Dedicated to classic Ferraris

Christos Vlahos and the 1954 Indy 500 car at Ferrari's restoration plant in Maranello, Italy. Photo / Supplied

Christos Vlahos has been around cars all his working life.

He was born in Greece, raised in New York, worked for Ford, Jaguar, Nissan - now he's the commercial director of Ferrari's restoration plant at its Maranello headquarters.

"Been here six years - it's the best job in the world," he says.

The plant is filled with classic Ferraris. Vlahos was happy to take the dust covers off some - but not all. "All of these cars are privately owned," he said. "Many of the owners don't want visitors to see their cars and we have to comply with the owners' wishes."

Some of the cars are worth millions. A 1957 Ferrari Testa Rossa that had been touched up at the plant sold for US$20 million ($25 million) in California, setting the record for a car at auction.

The 250 TR was the first Testa Rossa built. It raced at Le Mans and served as the prototype for Testa Rossa race cars. The previous record for a car sold at auction was US$14.6 million for another 1957 Testa Rossa, in Italy in 2009.

Vlahos had just got off the phone to a man in New Zealand when I arrived at the plant. "He's a Ferrari owner who wants us to restore one of his cars," he said. "It was 10.30 at night - I think I woke him up."

Restoration staff have the original design and mechanical blueprints to work from.

A Scuderia Filipinetti that raced in 1965 at Le Mans was up on blocks, its engine laid bare to mechanics.

Vlahos took the covers off a single seater - chassis 0388 - that ran in the 1954 Indy 500. "It was a sad sight when it arrived from America but we have completely restored it."

How much did it cost. "A little over €500,000 ($870,000) - it was one of the most expensive projects."

The plant is in the same grounds as the company museum, at the centre of which is the Hall of the Victories honouring Ferrari Formula One champions with their original helmets: Alberto Ascari (1952-53), Juan Manuel Fangio (1956), Mike Hawthorn (1958), Phil Hill (1961), John Surtees (1964), Niki Lauda (1975, 1977), Jody Schecter (1979), Michael Schumacher (2000-04) and Kimi Raikkonen (2007).