Piero Ferrari and the relationship with Monty

di Audrey Tritto

This is the transcript of the video interview that we, together with the Monty Shadow Foundation, conducted with Piero Ferrari, who had established a great relationship of esteem and friendship with Monty that was also shared by his father Enzo Ferrari.

It is necessary to make a preamble and quote what Monty told me about how he had met Enzo Ferrari and how their relationship had been born, which then led to various collaborations at the beginning only as a photographer, which were paid for with ‘cold cuts and cheese’ that he had in any case greatly enjoyed and that made him proud to have been able to collaborate with Ferrari.

Monty recounts that: he was a young photography and car enthusiast in Zagreb and took photographs of a Ferrari gathering in the Croatian capital, which were published in a local newspaper.

A few weeks later, he received a notice to report to the police headquarters in Zagreb, where he learned that his pictures had been republished in full double-page spreads in Pravda, the official communication organ of the Soviet government, and was summoned for the police had been ordered by the Yugoslav government to inform and officially commend him.

Monty, who from a young age was very enterprising, decided to go to Maranello and ask for a meeting with Enzo Ferrari to show how, a proud young Yugoslav photographer, had single-handedly managed to have pictures of the Ferrari red car published on a full double page by the official organ of the Soviet Union: Pravda

Since the end of the Second World War, the region of Emilia Romagna has been nicknamed the ‘Rossa’ (Red) because of its communist sympathies, which made it the closest place in Italy to the concept, albeit very different and much less extremist, of communism in the Soviet Union.

The strong presence of workers and trade unions created a close bond in that region with Pravda, the official organ of the Soviet Communist Party, and seeing images of the Ferrari born in a land as ‘Red’ as the Communist Party, was the occasion for Monty to ask to be introduced to Enzo Ferrari.

The Modenese entrepreneur, although not from that political area, lived and did business in a place with a strong trade union presence and, as an entrepreneur himself, he was one of the few who made agreements in those areas to improve conditions for his workers.

In the long relationship that was established with Ferrari, many stories were born from that first time, among which remains indelible the first official calendar ever produced by Ferrari Spa, which in 1992 saw the release of a limited edition of 7,999 pieces, photographed by Monty Shadow.

Images from the first official Ferrari Spa calendar made in 1992 and issued in a limited edition of 7,999 copies with pictures taken by Monty Shadow

Intervista

Piero Ferrari: ‘I don’t remember when I met Monty, I don’t remember the exact day, I don’t remember …. we’re talking about many many years ago, we’re talking about the 1980s and he came to Ferrari I don’t remember who …. we met then we went together to eat a pizza and since then we’ve seen each other several times.

There are some historic moments that Monty also photographed, because he was always photographing, like when he came to Maranello with Sylvester Stallone and we have a nice photo together with the Ferrari F40…. we’re in 1988 or so and then we’ve seen each other many times. In Maranello every time he came, we saw each other but also in Beverly Hills…. we saw each other at an Oscar award ceremony, we saw each other at the Grand Prix, at many many Grands Prix, at Monza.

Monty would sometimes come to Maranello and say there was a good idea, that something could be done or there was an important character….. he would come to me and say: ‘you have to do this thing with me.’ He always had ideas …. he never stood still and always had something new to do or say.

Monty was very very likeable and even if you didn’t know him you immediately felt sympathy for him.

He was a very outgoing person, he was…….era Monty. Monty was special and he was not a normal person like all people who are creative and he was also a fantastic photographer. He was good, he took many beautiful photos and I have some in my collection.

Unfortunately now with digital photos the paper ones are in a cupboard, but I have some beautiful photos of him and with famous people.

There were some special moments spent with Monty and not only with cars: I remember when the Apple Watch was presented in Milan, where there was a beautiful evening with Marc Newson and Jonnhy Ive, who were presenting the Apple Watch that was a worldwide success, and at that time nobody believed it could be a success, and Monty said: ‘No… Piero, come… come… that this will be a great success.’

