Ferrari History and Related Auto Parts

History and Parts

Ferrari is one of the most instantly recognizable car brands in the world – and for good reason. You’d be hard pressed to find someone unfamiliar with the manufacturer’s iconic prancing horse logo. Even with its roots firmly set in the world of racing, Ferrari has gone on to create some of the most admired road cars in the world today. And all of this was due to the company’s passionate founder, Enzo Ferrari.

Driven to Succeed: Enzo Ferrari’s Early Years

Enzo Ferrari was born in Modena, Italy in 1898 to parents Alfredo Ferrari and Adalgisa Bisbini, and his older brother Alfredo Junior. When he was just 10 years old, Enzo saw Felice Nazzaro win the 1908 Circuito diBologna and nurtured a love for all things motorsports from that moment on.

After serving in the Italian Army’s 3rd Mountain Artillery Regiment during World War I, Enzo got his first job as a test driver for the manufacturer Costruzioni Meccaniche Nazionali (C.M.N.). His skills were apparent to all and was eventually promoted to race car driver, making his first appearance in the 1919 Parma-Poggio di Berceto hillclimb race.

Following his tenure at C.M.N., Enzo became a driver for Alfa Romeo in 1920. He went on to his first Grand Prix win just a mere 3 years later. 1924 proved to be an even better year with 3 more wins being added to his list of accolades. However, it was around this time that Enzo became to lose his passion for racing.

The racing related deaths of fellow drivers Ugo Sivocci in 1923 and Antonio Ascari in 1925 gave Enzo pause when it came to his career as a race car driver. He began learning more about the organizational and business side of Grand Prix and eventually retired from racing completely after the birth of his son Alfredo in 1939.

A Look at Ferrari Through the Years

1929: Enzo leaves Alfa Romeo as a driver to found Scuderia Ferrari. This started as a division of Alfa Romeo with the purpose of building and preparing exclusively race cars for wealthy racers, as Enzo had no interest whatsoever in building road cars.

1933: Due to the acclaim Scuderia Ferrari received for their race cars, Alfa Romeo made it their official technical racing division in 1933. This was also the time when Ferrari’s now iconic prancing horse shield logo made its very first appearance.

1939: Enzo leaves Alfa Romeo altogether to found Auto Avio Construzioni. Initially the new company started out manufacturing machine tools and aircraft parts but they did produce their first two cars in 1940 – the Auto Avio Construzioni 815 and Fiat 508C. However, this was put on hold when the company switched to manufacturing grinding machines during World War II.

1945: Following the end of WWII, Enzo hired Gioachino Colombo to create a new V12 engine, whose specifications were revealed in 1946.

1947: The first car to wear the Ferrari badge, the 125 Sport was released and began being used on the professional racing circuit. This car had a V12 engine and won both the 1951 Grand Prix and the 1952 World Title.

1957: Auto Avio Construzioni becomes Auto Construzioni Ferrari.

1969: Seeing Ferrari’s potential, Fiat purchased a 50% stake in the company in order to make funds more readily available for manufacturing costs. This could not have come at a better time as it was also during this period that Porsche appeared as a direct rival to Ferrari on the European racing circuit.

1984: The show “Miami Vice” premiered. Those familiar with the program will know that one of the show’s characters, Sonny Crockett, owned a 1972 Ferrari Daytona Spyder 365 GTS/4. The influence was widespread and it wasn’t long before Ferraris began popping up in not just Miami, but the United States as a whole.

1988: Enzo Ferrari passed away at the age of 90. Following his death, Fiat purchased Enzo’s share in the company, rising their ownership to 90%.

2014: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles unveils its intention to sell their stake in Ferrari and separate from the company.

2016: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles officially separated from from Ferrari on January 3, 2016 and the next day Ferrari began trading on the Mercato Telematico Azionario.