Menu dei Motori 10th Anniversary

Now that we have arrived at this important threshold, our 10th anniversary, we are going to crack open the champagne, not only with this 10th edition of the “Menu dei Motori” (in actual fact, there are only nine because the logo “Menu dei Motori” had not been coined in time for the first one, which was simply called “Ristorante Lauro”), but also with a number of innovations, the most important of which is our revamped web site (www.menudeimotori.com).

In the pages that follow, Lauro Malavolti, the founder (jointly with the undersigned), gives his own personal account of these ten years together. I shall not, therefore, waste further words describing the changes and the numerous innovations introduced over the past 10 years by the Menu dei Motori, such as for example the creation of “Planet Modena” and a long series of initiatives, which were slowly but surely “imitated”, or which “inspired” a series of movements, the focal point of which was the “Modena dei Motori” (first and foremost, Modena: Land of Cars). In addition to the personal recollections of Lauro – one of the first real enthusiasts of the Modena cars, who lived through this important historical period, witnessing the legendary accomplishments of figures such as Enzo Ferrari, Ferruccio Lamborghini, Alejandro De Tomaso, Vittorio Stanguellini, Juan Manuel Fangio and many others – as a tribute to these 10 years together, we have compiled, in the pages that follow, a series of images taken from our extraordinary photography archives. Those who were lucky enough to participate, either totally or partially, in the evolution of the Menu dei Motori, will remember those moments of their own accord, as the photos re-evoke the emotions they felt as they recall the events.
But it is specifically because the Menu dei Motori has always been a dynamic force, in constant movement, constantly looking towards the future but with a watchful eye on tradition, that the only real way to commemorate this first small goal, is to celebrate the many specialised artisans that have always been a part of the collectors’ world and that of the leading car makers themselves, and who, being featured almost constantly on the pages of the Menu dei Motori, have not only contributed to the birth of this publication but have enabled us to transform it, a little at a time, into that – dare we say, unique (!) – means of communication with the rest of the motoring world that it has effectively become over the past few years.

The interest of the leading car makers themselves, initially virtually inexistent, began to manifest itself over the course of time (directly or indirectly) thus enabling the Menu dei Motori to record the most important historical goals achieved by all of them: from the 50th anniversary 1947-of Ferrari (1947-1997), to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Enzo Ferrari (1898-1998), the 40th anniversary of De Tomaso (1959-1999), the 40th anniversary of Lamborghini (1963-2003), to become, in 2004, the official publication of Maserati, the veritable “beating heart” of Planet Modena, on the 90th anniversary of its foundation (1914-2004)!
Now the anniversary to be celebrated is that of the Menu dei Motori itself and, after thanking all the protagonists of Planet Modena, by publishing extensive features on them which you can read in this special 10th edition of the Menu dei Motori, we have been prompted by this occasion to put on line the first real Menu dei Motori web site. The future of communication in the years to come is, undoubtedly, in the hands of the web and, after a few “test runs” (which began in 2000), it became clear to us that we could absolutely not do without an exceptionally dynamic web site with press releases and official photos and, even more important, constant updates (to ensure that all news is covered).
It is no mere chance that the Menu dei Motori web site has been able to flaunt the official logos of Maserati, AlfaRomeo, Ducati and Lamborghini, creating a real Planet Modena window on the world. A window which will, of course, continue also to give space to those small and medium-sized artisan enterprises which only Modena has been able to preserve intact!
FABRIZIO FERRARI