Ferrari fabulous

Sandra Lane

• Last Updated: October 23. 2009 3:19PM UAE / October 23. 2009 11:19AM GMT

The exhaust from Michael Schumacher's 2001 F1 car. Delores Johnson / The National

In homage to this motor-mad week in Abu Dhabi I’ve been on a mission to find something really special, with a Formula One connection, that would grace my (perfect, fantasy) home. And quite a mission it was: coffee mugs decorated with McLaren cars? Er, no. Chequered-flag tea towels? Nope. A crystal ashtray with a giant Mercedes logo? Oh, please…

But it’s funny how beautiful things can pop up in the most unexpected places. Like, tucked right away in the back corner of the Ferrari store in Marina Mall, past the sea of red logo-ed caps and T-shirts (fine for the tifosi but not for my house, thanks).

There, on a shelf just above eye level, was a stunning, sinuous chrome sculpture. I could instantly picture it sitting on a sleek Piero Lissoni coffee table – or even on its own black marble plinth, under a spotlight. Then a second glance: it is the exhaust from a F1 car. And, I insist, it’s a work of art.

At the risk of being called a heretic by “serious” art lovers, I think its value – both aesthetic and financial – is easily the equal of a piece you might find at Art Dubai. Like that sort of art, it is hand-made, the result of a tremendous amount of inspiration and dedication and it’s a one-off. Never to be repeated.

Above all, it has provenance that a great deal of “real art” could only dream of emulating, for this is no ordinary Ferrari exhaust. It’s from the car that Michael Schumacher drove in 2001 to win 11 pole positions and nine races, take the Drivers’ World Championship for the fourth time and help Scuderia Ferrari to win the Constructors’ title. That makes it an extraordinary piece of history (a certificate of origin signed by Ferrari F1’s chief executive, Jean Todt, attests to that).

That aside, it is simply beautiful. And as any art dealer worth his salt will tell you: when you buy art, your first question should always be ‘do I love it?’ Yes. And yes.


Chromed exhaust from Ferrari F2001 World Champion. Unique piece, Dh31,000 from Ferrari Store, Marina Mall, Abu Dhabi; 02 681 4882