The annual motoring extravaganza, Modena Terra di Motori, held on the piazzas of Modena, truly excelled itself this year with a stunning array of cars, ranging from an F1 Ferrari F2004 to Maserati's new MC12 Corsa track-special, and a homage to one of the city's most famous sons, Vittorio Stanguellini. The City of Modena, the historic home of Maserati brand, regards itself as being at the very heart of the Italian specialist motor industry, and each spring the piazzas of this gorgeous city reverberate to the sound of powerful, thoroughbred engines as the spectacular Modena Terra di Motori gets underway.

Centre stage at the Modena Terra di Motori this year went to Ferrari, the most evocative of Italy's many famous and successful sports car and supercar builders'. The historic Pizza Mazzini was coloured scarlet by Maranello-based 'Galleria Ferrari' and their trio of prestigious exhibits: an ex-Michael Schumacher F1 World Championship-winning Ferrari F2004 (chassis no 237), a 750 Monza (chassis no 572) and a 250S (chassis no 49).

In Modena's spectacular Piazza Grande, Maserati previewed their new 'Spell Of The Trident' tour, which is now crisscrossing Europe to bring the excitement and glamour of the Trident brand to major prestige car markets. Starting in Modena it has now embarked to visit eleven cities in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and Great Britain, before finally concluding in Italy at the end of the summer. In Modena, Maserati presented their full line-up of production models: the GranSport, GranSport Spyder, and the Quattroporte Sport GT and Executive GT. These models were joined by the limited-edition GranSport MC Victory, a special edition model created to celebrate winning the 2005 FIA GT Championship.
 

Added to these was an appearance by the fearsome new 564 kW MC12 Corsa track-only sports car. The MC12 Corsa has been developed directly from the MC12 GT1 racer which won the 2005 FIA GT Manufacturers' Cup. It will be used exclusively on track during private test sessions, alongside exhibition activities organised by Maserati. It will not be homologated for road use or for any racing activity. The Maserati MC12 Corsa, which is living testimony of Maserati’s ability to individually tailor build unique cars with the highest technological content, will be on sale from September at the price of one million Euros excluding taxes. Available only in the official Maserati 'Blue Victory' colour scheme, it may also be personalised upon request with several optional items. Total production of the highly exclusive Maserati MC12 Corsa will be limited to 12 units.

Alfa Romeo pitched up in Piazza Sant'Agostino with its mobile gallery and a mouthwatering array of historic cars including a 6C 2500 Spider (1949), Giulia Super (1965) and GT Veloce (1966) lining up alongside their current crop of stunning sports and saloon cars: the Alfa Brera and Alfa 159 joined by the brand-new Alfa Spider. Via Farina meanwhile played host to a display of famous rally cars: the Lancia Fulvia HF 1600, a very rare Fiat 128 Abarth, a non-Italian interloper Ford RS200, and the legendary Autobianchi A112 Abarth 'giant killer'. All these cars were seen in dynamic action when they took part in the 'Rally Città di Modena' event.

Legendary Modenese carmaker Vittorio Stanguellini was honoured by his hometown this year. It is 25 years since he passed away, and 10 years since a dedicated museum was established. This year, a quartet of the marque's most famous models were displayed: the 1100 Bialbero Sport Barchetta (1947), the 750 Bialbero Sport Barchetta (1954), the  Monoposto 1100 Formula Junior (1960) and the Monoposto 1100 Delfino (1961). Also honoured were Juan-Manuel Fangio, Ayrton Senna and Gilles Villeneuve, three charismatic racing drivers who were totally passionate about their sport, and who will be forever honoured by motor racing fans worldwide. Other exhibitions and galleries abounded during this stunning event.

Photos by Alan Guerzoni