Interview
The unconditional love for Ferrari from Roxette singer Per Gessle
- Ludo van Denderen
For many Formula 1 enthusiasts, the ultimate dream is to own a real F1 car. Per Gessle, world-famous with his band Roxette, is responsible for classics like It Must Have Been Love, Joyride, Listen To Your Heart and The Look. He saw that dream come true. At his own Hotel, Tylösand, in Halmstad, Sweden, Gessle has Kimi Raikkonen's 2008 Ferrari - the year the Italians last captured the constructors' title - bought by him for all to see.
A walk through Hotel Tylösand feels like a trip through paradise for any car and especially for a Ferrari enthusiast. In a purpose-built room, Gessle has gathered a huge collection of Ferrari's. The Joyride Car Collection includes iconic machines like the 599 GTO, a red Dino 246 GT and thus the car Raikkonen drove the year after his individual world title in Formula 1.
During an exclusive interview with GPblog, when Gessle talks about that F1 car, a twinkle is visible in his eyes. The Swedish artist talks about how he was regularly at Ferrari in Maranello, enjoying the history of the iconic brand. "I told my contact there, that if you're ever going to sell something that is not like zillions and zillions and zillions of money, but something that is sort of interesting and especially if it's a Scandinavian driver or a driver that I like… So it didn't take long, it took about six months or so. And then I got this request if I wanted to buy this Kimi Raikkonen 2008 show car."
It didn't take long for Gessle to answer that question. The car does not have an engine, but it is a car that Raikkonen drove in "they say, five or six races during that season. And you can tell because there are some bits and pieces that are sort of, not worn, but they're used. But everything is intact except that they took away the engine."
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Per Gessle's incredible collection
Raikkonen's car is the showpiece of the collection, which he put together for a permanent exhibition at his hotel in May 2023. "I realised I had so many cars, and they were hidden away everywhere. We were rebuilding the hotel, and my wife said, Why don't we build a great exhibition area for some of your cars?" Gessle immediately thought it was a great plan.
"I just felt like it would be sensational to have a racing car in there. So, one thing led to another. And, of course, I met Kimi Räikkönen a couple of times, and he's one of my favourite drivers ever. So it was just like an honour to have one of his machines there."
Driving the car is not something Gessle can do, admitting: "I could never even start it, I'm sure. I tried to sit in it, but I can’t sit in it either. It's really tight, and you have to remove the steering wheel and everything. But it's just nice, and people love it. And I think starting this collection at the hotel was a really good thing for me because I felt a little bit tired. If you have all these cars, you have this urge to drive all of them all the time. And when you have an exhibition, it feels like it's okay not to drive them because people appreciate them anyway."
The Romance of Ferrari
Gessle is certainly not the only one who has a distinct love for the Ferrari brand. He talks about how he has always admired the design of old cars. As a child, he was impressed by the Dino 246 GT, driven by Tony Curtis in the TV series The Persuaders. "I thought that was the coolest car ever. And also the cars from the sixties. I mean, not only Ferraris but Aston Martins and Jaguar E-types and that kind of stuff. But, Ferraris always, there's such a romantic side to that brand.
"My first Ferrari was a 456 GT I bought in the mid-nineties. I went to the Geneva Motor Show in, I think it was 1993. And I saw that car that was out of this world. So I just had to have one of those. Unfortunately, I sold it. I don't have it anymore."
Although the Swede loves his cars, he doesn't actively participate in racing. "I'm not like a speed freak. And it's the same with my own cars. I don't necessarily have to drive 300 kilometres an hour," he says. Still, he's a big Formula 1 enthusiast. Gessle can be found in F1 paddocks all over the world.
"I think it's really exciting. And especially nowadays, when there are so many teams that are on the same level. And those drivers that are doing it on this level have some molecule in their brain that normal people don't have. Because it's tough sh*t. And the physical things that they go through, the G-forces and everything, are just amazing. So, I'm just flabbergasted by everything."
Witnessing a historic moment
When asked about his favourite driver, he takes his time to list a few. "I think Max Verstappen is a fantastic driver. I think Lando Norris is a fantastic driver. I actually like Carlos Sainz a lot. I think he did some fantastic races last year. Alonso. I can go through the whole list. I'm a big fan of everyone. I don't really have one guy that I'm supporting. Lewis Hamilton. Come on. It's going to be so exciting for him to see him driving in a Ferrari!"
Gessle was present at Max Verstappen's first Formula 1 victory. However, what stands out more in his memory is the dramatic incident that set the stage for Verstappen's triumph in Barcelona: the collision between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, which ended in both drivers retiring from the race.
"In that particular race, I was a guest at Mercedes. So, I was in the pit when that happened. And there came this girl, told the guests like me, ‘You have to leave now because there's going to be a war.’ So, they just threw us out of the pit. So I went to someone else, probably Ferrari," laughs Gessle.
Photo: Hotel Tylösand
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