Enzo Ferrari: The Man Who Built the Legendary Brand We Know Today
Despite a difficult past, Enzo Ferrari was able to build the brand many love today.
Written by Preston Charles
Reviewed by Serena Aburahma
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Few have impacted the sport of race car driving the way that Enzo
Ferrari
has. The “prancing horse” emblem, the specific color red; all screams speed, high performance, and status. Founder, Enzo, was something of an enigma in his day. He rarely granted interviews and after the 1950s seldom even traveled outside of Italy for any races.
From the
racing circuit
to a cruise down Rodeo Dr, 30 years after his death, his rich legacy lives on.Enzo’s early days
According to
motorwebmusuem.com
, Enzo Ferrari seemed to be born with high-octane fuel running through his veins. Always passionate about cars, he, his dad, and his brother would often attend the Bologna circuit as a kid. As it would for so many European families, World War One would ravage the Ferrari’s, taking Enzo’s father and brother both. Enzo managed to escape the horrors of war and soon moved to Turin upon being released.
The making of a career
Upon arriving in Turin, it was Enzo’s dream to work for the
long-time car manufacturer, FIAT
; however, his application was rejected and he had to look elsewhere. He landed as a torpedo tester for Costruzioni Meccaniche Nazionali which led him to live in Milan and opened the door for him to start racing cars.
His driving ability caught the eye of the powers that be at Alfa Romeo and in 1920 he started his 20-year career with them, first as a driver and then as director of the racing department.
After his victory at the Savio Circuit in 1923, Enzo met the parents of the famous aviator, Francesco Baracca, who invited him to use their son’s coat of arms, a prancing horse, for his automobiles.
The Ferrari is born
Enzo continued his relationship with Alfa Romeo until a disagreement in 1939 caused him to leave the company. Despite a contract clause that restricted him from racing or designing cars for four years, Enzo secretly built two cars for the 1940 Millie Miglia.
Unfortunately, just as he was getting going on his own, WW2 broke out and Mussolini forced Enzo’s new car factory to produce automobiles for his fascist war effort.
Once the war years were weather, Enzo thought it was time to go big and he started Ferrari S.p.A in 1947. Through the late ‘40s and into the ‘50s, Ferrari was victorious in a slew of different races across Europe, including success in toppling his former employer, Alfa Romeo.
As they expanded their racing division, they started making cars commercially to fund their endeavors, thus carving out their corner in the
street-legal, supercar market
. Enzo Ferrari’s legacy
Enzo continued to grow his company into the billion-dollar company that it is today. Along the way, he received multiple honorary degrees in addition to numerous social science prizes and recognitions.
The final project he took part in was the Galleria Ferrari of Maranello, but he sadly died at the age of 90 before its completion.
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