A tour of Ferrari’s Maranello factory is a rare treat, usually one extended only to
Ferrari owners. A tour without limits on photographs and video is almost unheard of, and we were just granted unfettered access for both. Come along for an inside look at the sprawling Ferrari factory following the launch of the new
F12berlinetta.
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Begin the factory tour:
Ferrari’s front door. The factory gates and several buildings date back to the 1940’s when the company made the move from Modena to Maranello. Cameras are unwelcome past this point… but not today.
Technicians wheel the frame of a Ferrari California through the doors of Ferrari’s assembly plant. The assembly plant contains two assembly lines with V-8 production cars on the ground floor and V-12 production car assembly upstairs.
The aluminum frame of a Ferrari 458 Italia at the initial stage of the assembly line. The frames and bodies are manufactured at Carrozzeria Scaglietti in Modena, then transported to Maranello for assembly.
Technicians install the wiring loom of a Ferrari 458 Spyder.
The overhead transport system snakes through the assembly building facilitating easy transitions from one line to the next.
The massive fixture cradling the frame of the car rolls, allowing workers ergonomic access to otherwise hard to reach places. In this case, the cradle is rotated for the installation of insulation on the underbody of a Ferrari California.
Simultaneously on the opposite side of the plant, technicians prepare the powertrain assembly for installation. The two separate units are mated to each other on the assembly line.
Prior to assembly, engines make their way through Ferrari’s sophisticated machine shop, housed in a separate building.
In addition to all the equipment needed to whittle a lump of aluminum into perfection the building also includes green spaces and a small collection of modern cars and highlights from the factory’s competition history.
A pair of robots nicknamed Romeo and Juliet fit valves to heads with incredible precision and some help from an oven and a liquid nitrogen bath.
Back at the assembly line robotic tables like this one carry the assembled powertrain to the designated place on the line where the table will lift the powertrain into place underneath the sports car.
With the drivetrain in place cars are whisked off for the final leg of their journey.
The car is safely returned to earth, albeit on a moving floor the length of the building. From here the final missing pieces such as doors, windows and trim will be fitted.
Nearly finished Ferrari California’s and 458’s at the final stage of their assembly process.
Recently finished Ferrari 458’s await quality checks while the frame of a Ferrari California is transported overhead to the first stage of the assembly line. Every Ferrari undergoes quality control testing before leaving the factory, including a shakedown drive on the rural roads around Maranello.
Upstairs in the V-12 assembly area the process is similar. Huge skylights and polished metal panels provide natural light in the Jean Nouvel designed building. Each assembly station has a countdown timer that indicates the coming shift in the assembly process.
A Ferrari F12berlinetta in the early stages of assembly. The F12 is constructed using 12 different aluminum alloys. Ferrari estimates the improvements in their aluminum technology result in a 50 Kg reduction in chassis and body structure weight while providing a 20% increase in torsional stiffness over the 599 GTB.
Assembly tables raise the vehicle to improve worker ergonomics.
Front and mid-engine cars share the upstairs production line as F12berlinetta production ramps up.
Workers piece together subassemblies just off the production line and move them out just in time to intersect the vehicle they’re planned for.
Here, a machine cuts pieces of seat leather from one large hide.
Nearby, a selection of thread is available for embroidery. Ferrari estimates that 90% of vehicles destined for the U.S. will be customized at the factory.
Some of that customization will start with the help of the Tailor-Made customization shop housed nearby in Ferrari’s Product Development Center.
The Tailor-Made shop caters to unique tastes. Here a steering wheel and body form are covered in denim.
Workers stitch individual pieces of leather together to create a skin that will be stretched over the frame and foam of a F12berlinetta seat.
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Assembly workers use tools with mechanical support systems. These tools reduce strain on workers as well as improving assembly quality and speed.
A double wishbone front suspension and carbon ceramic brake assembly awaits installation.
The hand-assembled 730-bhp V-12 that motivates every F12berlinetta.
The infrequent moment when a car is static gives you a chance to appreciate how appealing the process is.
Once again on the moving floor an F12 is fitted with interior trim.
Finished cars ready to move off the line and into the quality control process.
Perhaps the ultimate garage, Ferrari’s Classiche department is dedicated to keeping Ferrari’s heritage running soundly.
By all appearances this is a Dino 246 S. Little brother to the 250 Testa Rossa and a formidable weapon in the hands of Luigi Chinetti’s NART operation. A rare specimen indeed.
Ferrari keeps some beautiful books. At Classiche the original drawings for every model are maintained…
…Including the original drawings for Ferrari’s first road car, the 125.
The drawings, the history, the factory, it’s all part of the Ferrari story.
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