Image: Enzo Ferrari – Motoring Legend
When you think of motorsport and car design throughout the 20th century, very few names would appear above Enzo Ferrari as more influential. Extremely passionate and vocal with his demand for the highest possible standards, Enzo was more than a little colourful. We’ve brought together his best quotes, alongside some fantastic images of the cars that bear his name.
Born on the 18th February 1898, Enzo Ferrari had a passion for cars from a young age. At ten years old he visited the 1908 Circuito de Bologna and became entranced by the speed and skill of the racing on show. He decided there and then to become a race car driver. After racing for smaller teams, he joined Alfa Romeo in 1920. Three years later, he was given the iconic prancing horse badge. First worn by the deceased World War One fighter ace Francesco Baracca, the symbol was passed onto Enzo by the pilot’s mother.
In 1929, Enzo started his own racing team, one that would go on to become more iconic than any other. Scuderia Ferrari. He had to wait until after World War Two that Enzo could start making cars under his own name. It wasn’t long before he started making race cars, and his first major victory came in the 1949 Le Mans 24 Hour race. Incredibly, one driver Luigi Chinetti drove for 23 hours of the race.
Ferrari was part of Formula One from its beginning, winning their first championship in the 1952-53 season. Success continued to come with four more championship wins and more victories at Le Mans. Motor racing was becoming incredibly dangerous, with speed increasing faster than safety could keep up. During the 50s and 60s, seven Ferrari drivers died on the track. In one particularly horrific accident at the 1957 Mille Miglia race, the driver, his co-driver and nine spectators were killed after the racecar lost control. Enzo came under some criticism for his rather relaxed attitude to driver deaths.
Ferrari continued to be a big part of motor racing with three more championship victories in the 70s. The F1 team fell into decline during the 80s, with just a solitary constructor’s championship win. The last victory before Enzo’s death in 1988 came in Australia 1987, with a Ferrari one two with Gerhard Berger winning.
Ferrari was not afraid to use mind games in his pursuit of victory. Often he would pit driver against driver in a bid to push them further, improving performance. Winning meant everything to him.
When it came to cars, design and performance had to be at their best. Whether it was a race car on the rack or a supercar on the streets of Monaco, Ferrari had to be the best.
Enzo Ferrari fulfilled all his dreams he had as a young boy. From watching beside the track in 1908, to becoming the man behind one of the greatest Formula One teams in history. The famous red colour used to be the racing colours of Italy. Not any more. Now it means just one thing – Ferrari red.
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