THE FACES OF SPEED
by Alessandro Barteletti

The first sonic boom in history exploded in the sky like a sudden thunderclap. Out of sight and beyond the reach of binoculars, it was easy to think the worst: another failed mission, another photograph to hang on a wall. Then the airplane reappeared in view. It had the shape of a bullet and was called the Bell X-1: together with its pilot, it had just broken the sound barrier, Mach 1, over twelve hundred kilometers per hour. An invisible barrier that had been considered, until then, impassable.

There is something both heroic and chivalrous about chasing speed. Men and women who become one with their machines, willing to risk their lives by pushing themselves to the point where their bodies are exhausted and their vision distorts. Whether it’s to set a record, challenge the clock, or face an opponent, it happens in the name of that primal instinct that has always driven humanity to surpass its limits and guide its own evolution.

To keep the foot down on the accelerator until the last, to gain every centimeter of asphalt and thousandth of a second possible; to board a never-before-experienced aircraft for the first time or launch into the unknown of a space mission; to seek a technical or aerodynamic solution to defy the laws of physics. These are race car drivers, test pilots, astronauts, but also engineers, managers, and designers who have chosen speed, interpreted it, and challenged it. Figures who, through their feats and their “machines,” have entered legend. This exhibition tells the story of encounters with some of them.

BIOGRAPHY
Photographer and journalist, born in Rome in 1981. Through his photographs, he has documented events and behind-the-scenes moments of social, sports, and news stories for over twenty years: from the training of Italian soldiers heading to Iraq in 2004 to the 2009 earthquake in Abruzzo; from the final days of Pope John Paul II in 2005 to the 2008 presidential elections in the United States, to name a few projects. Always passionate about everything that moves fast on the road and in the sky, he has also specialized in motorsports, aviation, and space industries, creating projects for National Geographic, Italian Air Force, Dallara Automobili, as well as major industry publications such as Auto Italiana, Rivista Aeronautica, and SpeedHolics. As a photographer, he has accumulated numerous flight hours aboard military jets and aircraft including the Eurofighter, MB339, M346, AMX, C27J, C130J, HH3F, HH139, and HH101. Teacher at Leica Akademie, since 2019 he has been a Leica Certified Photographer.

—

CAPTIONS

MAURO FORGHIERI
MAGRETA (MODENA), 2021
Ringing that doorbell with "Forghieri" written on it was always an exciting moment. The excuse of an interview or a photograph to be taken led me over the years to knock on his door in Magreta, on the outskirts of Modena: the welcome was always that of a kind man. Mauro Forghieri, who passed away in 2022, was Ferrari's Technical Director from 1962 to 1987 and one of the brightest examples of the old-school designer, always able to have the most brilliant intuition and conceive every part of a racing car, from the chassis to the engine, including aerodynamics. He designed the single-seaters of John Surtees, Lorenzo Bandini, Clay Regazzoni, Niki Lauda, Jody Scheckter, and Gilles Villeneuve.

GIAMPAOLO DALLARA
VARANO DE’ MELEGARI (PARMA), 2019
It is on the Varano de' Melegari circuit, just a stone's throw from the historic headquarters of his company, that Giampaolo Dallara – designer and founder of Dallara Automobili – gives me the most beautiful image. His eyes sparkle like a child's on Christmas morning, and his hands grip the steering wheel as if it were a gift just unwrapped. The Lamborghini Miura is a masterpiece of automotive design, and Dallara helped create it in the distant 1960s alongside figures like Marcello Gandini and Paolo Stanzani. "Looking back," he says, "it was born from the recklessness of our thirties. Back then, I didn't know what I didn't know, and everything seemed easier: there are many solutions that came from intuition and the boldest courage, something you only have at that age."

LUCA CORDERO DI MONTEZEMOLO
MARANELLO (MODENA), 2014
Ferrari Museum, exterior, daytime. On the stage set up for the inauguration of an exhibition, the Mayor of Maranello has just taken the floor, but someone else captivates the audience's attention. A figure, with a firm step and graceful movements, walks onto the stage. It is Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, the man who, as Sporting Director in 1975, brought Niki Lauda to his first Formula 1 World Championship victory, repeating the achievement in 1977; as President, he led Ferrari's rebirth and the era of Michael Schumacher, with his five World Championships won with the Scuderia di Maranello. In the background, the majestic Prancing Horse stands tall, and Montezemolo pauses for a moment right in front of it. Here is the photograph. An unposed shot, captured in the moment, telling the story of a unique and deep bond. Just a few weeks later, the news would come that the President would be leaving Ferrari.

