Enzo Ferrari – the intense life of the creator of the most expensive sports cars

A childhood filled with passion for vechicles

Enzo Ferrari came into the world in the same way he lived – very dynamic and spectacular. On that day, February 18 1898, a huge snowstorm broke out in Modena (northern Italy) – so strong that it took two days to register the newborn.

Enzo had shown an interest in automobiles since childhood. His idols were Felice Nazaro and Vincenzo Lancia.
At the age of 10, he went with his father and brother, Alfredo, to car races in Bologna – this is how a great passion began. It should be added that a passion supported by work – albeit over other means of transportation than passenger cars.
In a break from playing and studying, the young Italian helped run the family’s locomotive repair shop, so the noise of drives and the clatter of sheet metal accompanied him from the very beginning.

After his father’s death in 1916, Ferrari junior worked in more than just family workshops and studied, earning a technical school diploma. During World War I, Enzo – like many young men – had to serve in the army. The service turned out to be kind to him, as he was assigned to take care of military transportation.
Even under difficult circumstances, therefore, his interests were realized.

Technology and automotive were not Enzi Ferrari’s only “hobbies.” He also dreamed of a career… as an opera singer. As befits an Italian, the young man from Modena loved music. Nature gifted him with a strong voice, but also a lack of musical hearing, which derailed his chances for a great artistic career. However, every cloud has a silver lining, because Ferrari’s second great desire was to compete in endurance racing. And he has already succeeded in fulfilling this dream, although it did not come immediately.

After the military demobilization, the young boy, in the winter of 1918, left for Turin in search of happiness.
With no education, no connections, with just one letter of recommendation from his unit commander, he wanted to be employed at a Fiat factory. The chilly response from engineer Diego Sori, then the company’s human resources director, was devastating: “We can’t hire just anyone.” Who knows if Ferrari would have become a legend in his lifetime if Sori’s response had been different.

Race to succeed

In search of new career paths, Enzo began working as a test driver for the C.M.N. (Costruzioni Meccaniche Nazionale) in 1919, and during this time he made his first racing debut at the Parma – Poggio di Berceto, finishing fourth.

Until 1931, he drove for the racing team of the iconic Alfa Romeo, already without the vest with the word “test.” It was the latter team that allowed him to spread his wings enough to put Enzo on the Savio rally podium in 1923. Six years after this success, Ferrari launched its own racing team, which included major racing talent. “Scuderia Ferrari” (translated as “Ferrari Stable”) – for that was the team’s name – was the realization of Enzo’s dream of a team made up exclusively of Italian racers. They still drove Alfa Romeo-branded vehicles, with which the young Italian became involved for a while, by which time his logo already included the famous willowy horse on a yellow shield.

In 1938 Enzo took over the management of Alfa Romeo’s factory division. He was occupied with a variety of duties, from recruiting capable employees to helping design cars, but unfortunately, two years later, with the outbreak of war, the company was forced to change its focus to military production. The result was Ferrari leaving his job and looking around for more opportunities. This time already on his own terms.

The black horse of italian motorsport

The racing team, which was founded at Ferrari’s initiative, competed on the tracks until 1932. In total, he scored 13 victories out of 47 starts, so this is a decent result, but no revelation. He certainly did not go down in Ferrari’s sports history as an outstanding driver, but rather as a capable, albeit aspiring, racer and team manager.

Also, the management tasks that were assigned to him at Alfa Romeo did not quite meet his ambitions.
Enzo wanted to act, to construct, to drive machines of his own concept – improved, with even better performance. He used to say, “I couldn’t find the car I dreamed of for myself, so I made the decision that I would build it myself.”

The biggest life goal of the enthusiast from Modena was to build the best, fastest racing car with the distinctive image of a horse. The speeding hooves were to cross the finish line first. And to do it in the most beautiful style.

How to put this plan into practice, without proper engineering training and no special talent for construction? It was enough to be Enzo – a charismatic speaker and persuasive businessman with a “nose for people.” He was able to gather around him talented automotive developers – outstanding engineers such as Vittorio Yano, designer of the FIAT brand, whose Alfa Romeo P2 racing model was awarded many times throughout Europe. Other designers included former Alfa Romeo engineers Alberto Massimino and Vittorio Bellentani, and regular Scuderia Ferrari collaborator Enrico Nardi.

In 1939, Enzo founded Auto-Avio Construzioni, a company that would produce tools and parts for aircraft and racing cars. These plans, as with Alfa Romeo, were also verified by the war. For a while, therefore, AAC had to produce not cars, but engines for small combat aircraft. As it turned out, this apparent “stagnation” turned out to be a springboard for growth. Ferrari, on contracts with the government, made enough money to continue the dream of producing sports cars. Soon the company was employing more than 100 people.

After the war, in 1947, the Ferrari brand was established, that is, the one that still operates under that name today. At the same time, the factory in Maranello left the first model of the signature car – specifically, the 125 S. The car was a two-seater cab without a roof. It had a lightweight ladder frame, a transverse spring at the front and a rigid rear axle suspended by two leaf springs.

A historic vehicle, it participated in prestigious Grand Prix races, winning in Rome, the Mille Miglia and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Successes on the tracks coincided with those commercially. There was a growing audience of wealthy buyers, potentially interested in expensive luxury sports cars. However, later, more developed models contributed to the brand’s heyday. For example, the Modena or the F430.

Enzi Ferrari’s biography, from the moment he founded his own brand, was intense and his lifestyle was fast-paced. The Italian moved constantly: from Turin, to Milan; from Modena to Maranello, but still remained loyal to his hometown.

History of the legendary logo

Where did the concept for one of the most famous logos in automotive history come from? The story is quite touching and relates to Italian patriotism.

It was officially created in 1923 as a result of a meeting with the parents of Francesco Barakki – a heroically deceased Italian pilot. They were the ones who proposed the “symbol for good luck,” namely a black horse floating on two hooves in ecstatic joy. Ferrari added from himself a gold background, which is the official color of his hometown, Modena.

On life’s twists and turns seen through dark glasses

Enzo Ferrari’s life, although very rich and rather successful, was not one of the easiest and was fraught with obstacles – the severe illness of a Spanish flu (during World War I), the untimely passing of his son Dino (he was only 24 years old), the death of as many as six drivers of the “Scuderia Ferrari” (between 1955 and 1956) and a trial for manslaughter on the Mille Miglia circuit. In 1969, as a result of mounting financial problems and numerous racing failures, Enzo sold a 40% stake in his company to the FIAT conglomerate. Another 50% was sold after his death, so only 10% of the company’s value was passed on to his descendants.

For the last few decades of his life, and probably since his descendant was buried, Enzo wore dark glasses. This was his trademark, and for those around him – a kind of symbol of mourning, but also of deftly masked inner secretiveness.

Enzo Ferrari, an italian legend made real

What was Enzo Ferrari like? Full of vigor, smart, very demanding of his co-workers, charismatic, but also fearful. He was said to suffer from claustrophobia, and some tragic events left a permanent mark on his personality. Despite his immense fame, he led a relatively ordinary life. He rarely gave interviews and shunned prolonged visits to major cities, illustrated by the fact that, as an Italian, he had never been to Rome.

The brand of sports vehicles he created became legendary during his lifetime. The idea behind the exclusive cars was that every driver should experience above-average comfort while being able to compete in terms of speed.

Enzo Ferrari headed the company until his death in 1988, which is impressive considering that he lived to be as old as 90. He survived two wars, the rise and fall of many economies, and finally, tragically, the death of his son and wife. Italians to this day consider him a legend, a great patriot, a role model. He is treated in the same way by many car enthusiasts.