He had the vision of things that could be beautiful, that could have a future and a success and….. even with books.

Monty introduced me to Marlene Taschen and then I met Benedikt Taschen, who are people who make publications that are works of art and that Ferrari was also very very beautiful, a beautiful book for Ferrari’s 70th anniversary, a book that I remember because in the special edition, on the first page is my signature, John Elkann’s, and poor Sergio Marchionne’s, and we signed 1947 copies, which is the year of the first Ferrari.

This was an idea that came from Monty and was so successful.

I knew him mainly that he was a photographer and sometimes he came to take pictures of the cars and he also had a few models that I don’t remember who they were: he had the world of fashion, of fashion and he had connections at all levels. I knew him first because he was a photographer and then because of his incredible network of acquaintances: actors, sportsmen, important people.

We always kept in touch … maybe for six months he was missing … Monty wasn’t there, he had disappeared, then for six six months, for a week he would come, he would call me, we would go for lunch and have pizza. We shared moments not continuously, but when he came it was nice, Monty was always very…very funny.

He was a very, very outgoing guy.

When Monty used to come here (to Maranello from Ferrari) for whatever reason or with a guest or for the book for other ideas, we used to go very often to Il Cavallino restaurant.

The restaurant has a little room which was where my dad ( Enzo Ferrari) used to have lunch every day. My father never sat at the head of the table, he always sat at the side in a specific place and then I would say to Monty Sit there where my father sat. I always sat opposite my father and then he would sit there and he liked it.

Piero Ferrari pulls a Ferrari Red pen out of his jacket pocket and shows it to me: ‘This is a Mont Blanc pen dedicated to my father Enzo Ferrari… my dad always wrote with a pen, or even a felt-tip pen, with purple ink, which was on a quirk of his, he liked to write purple: not black and not blue. ‘Then he lifts the pen again in front of my eyes, and with his head mimes a movement as if to emphasise that Monty had had a good idea, and continues:

Monty told me: ‘We should have Mont Blanc make a pen with ink like your father used!’

Piero smiles and says: ‘now Mont Blanc has made it, with purple ink’.

When he proposed the idea of the Ferrari book to me, I liked the idea above all because Taschen is a publisher that does high quality publications, not for a restricted market, but for the world: so it was ‘ideal.

Obviously you always have to take into account the traditions of Ferrari, the way Ferrari wants to be seen and presented, and the great work of the historical and unpublished images, so it was a lot of work, not trivial.

But the idea was very beautiful and then in the end it took many years because it was a complex work and other qualities.

Yes ….si proposed it to me and put me in contact with Taschen and I remember well when with Sergio Marchionne in 2014 we went to Los Angeles to Beverly HIlls there was a Ferrari event because it was 50 years that Ferrari sold in America, the first Ferrari had been sold in 54 in the United States.

Rodeo Drive was closed and there was an exhibition of all the historic and modern Ferraris and all the Ferrari collectors and customers exhibited on Rodeo Drive and on that occasion I met Benedikt Taschen. We went for a walk with him, and lots of people greeted me and Taschen was positively surprised, and from a walk’ let’s say the idea was born, which also developed because Benedikt had seen the enthusiasm around Ferrari and how many passionate customers we have.

Yes…. were these coincidences let’s say…. and the energy developed and the occasion was to publish it for Ferrari’s 70th anniversary which was 2017.

I miss Monty phoning me and saying: ‘Piero an idea’!….. Piero I’m coming to Maranello!…. Piero we have to do something!….. this Si’…. I really miss him! …because I knew … even if I didn’t hear from him, (as I said before, I didn’t hear from him for six months and then I heard from him for three weeks) … he would call me and then come…..Yes, but they were things that maybe…..were complicated to do ….. they didn’t happen the next day, but then after a year he would come back and the idea was good and beautiful projects were born.

Yes’ there’s a void … something is missing.