The passion of women for the Prancing Horse is celebrated in the “Il Rosso & il Rosa – Women and Ferrari, the untold story” exhibition currently on show at the Museo Enzo Ferrari in Modena.
Although motor sports and technological development started out as almost exclusively male domains, women gradually began edging towards it too. Passion knows no gender and, as the years went by, women became more and more involved in the car world in general and the history of Ferrari in particular, sharing the love of speed and falling under the spell of the sublime forms crafted by the Maranello designers. Technology and elegance met and melded to produce masterpieces that fascinated the entire world. Ferraris are much more than just engineering marvels, indeed they have become genuine style icons, celebrated in the past yet never more so than in the present. Part of this story has been written by the women who moved over from the passenger seat to the take the wheel, confirming that driving is a joy shared by all. The result is an all-encompassing, all-consuming love story between the female world and Ferrari.
“Il Rosso & il Rosa – Women and Ferrari, the untold story” details that deep and abiding bond through models from every decade driven by exceptional women – stars of sport, stage, screen and even royalty. Some of the couples presented in the exhibition are: French driver Annie Soisbault (de Montaigu), who competed in rallies and races across Europe, between 1956 and 1969 and her Ferrari 250 GTO (1962); Italian iconic actress Anna Magnani and her Ferrari 212 Inter (1951), the same model chose by Ingrid Bergman; Norma Shearer and her 250 GT Berlinetta TdF (1956); Jayne Mansfield and her Ferrari 250 LM (1963); Amy Macdonald and her Ferrari 458 Italia; and Deborah Mayer with both her Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 and Ferrari 488 Challenge.
Ilona Catani Scarlett