Ferrari: the ugly collection

Ferrari's hidden prototypes resurface in newly expanded museum

So PH has been invited out to Maranello but, hand on heart, we don't know why. And nor does anyone else but there's a nasty suspicion it may be more about the marketing than the cars.

599 HY-KERS concept leads the charge

No matter; dinner was served at the recently expanded Museo Ferrari, opened last year and just extended with a new cafe to cater for your espresso sipping needs, F1 simulators and a - shudder - expanded retail area for the subsequent caffeine fuelled merchandise spending spree. But also (thankfully) some additional display space, currently hosting a most unusual collection.

Safely negotiating the branded tat we managed to sneak a quiet few minutes there with Carlos Vlahos, Greek by descent but relocated from America and formerly of Ferrari's classic division. A good guide to the exhibits then. Most of which were, fair to say, ugly as sin. But utterly fascinating.

These are Ferrari's secret test mules, stars of a thousand papped spy shots and now taken from test track to museum, some in the space of just months. The display has just opened so a chance to sneak out between courses for some secret tyre kicking was too good to miss. Via the vaguely unsettling diorama of Enzo's office, complete with unnerving waxwork of the great man himself.

612 tested FF running gear and suspension

So there's a 612 Scaglietti with odd bulges in the bonnet. Reason? A suspension test rig for the latest adaptive dampers and front gearbox for the four-wheel drive mechanism on the FF, the improvised bonnet adaptations required for relocated airboxes for the V12.

And the oddly proportioned 348? One of three engine test mules, first used in the mid-90s and in this instance mounted with a 430's V8. As Carlos points out, the sizeable gap between the front of the engine block and the bulkhead allowing for the installation of V12s, V8s and, apparently, an experimental V10 at one stage too. The extra 130mm in the 348's wheelbase was required by the shift from the transverse to longitudinal gearbox used on the later 360, these mules outliving the car whose drivetrain they helped develop and enduring into the Enzo era.

Engine mule served from 1995 to 2002

Indeed, as Carlos revealed, M3 was actually sold at auction as, he puts it, an "exhibit" for a Ferrari collector, complete with Enzo V12 installed. "We removed all the ECU and electronics so it would be as hard as possible to make it work but somehow they did..." he says, somewhat wistfully.

The additional length, racing split rims and quick-release rear bodywork all give the 348 shape a much beefier stance, the improvised airbox on the rear deck and makeshift pipes giving away its prototype roots, likewise the rough seam on the roof betraying its Spider heritage. Still, a cool thing.

Another quirky exhibit is the 360 based experimental vehicle intended to explore solutions to the extreme NVH incurred by the F50's direct bulkhead mounted motor. This car used the same set-up, based on a 360's aluminium chassis but with a separate F50 passenger cell mounted on rubber bushings, the aim being to combine the rigidity of the F50 with acceptable comfort for more everyday applications.

LaFerrari mule still wears its disguise

Still clad in Gaffa tape and makeshift panels, the sight of the LaFerrari test mule in a museum seems a little incongruous but only adds to the wonder that the finished car managed to make its Geneva debut with the surprise of its looks still intact. Which are, thankfully, a big improvement over the test car's. 458-based but with a longer wheelbase, this prototype takes on the HY-KERS concept debuted in the green 599 concept also present and turned it from a showstand display to a proper working prototype.

These cars are all rescued from Ferrari's own collection, likewise most of the F1 cars and other prototypes. Others have been sourced from private collectors, including the black 250 GTO downstairs. "We're in the market," smiles Vlahos with a shrug, his experience working with the likes of RM Auctions meaning he knows more than most how that's a moving target even with the corporate chequebook in his back pocket.

And then back via the gift shop, and the less appealing face of the Ferrari marketing machine...

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