NICK MASON
UK, 2017
He greets me holding a white mug with black checkers, like those on the flag waved to the winners in races, and asks if I would like some coffee. I accept: "Thank you, Mr. Mason." But he immediately calls me to order: "Call me Nick." I’m facing a living legend, the drummer of Pink Floyd, the band that has provided the soundtrack for at least three generations. We are in his domain, two warehouses lost in the English countryside, a couple of hours' drive from central London. However, here there’s no sign of his drums or the successes of the world’s most famous band, only engines. "Cars came into my life before music. After all, when I was a kid, rock hadn’t been invented yet." His achievements include five editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and two of the Carrera Panamericana. The icon of his collection is a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO. He bought it thanks to the royalties from Dark Side of the Moon, the album released in 1973 that has sold fifty million copies to date.

ARTURO MERZARIO
MILAN, 2020
The suit is the original racing one from his time with Alfa Romeo, when he won the World Championship in 1975 and 1977. The helmet, on the other hand, dates back to his years with Ferrari: “Do you see the Prancing Horse? I put it on when I arrived in Maranello in 1969. I’ve never removed it since, even after ending my relationship with Ferrari. With one difference: I added the reins and turned the tail downward.” Arturo Merzario, the driver who raced for Carlo Abarth, Enzo Ferrari, and the Autodelta of Carlo Chiti, the man who pulled Niki Lauda from the flames, did what no one else would ever dare: tame the Prancing Horse of Maranello.

MICHAEL “SOOCH” MASUCCI + VSS UNITY
NEW MEXICO (USA), 2023
An American test pilot of Italian descent, Masucci boasts over ten thousand flight hours, many spent in the cockpit of the Lockheed U2, the spy plane capable of flying at over seventy thousand feet. In the summer of 2023, he was at the controls of the VSS Unity, the Virgin Galactic spacecraft that was part of Galactic 01, the company's first commercial suborbital mission led by Richard Branson. A suborbital flight involves reaching an altitude between eighty and one hundred kilometers above the Earth's surface, an altitude crossed by any previous space mission but never considered a destination. It will be the future of commercial flight, as well as scientific research in microgravity. And this photo shows what a spacecraft looks like a couple of hours after returning from space.

FEDERICO DE CECCO
RIVOLTO (UDINE), 2024
Flying in formation means performing maneuvers in the sky at an average speed of 600 km/h, and in the tightest passes, the ten pilots of the Frecce Tricolori maintain a distance of around two meters between each aircraft. The soloist is the only one who performs an extreme maneuver during the display, called the Lomçovak: he climbs vertically towards the sky, executing a leftward rotation, causes the plane to stall—literally losing thrust—but uses the remaining inertia until the aircraft falls tail-first. The maneuver is completed when the pilot, literally plunging toward the ground, applies power again and regains control. This proves that acrobatic flying is a physical, manual endeavor, without any filters. It's a direct relationship between man and machine.

GIORGETTO GIUGIARO
MONCALIERI (TURIN), 2022
The title of Car Designer of the Century, seven honorary degrees, and five Compasso d’Oro awards are just some of the ways to describe his career. Consider that at just twenty-one years old, Giorgetto Giugiaro was already leading the Styling Center at Bertone, designing masterpieces like the Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT at night and on weekends, all while continuing his work during his mandatory military service. From the Alfasud to the Fiat Uno, and including the Golf and Panda, Giugiaro shaped the forms of the most popular cars, but at the same time, his hand drew futuristic and dynamic lines for prototypes and concept cars that became a synthesis and expression of speed itself.

LUIGI MARMIROLI
VIGONZA (PADUA), 2024
"I was born in Fiorano Modenese when Ferrari was being born too. I can still smell the burnt oil in my nostrils and hear the roar of the engines in my ears." When he tells his story, you immediately realize that his is the story of someone destined for greatness. Marmiroli designed Formula 1 cars for an entire decade, but above all, he is the father of the Lamborghini Diablo. When he was called to lead the project of the car that would inherit the legacy of the Countach, one of the most iconic supercars of the 70s and 80s, Marmiroli made the most honest and intelligent decision. Before sitting down at the drawing board, he went to meet Ferruccio Lamborghini—the founder—who had retired to Umbria for years. "In his cars, he put an obsession with speed. 'A Lamborghini,' he told me, 'should get a speeding ticket even when it's standing still.'" The message was clear, and when the Diablo was presented to the public in 1990, it immediately set a record: with its 325 km/h, it was the fastest production car ever.

EDDIE CHEEVER
INDIANAPOLIS (USA), 2022
Nicknamed “l’Americano de Roma” (the American of Rome), he grew up in the Italian Capital and took his first steps behind the wheel of a race car. A Formula 1 driver in the 1980s, his greatest achievement came in the United States, where he won a truly dramatic edition of the 500 Miles of Indianapolis in 1998. The winners of the historic American race earn an inscription of their name and a bas-relief of their face on the Borg-Warner Trophy, a unique piece that has celebrated every first place at Indianapolis since the first edition in 1911. A true monument, standing one meter and sixty-three centimeters tall. However, since 1988, drivers have also been awarded a miniature version of the famous trophy, known as the Baby Borg, which Cheever is holding in this photograph.

