The iconic Italian racing firm and car-maker, who last year posted more than $A5 billion in revenue and sold 8014 cars, is on a record high and now has added two new exhibitions at its Maranello factory.

The Ferrari Museum has been expanded by 600 square metres to 4100 square metres and this week unveiled two exhibitions, ‘Under the Skin’ and ‘Infinite Red’.

The expansion – designed to cope with booming visitor numbers that hit a record 344,000 in 2016 – includes a new wing with a glass facade, a refreshments area, new Ferrari store and a convention room for up to 250 guests.

The ‘Under the Skin’ exhibition, created in partnership with the London Design Museum, shows the series of Ferrari cars from the first 125S of 1947. The exhibition includes some technical drawings from the company’s archives, engines on display revealing the design process of cars of all eras, and the evolution of styles and technologies down the years. It will stay on show until November when it moves to the London Design Museum.

The second exhibition, ‘Infinite Red’, displays some of Maranello’s most exclusive creations for track and road. It includes Formula One cars from the 500 F2, with which Alberto Ascari won for Ferrari the first world drivers’ title in 1952, to the F2004, the Ferrari that won the most GPs in history (15) and concluded Michael Schumacher’s epic run of world titles, and finally the F2008, which won the World Constructors’ Championship.

Among the GT cars are various models from the 250 family, such as the 250 GT Berlinetta “Tdf”, which dominated races in the second half of the 1950s; its evolution the 250 GT Berlinetta SWB; and the 250 GTO. It then extends to limited special series such as the F50, the Enzo, the LaFerrari and the non-homologated, track-only FXX K version.

Enzo Ferrari, who left Alfa Romeo in 1939 but unable to use the Ferrari name in racing for four years, made his first car in 1940 but it wasn’t until 1947 that a car could bear his name.

By Neil Dowling