Matteo Panini is a true “Modenese doc,” the son of Umberto, one of the founding fathers of the legendary Panini stickers. The family’s roots are in Emilia, in the truest sense of the word: their origins date back to their founder, Antonio, who opened his mechanical workshop in Pozza di Maranello in the early 1900s, while his grandchildren—including Umberto—would later transform a simple newsstand on Corso Duomo in Modena into the launch pad for a globally recognized brand. 
Raised in the Motor Valley, Matteo embodied the true essence of Emilia: a deep love for his homeland and the courage to take on seemingly impossible challenges. A philosophy of life that he himself summarizes with a quote from his father: “Poverty and misery are a beautiful school of life”—a lesson that Umberto carried with him after the years spent in Venezuela as a mechanical welder, before returning to Italy to write the history of stickers with his brothers. 
Maserati collector, inventor of speakers made from supercar exhausts, president of one of Italy’s most exclusive classic car clubs, agri-food entrepreneur, and desert marathon runner. If you ask him how he would describe himself, his answer is disarming in its simplicity: “I feel like an advanced Swiss Army knife: I feel like a total freak.” 
  
The Maserati Collection 
The founding moment of the Collection came on December 2, 1996, when Umberto Panini purchased the Maserati Museum Collection at auction by the London-based Brooks, saving a priceless automotive heritage for Modena. Over the years, the 19 original models have been joined by other prized pieces: today, the collection includes over 30 Maseratis that tell the story of over 115 years of the Trident brand. 
In 2025, the Collection found a new home: after nearly 30 years at the Hombre farm, it moved to Marzaglia, into a former hangar at the family airport—which once housed Italy’s first glider school. The new location, characterized by Maserati blue, is exclusively dedicated to the Trident and attracts more than fifteen thousand visitors each year. 
  
IXOOST: When Exhaust Becomes Music 
In 2012, Matteo founded IXOOST, the first company in the world to transform original exhaust manifolds from racing supercars into home audio systems. The name itself echoes the English term “exhaust.” As he explains: “We recovered old exhaust manifolds and replaced the hot engine gases with music. It’s always a fluid.”