The Enzo Ferrari house museum, also known by the acronym MEF, is a museum in Modena dedicated to the life and work of Enzo Ferrari, the founder of the Ferrari car manufacturer.

The MEF is not just a museum but an enthralling and exhilarating experience, thanks to a mix of unique ingredients. In the futuristic 2,500-square-metre-plus pavilion, visitors not only get to admire the cars on display but also enjoy an captivating immersive video experience that tells the magical story of Enzo Ferrari’s nine decades, spanning his childhood, his discovery of racing at the start of the 20th century, his years as driver, as the brain behind the Scuderia and then as a constructor and the triumphs that brought.

In addition to that incredibly moving experience, Enzo’s father’s former workshop has been meticulously restored. The area is divided into five sections: smaller 1 to 6-cylinders, classic 12-cylinders, 8-cylinders, turbos, and, lastly, Formula 1 engines.

History
The museum was inaugurated on 10 March 2012 by the Enzo Ferrari-Museo home foundation, creator of the project. This foundation was born in 2003 by the will of the municipality, province and chamber of commerce of Modena, Automobile Club of Italy and Ferrari, with the aim of creating a space dedicated to the promotion and recovery of the history of Modena ‘s motoring.

The renovation project was conceived by the architect Jan Kaplicky, who due to the sudden disappearance was unable to attend the completion of the works – completed by his assistant Andrea Morgante, who was responsible for the signature of the interior. The realization of the project cost around 18,000,000 euros.

The works for the project began in 2009 and included, in addition to the construction of the museum, also the renovation of the house-workshop in which Enzo Ferrari was born in 1898 and where he worked subsequently, for a total of 5 000 m², including the area cortiliva; 3,000 m² of which comprise an exhibition area, an event room, a classroom, a store and a cafeteria.

The museum was built according to environmental sustainability criteria: it is equipped with a geothermal heating system and a water recycling system, while the huge front windows allow natural lighting.

After a reorganization of the museum spaces, which led to a brief closure of the structure between January and February 2014, the MEF reopened its doors on the following 18 February – simultaneously under the direct management of the house of Maranello, which combined it with its historic Ferrari Museum.

Architecture and museum spaces
The building housing the museum, built in the shape of a hood, is yellow to recall the color that Enzo Ferrari chose as the background for the famous Prancing Horse brand; it is in fact the institutional color of the City of Modena. The logo chosen by the foundation to identify the museum is a single graphic sign, which combines the characteristic feature of Enzo Ferrari ‘s signature with the profile of the exhibition gallery.

The internal structure has wavy and sweet shapes. The exhibitors containing news related to the life and works of Enzo Ferrari are soft. The peculiarity of the internal structure is in the use of the white color, which has the intention of making the cars in the museum stand out better and making the exhibition space “neutral”. There are stairs only on the right side of the museum, while the rest of the structure is free of architectural barriers. The machines are placed on treadmills 50 cm high from the ground; these, swivel, allow better visibility of the cars to the public.

The MEF was the last major project by the gifted architect Jan Kaplicky of the London-based studio, Future Systems. The huge pavilion, which features a slew of innovative sustainable solutions, soars above a massive 5,000 square metres of exhibition space unfettered by columns or other encumbrances. Anyone that steps inside is immediately immersed in a temple to cars and their story as even the architecture of the building itself inspired by the bonnets of the racing cars of the 1950s.

Every 50 minutes, this totally unique, pristine-white space is transformed into a wraparound projection room as images of the people that made Ferrari and Ferrari’s history itself rush by on its walls and ceilings.

The House Museum
Some of the rooms in the house in which Enzo Ferrari was born in 1898 are open to visitors as is a cinema theatre, a chic restaurant and a Store.

The Museo Enzo Ferrari also encompasses the former workshop of Enzo Ferrari’s father which has been meticulously restored and now houses the Museum of Ferrari Engines where visitors can see the Prancing Horse’s most experimental power units as well as the perfect engines that equip the track and road cars that have given such satisfaction to both Ferrari and its tifosi.

Exhibitions
Among the most important exhibitions set up inside the museum – in addition to the permanent exhibition – there was “Maserati 100 – A Century of Pure Italian Luxury Sports Cars”, dedicated to the centenary of the Modena-based house. Inaugurated in the first half of 2014 and lasting almost a year, it was the most important and complete review of Trident cars ever organized in the world.

