Marked For Greatness

When it comes to craftsmanship, it is said that the ‘devil and the angels are in the details’, and nowhere is this better observed than through the new Great Characters Edition from Montblanc, dedicated to Enzo Ferrari and his passion for racing. 

There are three version of the Montblanc pen - Special edition, Limited Edition 1898 and Limited Edition 98 (of which just 98 will be made) - and to fully understand each intricate detail, it helps to first understand the life and achievements of the man himself.  

Enzo Ferrari was born on February 18th, 1898, in Modena, Italy. At the age of twenty-five he turned his passion for speed into reality by becoming a racing driver, winning his first race at the Circuito del Savio in Ravenna, for Costruzioni Meccaniche Nazionali. 

In 1929, having participated in over forty races, Enzo founded his own racing team, Scuderia Ferrari and in 1949, the first car with the Ferrari marque was built at the Maranello factory – the 1500cc 12-cylinder 125 S.  

Why are these details important? Because Montblanc have meticulously included them (and more) in their exceptional writing tributes. The 125 S, for example, is celebrated on the Limited Edition 1898 through the metal that adorns the cap and barrel, a direct nod to the engine surface of the car itself. 

On the same pen, the Maranello factory’s address is embossed on the cap top, while even the Montblanc emblem is set in frosted quartz, to resemble the frozen windows on which Enzo would practice his signature as a young boy, while he dreamed of becoming a racing driver. And for those looking for an extra level of authenticity, the ink is available in exactly the same purple favoured by Enzo Ferrari. 

Perhaps the most immediate Ferrari detail on the Special Edition is the colour of both the cap and barrel, that glorious red inspired by Ferrari’s ‘Rosso 70 Anni’, but a closer look reveals much more.