SOPHIA FLÖRSCH
VARANO DE’ MELEGARI (PR), 2021
This is the story of a woman born twice. The first time in 2000 in Grünwald, Germany. The second time in 2018, when she opened her eyes again after a terrible track accident. On the fourth lap of the 2018 Formula 3 Grand Prix in Macau, her car collided with another driver’s, flying at 276 km/h and, like a bullet, crashing into the photographer’s tower outside a corner. Protected by the chassis of her Dallara, Sophia—just seventeen years old—was still alive. And one hundred days later, she got back into the cockpit of a race car.

EMANUELE PIRRO
VARANO DE’ MELEGARI (PARMA), 2022
He has marked with passion and emotion a racing career spanning over four decades, with more than five hundred appearances in a wide range of motorsport competitions. From karting to Formula 1, where he also served as a test driver for Ayrton Senna's McLaren, it is in Endurance racing that he found his greatest fulfillment, winning five editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the wheel of an Audi, two editions of the 12 Hours of Sebring, and becoming the American Le Mans Series champion twice.

TONY KANAAN
Indianapolis (USA), 2022
Tony Kanaan's fist is a promise kept. "I lost my father when I was thirteen. We always watched the American races together, and one day he told me, 'You’ll have to win the 500 Miles of Indianapolis for me.'" Kanaan, with over two decades in the IndyCar Championship, achieved this feat in 2013, in the ninety-seventh edition, at the wheel of a Dallara DW12. The memory of that promise kept is now on Tony's finger, the famous ring with the Checkered Flag, the symbol awarded to the winners of the epic "Indy Race."

HORACIO PAGANI
SAN CESARIO SUL PANARO (MODENA), 2022
He has managed to blend Argentine flair with the culture of the Bel Paese, drawing inspiration from Italian icons to solidify his style and values. It’s no coincidence that his idols are Juan Manuel Fangio, the Argentine driver who was a five-time Formula 1 World Champion between 1951 and 1957, and Leonardo Da Vinci, for his ability to merge beauty and functionality in every work. Pagani arrived in Italy in 1982 and joined Lamborghini as a metalworker. Recognizing the potential of composite materials from the start, he became a pioneer of this new technology. He founded Pagani Automobili and in 1998, presented his first car, the Zonda.

PIERO FERRARI
MARANELLO (MODENA), 2021
His gestures and demeanor are those of his father, but what stands out is the calm way in which he speaks. Piero Ferrari, the son of Enzo, is an elegant man from another time. On set, he pauses to talk about photography and cameras, revealing himself as an expert. After all, his passion for mechanics has motivated him since he was a boy, when he began attending Ferrari activities and officially joined the company in 1969. In the 1970s, he followed the Formula 1 World Championship alongside sports directors Montezemolo and Audetto. In 1980, he was appointed Executive Director of the Scuderia Ferrari's Sporting Management, and in 1988, he became Vice President of Ferrari, a position he still holds today.

MARIO ANDRETTI
INDIANAPOLIS (USA), 2022
On set—set up in a pit at the Indianapolis circuit—he arrives in the only possible way for someone like him. Yet, when it happens right before your eyes, you can hardly believe it: the wheels of a golf cart screeching on the asphalt as it brakes at the last second, the door opening, him lowering his sunglasses with both hands, and greeting everyone with an energetic “Good morning!” perfectly articulated with that Italian accent that sounds distinctly American. A triumphant entrance, just as much as the pages of history he has written both across the ocean and on this side. The nickname "Piedone" was fully earned for his fast and daring driving style, which led him to become the Formula 1 World Champion in 1978, behind the wheel of Colin Chapman's Lotus, and even earlier, in 1969, winning the 500 Miles of Indianapolis.

JEAN TODT
ROME, 2022
He is one of the most influential figures in the history and evolution of motorsport, both in its competitive and non-competitive aspects, over the last five decades. A brilliant co-driver in rally racing first, and a skilled manager later, Todt has indelibly linked his name to Ferrari, taking on the role of Sporting Director for the Scuderia in Maranello in 1994. It was under his leadership that the epic achievements of Michael Schumacher took shape, with five consecutive Formula 1 World Championships won from 2000 to 2004. Since 2015, he has been the UN Special Envoy for Road Safety.

PAOLO NESPOLI
STAR CITY (RUSSIA), 2017
Following astronaut Paolo Nespoli’s training for his third and final mission in space for National Geographic Italia was a year-long project that took us across Europe and the United States, with a stop in Star City, Russia. It was in Star City that I was finally ready to capture the image I had been chasing for months and was certain would become the cover photo: the astronaut inside the Soyuz module, alone, just for me, and available for my camera. But then, something unexpected happened in a space training center: a blackout of the internal lighting system. I knew very well that my time was limited—only one minute, timed by the security officer who began to knock from outside—and it would soon expire. If I left to retrieve a light, I would no longer have access. There was only one solution: use the flashlight on my smartphone. That’s how this photograph came to life, and it was indeed chosen for the cover of the magazine. A copy of it later flew with Nespoli into space.