Factory visit.

You need to go through your dealer or your local Ferrari corporate group- in your case is that FNE? Typically they like to have a few months advance notice. It will really depend on the date you want. It may still be available. I believe you can take a friend or family members but unsure on the exact numbers (ie- you, wife, kids over 16- they are very strict about the age limit it has to do with insurance). The tour will be about 2.5 hours.

 

To get the " owners tour " you will need to have your Dealership sponsor you
( Yes, it costs the Dealership money for you to take a tour )

You apply in advance , with multiple date options.

You will then be give the date and time of your tour ( you do not get to chose )

You can take 1 visitor with you, though it's ben rumored that a 3rd family member may go, but do not quote me on that.

You may still be able to get in, so its worth a try!

Be sure to write about your visit once you return, oh and pictures, otherwise it never happened!

S

 

Well, well! I did not know that.

 

Aside from the tour, may I suggest....

Lunch at Cavallino, dinner at Montana...if you're really into food, Osteria Francescana in Modena.

 

we just did the Factory tour back in Nov. I think availability is first come first served - based on when the factor is "available for visit" ... very Italian way of saying if we feel like it....

our tour started at 10 AM and we were done by 12:30 ish... had lunch at Cavallino - which was good - not great but the atmosphere is super cool...

the tour is very good, but you only see the engine build, and V-8 build lines... we asked if we could see Classiche and the answer was no... but the corse Clienti and visit to the Race Factory is WAY worth the time to get a tour booked. Ferrari of Atlanta booked our tour and it was FLAWLESS... the only thing I wish they would let you do is:
1. see the Classic side & cars under resto
2. Get out at Foriano and see Enzo's house....
3. take us to the store first then the museum - I could have spend about an hour more there.

you get a 20% discount at the store the day of the visit. and they give you a "gift" - Ferrari Magazine after the tour. Overall for a factory tour it was very good.

I've done Porsche, BMW and Lotus... Ferrari was by far the best.

 

Of the 100's, maybe 1000's, of restaurants I've dined in Italy, as a car aficionado it ranks near the top, as a food aficionado it ranks near the bottom. Definitely go there for the experience, but don't go for the food. You won't return on your next visit.

I know many factory execs and drivers dine there, but they must get a different meal than the tourists.

And yes, there is no factory tour like it.

 

i've been in auto factories around the world.........Ferrari is the coolest of them all IMO
any tour of the Ferrari factory is memorable

 

Interesting.

 

You never know who might show up at the Cavallino. We had lunch there after our tour (tour was arranged through Ferrari of Seattle months in advance). We went July 2014. No photography allowed inside the factory, for our small group anyway. We saw the full V8 and V12 lines. At Fiorano, they took us through the race shop where they were prepping the F1 cars (Alonso/Raikkonen) for the British GP, then Corse Clienti where they keep customer F1 and FXX cars.

Also recommend Museo Ferrari as a separate visit. It's part of the factory tour, but you don't spend much time there.

And the Enzo Ferrari museum is only 10 miles away in Modena.

A wonderful experience!
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When we were in Maranello in 2009 we had, by dumb luck and a personal contact, a tour of Classiche just as they were preparing cars for the auction. Eric Clapton's Lusso was there for service, and we got to see the archived documents for my 330GTC. We had to forego the factory tour to do this but it was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

 

Un fortunately the food was not Fantastic, but it was not bad either - but you have to order right. I had a Rucola salad and tortellini alla funghi.... it was very good... but my wifes meal was very average. I saved the bottle of lambrusco ... it was just so cool!

 

So about how many months in advance do you need to reserve a spot?

 

I think I applied in March for a late September early October tour. You will want to skip trying for the week before and after the Italian GP unless you are an exceptional customer.

 

May 23!??!

If you are going to be anywhere close to Brescia on May 22, the Mille Miglia wraps up! Might be worth a look

 

Dinner opens up at Montana at 7 pm if I recall. If you are staying in Maranello, it's not a big deal but if you plan to mull about and shop, you might find a few hours with not much to do between 5-7.

Given the choice, go to Montana over Cavallino.

 

Well for the record, here is the review I had posted on Trip Advisor -

“Nice Ambience and Staff, Substandard Food”

2 of 5 stars Reviewed April 17, 2014


We had lunch here before our Ferrari factory tour. The restaurant is directly across the street from the factory entrance, and was recommended in a Ferrari online forum.

The interior of the restaurant was very nice. There are several small sections and one larger dining area. We were seated in a smaller section so it felt like you were almost in a private room. The tables were set with white linen tablecloths. The restaurant was very clean, including the restrooms. There are numerous pieces of Ferrari memorabilia throughout the restaurant.

For a starter I ordered the prosciutto and melon. I have to say I was surprised at how much prosciutto was on that plate. There was a basket of rolls on our table. I had I known I would be getting so much prosciutto I would have made three slider sandwiches out of the rolls and meat. If I had stopped there I would have given this restaurant a better rating.

Unfortunately we ordered other food. My wife didn't order a starter plate. Her main dish was grilled swordfish with a side of rosemary potatoes. The grilled swordfish looked pale and not particularly appetizing. She said it was just OK in flavor. She ordered the roasted rosemary potatoes specifically because of the rosemary. When they came, there was not a sprig of rosemary to be seen. She pointed this out to the waitress. She took the potatoes back and when she returned there was some tiny sprinkling of little fragments of rosemary. Clearly they came out of a spice jar and were not fresh.

I had the tagliatelle bolognese. In an American restaurant it would have been fair, but in an Italian restaurant it was poor. We shared a dessert of chocolate cake and a mascarpone cream. Well really it was just mascarpone cream as the cake was about the size of your thumb. I forget the name of the dessert, but then it was a very forgettable one.

I don't know, this restaurant has great reviews, maybe we were there on the wrong day or ordered the wrong food, but the next time we're at Ferrari, we aren't eating here.


Visited April 2014

 

Interesting....we went to Cavallino last April and it was fantastic!!!! Went back the next day for lunch.

 

Seen the Mille Miglia?

No but I will! Looks like for 2016, I'll be in the Ferrari Tribute to the Mille Miglia! I should have confirmation tomorrow.

 

90 Days is about the sweet spot, following the process via your Dealership POC

Have fun!

S

 

Our food was ok - not write home and brag ok, but it was good. I guess this was for car guys and not gastronomy experts. Mr. Ferrari liked basic Modenese food, pasta, meat wine and sweets. so that is pretty much what you get. Pic below is my wife and our friend Joe... our waiter was awful.... but this is what you get at Cavallino... its all about the ambiance.
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