The Morgans Go European

March 13, 2018 Car Museums and factories in Bologna, Italy with Collin & Mom

To most people, the words 'Ferrari' or 'Lamborghini' brings thoughts of cool, fast cars with flashy colors that Justin Bieber drives. Something you might see on the beaches of Miami, or down Rodeo Drive in LA, and nothing more. But to people like me, those words mean something else. They invoke words like 'prestige', or 'ultimate expression' and just the mention of an Italian car brand that ends in 'i' causes my brain to flash through images of flying around a track, the bay of Monaco, and of course how much I want to kick Justin Bieber out of these majestic machines. These cars are the pinnacle of engineering and human pride, all bundled together for peak enjoyment and self righteousness, if you will. The paramount possession, if not the most expensive.

Of course as Americans, we're treated to the occasional Corvette, or Mustang, or any of the other 'old-school muscle', which is all fine and dandy, but there was something about the automobiles across the pond that always populated my phone backgrounds, or Instagram feed. American muscle is loud, and boisterous, and rowdy; perfect for blazing down Route 66, but to me, taking hairpin turns and zig-zagging through the mountains with a refined fury that always drew my thoughts. When I heard about the Europe trip for the first time, my thoughts did not zoom to the Queen of England, or spaghetti by the Colosseum; I immediately realized "I'm going to be in Italy, the holy land... for cars".

Racing here isn't about NASCAR, beer, and shirtless fat, hairy guys, it's about Enzo, Ferruccio, and men who competed with a ferociousness so extreme, it shaped the culture of the entire country. Italy lives and breathes racing, and well deserving! In fact, it actually breeds racers. From chariot races around Rome, to F1 races around Monza, this chunk of earth keeps spitting out race car drivers like a baseball player spits sunflower seeds. In fact, 'racing driver' is too weak a term. They prefer the word pilot, like someone who flies an airplane. And indeed they do pilot these 220 mph wheeled coffins down tracks like rabid maniacs!

I knew ahead of time how much history Italy has with the automobile, and I just had to get a piece of it. I researched a bit and found a tour that offers trips to 3 of my favorite companies: Pagani, Lamborghini, and Ferrari. This was a one package, all-day deal and I could NOT pass it up. I brought it up to the folks and they were a bit hesitant, understandably. I would go by myself on an all day trip in a country in which I only knew 3 words of their language. So Mom and Dad went off for a 'parent huddle' and came back with a proposal. They said they were willing to make it my 21st birthday present if Mom was allowed to tag along. I said YES. Who wouldn't?

After we got all the logistics taken care of, Tuesday at 6am, Mom and I got up at the crack of dawn and set out to catch a train to Bologna, and was about a 2 hour ride. Other than the 3 burly Italian guys that smelled like beef and cheese next to us, it was pleasant. We waited to be picked up by the tour guide outside the train station. Soon enough, an older, skinny guy named Giancarlo picked us up and greeted us with a thick Italian accent. This guy was already cool. I was hoping we might ride in a nice Mercedes-Benz, but as we turned the corner... our ride was a 15 year old Chrysler minivan. Dubious at first, as we went along I got used to it and quite liked the comfy old thing. We picked up an Australian guy named Terry, and may or may not have had a 20 minute conversation about kangaroos.

All 3 of these companies were located about 40 minutes apart from one another, so it was a nice cruise through the farmed countryside of Italy. Our first stop was Pagani, a supercar company which came to fame in the early 90's. They actually make my dream car: a Pagani Zonda Cinque Roadster, and will drain your bank account faster than you can pronounce the name. More on that down below. We took a guided tour through the museum and through the factory, where unfortunately we could not get pictures of due to their strict privacy regulations. They actually made us lock our phones in lockers. Every Pagani car is handmade, that means no robots, no assembly lines, just the hands of artists. They only make cars by request, and pump out just 50 cars a year. Each one is tailor-made to the customer's desires and can easily run up in the $2 million range. It was absolutely breathtaking.

Our next 40 minute jaunt took us to Maranello, the home of Ferrari. This town WAS Ferrari. Every building was red, Ferrari advertisements were everywhere, even businesses and restaurants were named after the famed company. Ferrari is the most recognizable name in Formula One racing, and the most successful. Founded by the race-crazed man named Enzo Ferrari in 1939, this company has had its nose in every aspect of racing since the beginning, save NASCAR (thank goodness). If you see a car that looks like speed and is bright red, chances are, it's a Ferrari. The museum houses a mind-boggling collection of early supercars, to racing champions, and the current models. Unfortunately we could not get into the museum due to the fact that you actually have to OWN a Ferrari to get in.

Here's a link to the video of Ferrari engines putting a smile on my face:

https://youtu.be/gvjp4KAVIuo

Our final stop was Lamborghini, and we actually saw a few of these batmobile-looking things just cruising around like your average Toyota Camry. Originally, Lamborghini actually made tractors. The founder, Ferruccio Lamborghini became rich enough to buy a Ferrari, but the car kept breaking down. After the 3rd time, he got so fed up with it that he took a clutch from one of his tractors and installed that. The car ran perfectly and never broke down again. He brought the idea to Enzo Ferrari, but Enzo shook him off quite rudely saying, "I'll stick to racecars, you stick to tractors." Lamborghini was not happy and formed the car company in 1963, and has been consistently competing with Ferrari ever since. The museum compiled a complete history of Lamborghini, and these motorized masterpieces had me drooling from the first step in, to the final step out. The factory was open for tours as well, although these Italians are paranoid about pictures. Once again we locked up our phones. This time, there were assembly lines, but matched with 3-4 humans per station. They only make 6 cars a day. This is not your Ford assembly line; this is perfection in its most efficient form. The leather is hand-sewed, the motor is hand-built. It was amazing.

It was one of the most incredible experiences of my short 20 year life, but this was the best step into 21 that I could've gotten. I had a blast and I think Mom learned more than she expected as well. Although the cars were the overshadowing theme, I really enjoyed the one-on-one day with my mom teaching her things I was passionate about. I'm extremely happy she accompanied me. Now I know that pictures are worth a thousand words, so without further adieu, enjoy! ~ Collin

The first stop on the trip: the Pagani museum and factory!

Terry, the Australian chap, and I heading in.

This is the first Pagani produced, and has 550,000 km of road tests clocked!

Those interiors were insane

The pinnacle of a car enthusiast's pursuit: posing next to his dream car! This is the Pagani Zonda Cinque Roadster, only 5 were built and most recently sold at auction for $8 million dollars! A guy can always dream, right?