Formula 1 is many things: spectacle, technology, progress, rivalry between men, color, fashion, passion. Today the show seems to have the upper hand, overshadowing the other elements that have made this discipline a universal phenomenon, as if the rest were an obstacle to the commercial progression that is at the base of the audiences.
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But F1, like motoring in general, is first and foremost an extended culture that opens doors to other cultures of daily life. The Automobile Museum of Turin has been able to interpret this very philosophy so much so that it is a sophisticated point of reference for artistic trends in which the car, often, is not necessarily the protagonist, while remaining evocative of the context. A visit is a fascinating and surprising journey that from April 2nd to October 1st offers a precious opportunity to immerse oneself in what F1 really represents, or has represented, for all of us and, also, for the evolution of the motoring world.
This time we are not talking about Ferrari but about the enemies of the Prancing Horse, more precisely <<The enemies of the Drake, Enzo Ferrari and the British teams>>. An exhibition of 22 single-seaters conceived across the Channel by those whom the Great Old Man defined as <<garagisti>>, while knowing very well that those garage owners expressed genius and amazing content to which he himself frequently had to adapt. In a space of two thousand square meters, what England has represented in racing and in cultural influences on the world comes to life, with the revolution of Swinging London.
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The <<garagisti>> of F1 came mostly from the British aeronautical industry, which was very flourishing at the time of the Second World War, and they made up for the lack – at that time – of flourishing budgets with ingenuity and limitless imagination, allowed by very open regulations. And here is the rear engine, aerodynamics, side skirts, ground effect, the turbine Lotus that also raced at Monza, novel-like Anglo-Modenese combinations like the Cooper Maserati. A golden period that begins with Ferrari (could it be missing?) which with Mike Hawthorn concludes the era of the front engine and arrives at Barnard’s F1-89, the one with the electro-actuated gearbox on the steering wheel, designed in Guildford. A fascinating journey conceived and realized with intelligence and culture by Carlo Cavicchi and Mario Donnini with the collaboration of Maurizio Cilli, in which there is also an exhibition of famous drivers’ helmets that goes hand in hand with the path of safety, there are race programs from the past, there is a splendid photographic exhibition by Rainer Schlegelmilch, plus various details and curiosities. At the bookshop there is the exhibition book-catalogue, another gem not to be missed. It also deserves a trip to the upper floor, for the fabulous exhibition of Italian-trained designers, modern Ferraris, and Sparco racing suits. After the visit, you will look at the Grand Prix in a different way: does that seem like little to you?
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