How ‘Ferrari’ made its race cars look so real on screen

Most people would agree that Ferrari race cars are among the most iconic vehicles on the planet.

And the film Ferrari did an excellent job of telling the story of that iconic rise.

But if you’ve ever wondered how the cars were so vividly brought to life, we got you.

Wonder no more – because this is how Ferrari made its race cars look so real on camera.

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‘Ferrari’ film faithfully restored racing cars from the 1950s

By now, most car addicts will have seen the Ferrari film that was released in 2023.

The film, starring Adam Driver and Penelope Cruz, tells the fascinating personal story of Enzo Ferrari.

It focuses on the summer of 1957 as Scuderia Ferrari prepared to enter the 1957 Mille Miglia endurance race.

By the late 1950s, Enzo Ferrari was enduring much trouble in both his personal and professional life.

Ferrari was on the brink of financial ruin, relying on a deal with a rival to save the company.

The saving of the company, however, was put in jeopardy by various issues in Enzo’s personal life.

And the movie explored this background as the brand founder attempted to focus on the 1957 Mille Miglia race.

The film production itself was utterly obsessed with historical accuracy and recreation.

Director Michael Mann and the production team wanted to be as faithful to the 1950s setting as possible.

Of course, such a movie concerning such a historic race features some historic and iconic cars.

Indeed, vehicles such as the Ferrari 315 S, as well as several Maserati cars, make regular appearances.

How did the crew make the cars look so real?

So, how did the production team manage to make the vehicles look so real on the silver screen?

Well, two of the cars used were actually the real thing – real Grand Prix racers from that era.

One of the cars – the Maserati 250 F – is currently owned by legendary Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason.

Mason, a renowned car nut himself, was kind enough to rent his priceless 250 F to the film crew.

Derek Hill, son of American F1 champion Phil Hill, drove Mason’s Maserati in the film.

But how did the crew create the other cars that couldn’t be borrowed for the film?

Most of the other vehicles, such as the Ferrari 315, 355 S, and the Maserati 450S, were recreations.

They were all highly detailed recreations that sat on Caterham 620 chassis with supercharged inline-four engines.

After having the bases built by Caterham, the bodies were then sent to Italy to be masterfully recreated.

This was done by a company called Carrozzeria Campana, which put the bodies together.

Campana digitally scanned some original cars, then hammered out the bodies the old-fashioned way.

In short, it was an extremely expensive process that required meticulous attention to detail.

But it’s safe to say that it was worth it – because the faithful recreations received rave reviews.