This interview by Luca Ciferri appeared in Automotive News Europe :

Luca Cordero di Montezemolo is the longest-service top executive in the auto business. The 52-year-old was appointed chairman and CEO of Ferrari SpA in September 1991.

Montezemolo successfully re-launched Ferrari's production car division, which now builds more than 4,000 units a year at a substantial profit. Regaining competitiveness in Formula One racing took longer and has been expensive, but Ferrari has won three consecutive constructor's world titles.

A bigger challenge has been Maserati. Parent company Fiat gave the ailing brand to Ferrari in 1997 in a final effort to turn it around. The first fully Ferrari-engineered Maserati was the new Spyder that debuted in September, followed by a new Coupe seen last month at the Detroit auto show.

Maserati has also been reintroduced to the US market after a 12-year absence.

The transformation of the Italian brand will be completed at the Frankfurt auto show in 2003 with the introduction of a new four-door sporty sedan, the fifth edition of the Quattroporte flagship.

What is the balance sheet on the decade you spent fixing Ferrari?
The numbers show we have been successful and I'm very happy. Probably my greatest satisfaction is respect from colleagues, bankers, financial analysts and the public for what Ferrari is today. And for what Maserati could be.

Is Maserati your nightmare?
No. that's Formula One - a Last Judgement every two weeks, 16 times a year. Maserati is a great challenge, we worked really hard, we spent huge money for a company as small as Ferrari, but the new products are showing a promising start. Particularly in the USA. I was pleased with the reception given to the new Coupe we unveiled at the Detroit show. I won't say that the enthusiastic reception for the new Spyder was taken for granted. But North America loves convertibles, so we were just expecting the confirmation of having built a suitable product. On the contrary, I was really surprised by the excitement for the Coupe, for the appreciation to its 2 + 2 seating in a very sporty body. We already have some trend-setting customers, such as actor Nicholas Cage and Mike Ovitz, former vice president of Walt Disney Corp.

And Ralph Lauren said he would add a Maserati to his sports-car collection.
I really loved Ralph saying that he was buying a new Maserati because it was coming from Ferrari and that was a sort of a certificate of a successful product.

Is Maserati diverting too many financial and human resources from Ferrari?
Not at all. At (next month's) Geneva show we will introduce the 575M Maranello, a further improvement of an already great car. We added 30 horsepower, the F1-style gearbox controls and the semi-active Skyhook damping system. At the Paris show (in September) you will see the new ultimate road Ferrari, the spiritual heir to the limited edition F40 and F50. We are also working on manufacturing. Since I took over Ferrari in late 1991 we have completely redone our plants. First we created a state-of-the-art foundry - which also casts F1 engines and gearboxes - then a new composite-material shop, a new paint shop, a futuristic wind tunnel and now we are completing the new engine plant.

What is the next big thing coming from Ferrari?
The christening of our new engine plant in July. Ferrari is renowned for cars, for their performance, for the technology that lies behind them. Now it is time to also show what we have done in manufacturing for workers and for the environment. I'm convinced we are global state of the art. And not only because our new engine plant is the only one to be fully air-conditioned.

How does it feel to be the longest-serving top executive in the auto industry?
I was very surprised. I didn't know I was so old in the business. After 10 years at Ferrari, luckily, I still feel brisk. Maybe it is time for a change, but my next job won't be in the auto business. I will look for something totally different.

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