Visitors are granted a rare, behind-the-scenes glimpse at the secretive world of Ferrari's modus operandi which creatively combines engineering, manufacturing and design to produce a product of technological and aesthetic marvel. Featuring a variety of hand-drawn sketches and sculptural techniques, from hand-crafted wooden through to high-tech wind tunnel models, the exhibition demonstrates the varied techniques used throughout Ferrari's history to develop a design from conception to final product (the most impressive in this section being an original, life-size, hand-crafted clay design model of the J50, a 2016 limited series of 10 cars commemorating the 50th anniversary of Ferrari in Japan).

Part of the allure of the Ferrari brand is its celebrity clientele whose enthusiasm for its cars both established the brand as we know it today and perpetuate its enduring appeal. Photographs and notes on display showcase some of the famous owners throughout its history such as Miles Davis, Clint Eastwood, Sammy Davis Jr., Brigitte Bardot and Peter Sellers, while others are represented by their own cars including Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason’s F40 (1988), head of Fiat Gianni Agnelli’s 166 MM (1950) and renowned British driver Peter Collins’ 250 GT Cabriolet (1957).

Ferrari was primarily established as a manufacturer of racing cars and its stellar racing history is well documented in the exhibition through a selection of unseen documents, trophies, famous racing suits and helmets. Charting half a century of the evolution of racing car design, this section also includes the Ferrari 500 F2, which Alberto Ascari drove to victory at the F1 championship in 1952 and 1953, and the Ferrari F1-2000, the championship-winning car driven by Michael Schumacher.

Undoubtedly the most impressive car on display is Gordon Ramsay’s futuristic LaFerrari Aperta, the most technologically advanced Ferrari to date. This hybrid vehicle, which is accompanied by concept sketches and an in-depth look at the engine, is the epitome of speed and beauty encapsulating the company’s decades-long mastery in engineering and design innovation. But more than that, it validates Design Museum founder Sir Terence Conran’s observation that ultimately “we have all at some point had delicious dreams of owning a Ferrari.”