COLLECTION: Greg Marucchi's Italian Passion

Johannesburg, South Africa, might not have the greatest driving roads, but that doesn’t stop Ferrari enthusiast Greg Marucchi from owning some of the finest driving machines to come out Italy.

Words: Wilhelm Lutjeharms

As you walk into Greg Marucchi’s apartment, you are immediately greeted with cupboards filled mostly with car-related books, magazines and memorabilia. Between the literature of this private library, there are some fascinating artefacts from the past few decades... Ferrari meets, track days and even a picture of him with Michael Schumacher!

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Clearly a passionate Ferrari man, Greg can share stories, names and events related to Ferrari for hours, although there is also a general love for all things automotive as well as beauty. Greg started taking pictures at race events at the age of 14. He eagerly shows these pictures and can name the drivers and the technical personnel involved in the pits.

He makes us a cup of coffee from a very solid and impressive scale model of a V12 engine! Enjoying a cup of "high-octane" coffee, we first have a chat about all things Ferrari before we take the elevator down to the basement. His double garage houses two of his Ferraris and then there is a third in in Cape Town. More on that one later. 

Early days at Kyalami

“My dad is an Italian accountant from the Jewish-Scottish part of Italy, Piemonte. He would put all of us kids in a car and we would go and watch the practice session before a Formula One event on a Friday at Kyalami Raceway here in Johannesburg. In those days the main race was on a Saturday. I remember seeing this red racing car and my dad telling me about Enzo Ferrari in Italy who builds these amazing racing cars.

"In the early Seventies as a young boy you basically had unrestricted access in and around the pits and we got up close to the cars and the drivers. That is when the bug bit. I was also aware of my Italian roots and very proud that Italy made these phenomenal red cars. So, there and then I decided I wanted to be a Formula One driver [Greg chuckles] … for Ferrari! The rest is history. It was the racing cars that were my first memories. Because I was a bit of a nerd, I immersed myself in as much Ferrari literature as I could find back then.”

“The first full race I attended would have been when I was 9, turning 10. That was when Ferrari achieved a first and second place with the 312 T4. And I remember Villeneuve beating Scheckter. At the same time, I became aware of the road cars... the beautiful Dinos and I loved the Boxer – mid-engined, sleek, beautiful proportions. The passion was certainly ignited.”

The most collectable Ferrari of the three Greg owns is his 550 Barchetta. “It was 2006 and I had some budget and had recently moved back to South Africa from the UK. I looked at a 360 Challenge Stradale. I loved the idea of a track-focused, mid-engined race car for the road. I thought it was a pity that it was red, because in my opinion red Ferraris are ultimately for Formula One drivers!

"Then I saw the dealership had a 2001 550 Barchetta for basically the same amount of money. This is a limited edition, individually numbered, V12 open-top supercar. I bought it there and then. I imported it into South Africa in 2009. I love that car more and more as the years pass by. I’ve also attended a Ferrari racing track day with Bruno Senna at Silverstone with the Barchetta.”

Judging by the odometer reading, indicating over 46 000km, it is evident that Greg enjoys this Ferrari thoroughly. “The V12 just seems stronger now at 46 000 km than it did at 8 000 km when I bought it. I don’t’ care about mileage on this car, because I’m not selling it. I’m very passionate about using cars. I’m involved in Concours South Africa, and last year I made sure with my fellow judges that we revised the judging to benefit cars with higher mileage even more. At the end of the day cars were designed to be driven, they are not art. They might become that, but they are still cars. Some of the greatest cars in this world don’t even have odometers. It is all about maintenance. I have a 54-year old face, but I’ll keep washing it so that it doesn’t look like a 74-year old face!"

The Spiders

After the Barchetta, another two Spiders were added to Greg’s collection. He explains how this happened. “It was accidental. I love the Barchetta for being open. My first Ferrari was a 1996 F355 Spider which I bought while living in the UK. I thought I would only keep it for a short while, but I ended up keeping it for four years. During this time I drove it on Silverstone, Thruxton, Snetterton and Donington. It was fitted with the manual gearbox and I thoroughly enjoyed the car. So, I was looking for one here in South Africa as I know these cars and wanted that experience again. When I looked around, there wasn’t much in terms of choice. There wasn’t a manual in the colour I wanted, so I made an offer on this yellow example which is fitted with the F1 gearbox. It has a Capristo exhaust system fitted though, which was on when I bought it. But I highly recommend it. It now sounds like a Formula One car, albeit a slow one!”

“Regarding the 360 Modena Spider, I brokered a sale on that car 13 years ago. The owner subsequently sold it on around three years ago and then I saw the car at The Archive in Cape Town two years ago. I knew the car, asked the necessary questions and eventually put in a cheeky offer – and I got the car! It is another Spider, and honestly, I would rather not have a Spider. But the reality is, in Cape Town, a Spider is fantastic and there are some fabulous roads and scenery to enjoy it. It is also fitted with the sport seats. It is not one I’ll keep forever, as I would like to trade it in for something else one day. 

The rest of the collection

As our time with Greg comes to an end, he still wants to tell us more about the other vehicles in the collection, of which some are of the two-wheeled kind. “My daily drive is a Fiat 500 and a 2006 Vespa 150. As my brother-in-law, who is a classic Vespa rider, says, it is a “Tupperware” Vespa. But it is good fun.

Then I have a 2007 Maserati Gran Sport MC Victory. I’ve owned it since 2013. I sold my BMW E46 M3 to buy this car. The Maserati is one of 180 individually numbered cars. The first owner actually contacted me and said that if I ever wanted to sell the car, I must please first offer it to him. Finally, I have two MV Agusta F4 motorcycles – one in my apartment and one downstairs.