Since childhood, Enzo Ferrari has been passionate about cars. As a ten-year-old boy, he went to the races on the Bologna circuit with his father and brother. He dreamed of working for FIAT, an Italian car producer, but his application was rejected. So he started working as a tester at a small “Torpedo” company.
His career as a tester continued with Costruzioni Meccaniche Nazionali (National Mechanical Constructions); later, he became a racing driver. He debuted in 1919, and the following year, his twenty-year collaboration with Alfa Romeo began, first as an official driver, then as director of the racing department.
“I do not remember anything more worthy than the first victory. Nothing at all. To me, the most important victory is the one I still have to achieve”, said Enzo Ferrari in an interview on the Kings Rose Archives channel.
Prancing Horse for Good Luck
In 1923, Enzo Ferrari won an opportunity to meet Count Enrico Baracca and Countess Paolina Baracca in person after winning a race at the Savio circuit in Ravenna. And it was there when the countess suggested Enzo brand his vehicles with the prancing horse for good luck. The sign comes from aviation.
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In 1932, Ferrari, who had just become a father, permanently abandoned his career as a racing driver, and a few years later, his association with Alfa Romeo also came to an end. However, he was about to begin a new adventure: Auto Avio Costruzioni, the ancestor of Ferrari, founded first in Modena in 1939. From that day on, beating Alfa Romeo with a car built by him became his big goal. In Maranello, he founded Ferrari SpA in 1943, giving way to a story that would make Ferrari the most successful Formula 1 team and the most famous car company ever.
Red as a Part of the Italian Flag
Still, the first racing car completely designed by Ferrari himself was built in 1937 for Alfa Romeo. Two years later, he founded the firm Ferrari SpA, but the firm did not manufacture its first racing cars until 1946, after World War II.
“Ask a child to draw a car, and certainly he will draw it red”, said Enzo Ferrari once. More than 85% of all Ferraris that were produced before the turn of the century were red.
According to Scuderia Ferrari, the racing division of auto manufacturer Ferrari and the racing team that competes in Formula One racing, the association of red with Ferrari dates back to the early 20th century. The race car rallies had rules requiring each team to paint their vehicle in the national color. Green cars were painted in the United Kingdom, blue in France, and red in Italy. It is to be noted that red is also present in the Italian flag.
The original Ferrari and 12 Cylinders
The first race in the Formula 1 championship was the Monaco Grand Prix on May 21, 1950. The first victory came in the 1951 Grand Prix in Great Britain with José Froilán González, beating the Alfa Romeo squadron. It was this victory that marked the decline of Alfa in the world of F1 and, at the same time, the ascent of Ferrari sports. The first world title came in 1952, with Alberto Ascari. “In my life, I have always surrounded myself with people who were very cultured, skilled, and especially pervaded by the wish of having success,” commented Enzo Ferrari on his path.
Enzo Ferrari sold a 50% share of his company to FIAT SpA in 1969, but he remained president of the firm until 1977 and retained control over the Ferrari racing team until his death. In the history of Ferrari, dozens of models were developed, and almost 300,000 were sold. The Prancing Horse founder notes: “The 12-cylinder car still remains the original Ferrari car. When you think that in 1946 the 1500cc 12-cylinder car was born, all the rest is derived from the original model.”
