Ferrari

Early years

When it opened, the Scuderia Ferrari (Italian for “Ferrari Stable”) wasn’t meant to produce road cars, but rather for sponsoring amateur drivers and already made racing cars. It was actually supposed to be the first motorsport team independent from factory, although related to Alfa RomeoAlfa RomeoItaly, 1910 > present108 models
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.
Enzo Ferrari always worked for the Alfa Romeo company, in different job positions, until around 1940. Then he quit because that automaker was making plans to take over the Scuderia Ferrari.

For a short while, specifically for the time of the World War II, the Scuderia Ferrari started producing aircraft machinery and accessories.
In the middle of that non-competition period, the company also produced their first race car model, the Tipo 815Ferrari 815Italy, 1940 > 19401 photo
, which debuted in the 1940 Mille Miglia race. That was, in fact, the first ever real Ferrari car that was made.
However, as the War gone by, the Italian factory was bombed and not until 1946 it was finally restored and Ferrari officially started its independent production of road cars.

Fairly advanced for its time, especially for its V12 engine, the Ferrari 125 SFerrari 125 SItaly, 1947 > present1 photo
of 1947 was the very first Ferrari automobile for the roads.
Consequently, the automaker soon achieved a reputation for excellence, due to the quite attractive and stunningly powerful cars they produced.

The struggles of the 60's and 70's

In 1961 Enzo faced a great challenge when he dismissed his sales manager Girolamo Gardini due to frequent arguments. Other relevant members of the company sympathized with Gardini and also left the company, namely Ferrari's chief engineer, experimental sports car development chief, the Scuderia Ferrari manager among others. They ended up founding a new company, ATS, that competed directly with Ferrari on the track as well as on the streets.

This period sometimes referred to as "the great walkout" was a very difficult time for Ferrari as the company was developing a new 250-based model that was supposed to compete with the Jaguar E-TypeJaguar E-TypeUnited Kingdom, 1961 > 19753 series
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. The 250 GTOFerrari 250 GTOItaly, 1962 > 19646 photos
was unfinished, with the chassis and styling still under development. Mauro Forghieri, a young engineer, and Sergio Scaglietti, long-time racing bodyman, took on the challenge and finished the car that would win at Sebring and become one of the brand's most famous sports car.

The years around the mid-60's were marked by the rivalry between Ferrari and FordFordUnited States of America, 1903 > present92 models
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. In the beginning of the decade the Shelby Cobra came to challenge Ferrari and by the middle of that same decade Ford would dominate the racing scene with its new GT40Ford GT40United Kingdom, 1964 > present2 photos
. Ford tried to buy the italian brand but Enzo aware of his financial struggles decided to sell a part of the company to Fiat in 1969 instead. Ferrari would later become part of the Fiat GroupFiatItaly, 1899 > present159 models
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.

The early 70's saw the production of the Dino 246Ferrari Dino 246 GTItaly, 1969 > 19747 photos
with a V6 engine and in 1972 the company established the Fiorano test circuit close to the factory. In 1971 Ferrari unveiled the 365 GT/4 Berlinetta BoxerFerrari 365 GT4 BBItaly, 1973 > 19761 photo
at the Turin Motor Show which featured the new Berlinetta Boxer flat-12 engine. In the following year, the company officially incorporated Ferrari's design house, Carozzeria Scaglietti di Modena.

Recent years

The highlight of the 80's came with the company's 40th anniversary and the launch of the F40Ferrari F40Italy, 1987 > 199218 photos
. This commemorative car was made out of carbon-fiber and featured Kevlar panels. In 1988 Enzo Ferrari died at the age of 90 and the brand's reputation for excellence remained undoubted. After Enzo's death Fiat's share of the company increased to 90%.

In recent years the italian brand offered a number of smaller engines such as the V8 but also V12s with the Testarossas and the latest F12berlinettaFerrari F12berlinettaItaly, 2012 > present16 photos
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. In 2003 a supercar named Enzo FerrariFerrari Enzo FerrariItaly, 2002 > 20044 photos
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was launched in memory of the brand's founding father.

Currently Enzo’s son, Piero Ferrari, owns just a 10% of the brand’s shares.

In the motorsports world, Ferrari has an impressive record of over 5 thousand victories in many different competitions. It is now an important member of the Formula 1 championships.

The rather legendary Ferrari badge consists of a strutting black horse over a yellow background and three stripes on the top representing the Italian national flag colors: green, white and red. Under the black horse, the ‘S’ and ‘F’ letters that refer to ‘Scuderia Ferrari’ have been replaced by the sole word “Ferrari”.

The original horse drawing had originally been used by Italian Count Francesco Baracca, who was a national air force hero during the first World War and used this symbol on the side of his planes.
History tells that the Italian count’s mother, Countess Paolina Baracca, met Enzo Ferrari at the 1923 Savio racing event (in Ravenna) and asked him to start using the horse figure on his cars claiming that it would get him good luck.

Enzo Ferrari indeed began using the black horse drawing, adding up the yellow background, the stripes and the letters ‘S’ and ‘F’ to it. The yellow color symbolizes his homeland, Modena, and the stripes stand for his country, Italy.
The black prancing horse has since become a registered trade mark for the Ferrari car company.

Ever since the Scuderia Ferrari was founded, Enzo Ferrari never hid his big passion for racing sports. That’s why his company firstly consisted on a “sponsoring service” for private race drivers and later went on to be a part of Alfa Romeo’s racing team.
When Enzo left the Alfa Romeo’s corporation, Ferrari became a car factory itself and started making racing cars of its own. The brand started competing soon after the World War II ceased, by participating on the European Grand Prix.

Ferrari’s first victory on a racing track would happen in 1949 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, by the hands of Luigi Chinetti, who drove a Ferrari model 166MFerrari 166 MM Touring Ba...Italy, 1948 > present1 photo
. This would lead to the institution of Ferrari’s North American Racing Team.
When the Formula 1 World Championship took off in 1950, Ferrari’s team immediately joined in. the brand’s first win on the championship happened in the 1951 British Grand Prix, by the hands of José Froilán González. Then, the following year brought Ferrari its first Drivers’ Championship title, through driver Alberto Ascari.
Today, Ferrari is clearly the oldest team of all competing in this championship, as well as the most triumphant one by holding almost all of the F1 records.

The early 1950’s were glorious years for Ferrari’s participation both in the World Sports Car Championship and in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Le Mans competition was first won by a Ferrari car in 1954.
Despite the two decades of great success in motor racing that followed, Enzo Ferrari decided to focus the brand’s efforts only on Formula 1 and left the other racing events in 1972.

Ferrari’s models currently competing in racing championships are the F430 GT2 and the F430 GT3.
Until 2007, the Italian automaker has summed up 15 World Drivers’ Championship and 15 World Constructors’ Championship titles, 201 wins at Grand Prix races, 195 pole positions and 603 podium positions.