Timeless Masterpieces
Since February 2019, the MEF in Modena has been exhibiting some of the most elegant cars in Ferrari history, models that also hugely impacted the styling of their eras. A sophisticated interplay of endless references and reciprocal influences with design icons and with legends of music and screen. A superb example of how cars can become a symbol of timeless, universal beauty. A rare kind of beauty that visitors discovered in the “Timeless Masterpieces” exhibition.

Red and Pink
From February 2018 to January 2019, the MEF played host to the “Il Rosso e Il Rosa” exhibition, a celebration of the bond between Ferrari and its female enthusiasts through models from all its various eras that were driven by exceptional women from the worlds of entertainment, sport and the nobility.

Driving with the Stars
In 2017, the MEF staged a major exhibition featuring some of the most stunning and representative Ferrari models from every era in its history: the cars that won the hearts of the great stars of stage, screen and sport. There is more to the Ferrari legend than races, victories, technical data and Motor Shows.

It is also a story of famous men and women: iconic sportspeople, actors, singers, musicians and drivers who, in the course of their own careers, fell under the spell of the Prancing Horse’s dream cars. Stars of stage, screen and sport all united by the same passion for red sports cars. In some cases, that passion ran deep and enduring, in others it was love at first sight, as sudden and all-consuming as a lightning bolt.

Red Carpet. The Ferrari Star System
An homage to world cinematography and the Ferrari show-stealers of all eras. In February 2016, the Museo Enzo Ferrari in Modena officially opened the “Red Carpet. The Ferrari Star System” exhibition, a celebration of the world of cinema and TV, and the Ferraris that have been the stars of both on so many occasions.

Featured in the exhibition was everything from the 308 GTSs driven by Magnum P.I. to the Miami Vice Testarossa, the 512 S seen in the movie Le Mans, and the 375 America driven by Sofia Loren in Boy on a Dolphin.

Even off set, many celebrities from the entertainment world were Ferrari devotees. Paul Newman competed in high-profile races of the likes of the 24 Hours of Daytona in a 365 GTB4, while Steve McQueen owned a veritable fleet of Ferraris now much sought-after by collectors. Neither were actresses immune to the charms of the Prancing Horse: Marilyn Monroe adored Ferraris and the star of the exhibition, the 250 GT Cabriolet Pininfarina clothed in a cool white livery, was one of her favourites.

Ferrari’s homage to Pavarotti
Between February 2015 and January 2016, the Museo Enzo Ferrari recreated the meeting between two world-famous men who, although they had chosen very different careers, enjoyed the same charisma, success, ambition and glory: Enzo Ferrari and Luciano Pavarotti.

Ferrari was born in 1898, Pavarotti in 1935, so there was a 37-year age difference between the two men. However, they both reached the peak of their fame and achievement at around the same time: when Pavarotti was enjoying his first major successes in the 1960s, Ferrari, who had started building cars under his own name in 1947, was proving his talent as a constructor in no uncertain terms on tracks across the world and selling his road cars to international celebrities. The Museo Enzo Ferrari created this homage to the great tenor in collaboration with the Fondazione Luciano Pavarotti.

Century of pure italian luxury sports cars
Between 2014 and January 2015, the Museo Enzo Ferrari played host to the ”Century of pure Italian luxury sports cars” exhibition dedicated to Maserati’s 100th anniversary. Although originally founded near Bologna, the Trident marque moved to a premises in Modena just a few hundred metres from the Museo, at the end of the 1930s.

The exhibition revealed Maserati’s fascinating and little known story, centring around the Trident marque’s glorious victories with Nuvolari, two wins in the Indy500, Formula 1 World titles with Fangio and, of course, its sports prototype racers and elegant road-going GTs. Ferrari’s most famous models were also shown alongside the corresponding Maseratis from the various eras.

Project

Driving Simulation
The Museo Enzo Ferrari in Modena has two semi-professional simulators to allow visitors to experience the exhilaration of driving a Ferrari Formula 1 single-seater on some of the world’s most famous circuits.

Private events
The Museo’s stunning central structure is equipped with leading-edge audio-visual facilities which can be used to create stunning bespoke evening events.

The Ferrari Museums offer visitors a unique and engaging opportunity to relive the history of the Prancing Horse and its founder. The Modena Museum’s ‘Ferrari Legend Experience’ package offers a special take on the origins of the legend, as well as enabling visitors to discover some of the superb vehicles that have made Enzo Ferrari’s home town famous worldwide.

The café Giallo Modena
The Giallo Modena is open every day from 09.30 to 18.00 and provides both a restaurant and a café service. It can also host working lunches.

Gift shop
The Museo also has a shop stocked with a vast range of official merchandise and a bookstore featuring the most noteworthy Ferrari publications.