a
test circuit for formula 1 cars has been built, is now almost
as famous as that of Maranello itself. Maserati (which
celebrated its 80th birthday in 1994) also has a consolidated
tradition in the production of formula 1 and GT cars in Modena.
For many years it rivalled Ferrari for the rank of leading company
in the racing sector - in fact, between 1926 and 1957 Maserati
achieved about 1000 victories in races all over the world (from
Indianapolis to formula 1). Then, in the 1960s, the firm was restructured
to concentrate on the production of GT cars (Mistral, Ghibli and
Bora). After 1975 Maserati, managed by Gepi-De Tomaso, enjoyed
a period of success with the launch of the new Biturbo car. The
company has now been a Fiat subsidiary since 1993, and has made
a come-back on the world's prestige car market with the Quattroporte
model. The tradition established by Ferrari and Maserati has
also inspired new companies with the same commitment to building
GT cars of high technology and striking elegance.
De Tomaso was founded in Modena in 1959 as a manufacturer of luxury cars
such as the Mangusta, the Longchamp, the Deville and the Pantera
(the last-named still in production). 1990 saw the establishment
of Bugatti, with a modern factory of 240,000 square metres
at Campogalliano custom-built to produce the EB110 GT, EB110 super
roadster and EB112, with performance and sophisticated styling
that have given new life to the old name of Bugatti, so famous
in Europe between 1909 and 1939.