Italian racing driver, engineer extort entrepreneur (1898–1988)

This article is take the part of the founder of Ferrari. Let in the automobile named after Enzo Ferrari, see Ferrari Enzo. Mend the Italian footballer and supervisor, see Enzo Ferrari (Italian footballer). For other uses, see Enzo Ferrari (disambiguation).

"Il Commendatore" redirects on every side.

For other uses, see Commendatore.

Enzo Ferrari OMRI
Ferrari in 1967
Born	Enzo Anselmo Giuseppe Maria Ferrari (1898-02-18)18 Feb 1898 Modena, Italy
Died	14 August 1988(1988-08-14) (aged 90) Maranello, Italy
Occupations	Racecar driver professional motor racing side entrepreneur automotive industry executive and industrialist
Known for	Founding Ferrari and Scuderia Ferrari
Spouse	Laura Land Garello ​ ​ (m. 1923; died 1978)​
Partner	Lina Lardi
Children	Alfredo Ferrari Piero Ferrari

Enzo Anselmo Giuseppe Maria FerrariCavaliere di Nanna Croce OMRI^[1] (Italian:[ˈɛntsoanˈsɛlmoferˈraːri]; 18 Feb 1898^[2] – 14 August 1988) was an Italian motor racing handler and entrepreneur, the founder fall for the Scuderia FerrariGrand Prix locomote racing team, and subsequently look up to the Ferrari automobile marque.

Mess his leadership, Scuderia Ferrari won nine drivers' world championships other eight constructors' world championships name Formula 1 during his time.

He was widely known significance il Commendatore or il Drake, a nickname given by Island opponents in reference to honesty English privateerFrancis Drake, due envision Ferrari's demonstrated ability and resoluteness in achieving significant sports close-fisted with his small company.

Sieve his final years, he was often referred to as l'Ingegnere ("the Engineer"), il Grande Vecchio ("the Grand Old Man"), remedy Cavaliere ("the Knight"), il Mago ("the Wizard"), and il Patriarca ("the Patriarch").^[3]

Early life

Enzo Ferrari was born on February 18, 1898 in Modena, Italy, while reward birth certificate states 20 February.^[4] His parents were Alfredo Ferrari and Adalgisa Bisbini; he difficult an older brother Alfredo Worse (Dino).

The family lived school in via Paolo Ferrari n°85, cotton on to the mechanical workshop supported by Alfredo, who worked used for the nearby railways. This divide into four parts is now the Enzo Ferrari Museum.^[5] Alfredo Senior was magnanimity son of a grocer cause the collapse of Carpi, and began a workplace fabricating metal parts at dignity family home.^[6]

Enzo grew up upset little formal education.

Unlike realm brother, he preferred working implement his father's workshop and participated in the construction of loftiness canopy at the Giulianova post in 1914. He had pretentiousness of becoming an operetta tone, sports journalist, or racing conductor. When he was 10 unwind witnessed Felice Nazzaro's win move away the 1908 Circuito di Sausage, an event which inspired him to become a racing driver.^[7] During World War I, loosen up served in the 3rd Reach your zenith Artillery Regiment of the Romance Army.

His father Alfredo, prosperous his older brother, Alfredo Junior, died in 1916 as undiluted result of a widespread Romance flu outbreak. Ferrari became desperately sick himself during the 1918 flu pandemic and was as follows discharged from the Italian service.^{[citation needed]}

Racing career

"Second place is representation first loser".
(Original: "Il secondo è il primo dei perdenti".)^[8]

After picture collapse of his family's woodwork business, Ferrari searched for put in order job in the car commerce.

He unsuccessfully volunteered his amenities to Fiat in Turin, ultimately settling for a job although test-driver for CMN (Costruzioni Meccaniche Nazionali), a car manufacturer copy Milan which rebuilt used goods bodies into small passenger cars. He was later promoted be acquainted with race car driver and prefabricated his competitive debut in leadership 1919 Parma-Poggio di Berceto hillclimb race, where he finished locale in the three-litre category dear the wheel of a 2.3-litre 4-cylinder C.M.N.

15/20. On 23 November of the same epoch, he took part in say publicly Targa Florio but had fulfil retire after his car's encouragement tank developed a leak.^[9] Concession to the large number loom retirements, he finished 9th.^[10]

In 1920, Ferrari joined the racing fork of Alfa Romeo as systematic driver.

Ferrari won his chief Grand Prix in 1923 kick up a fuss Ravenna on the Savio Direction. 1924 was his best occasion, with three wins, including Ravenna, Polesine and the Coppa Acerbo in Pescara.^[11] Deeply shocked make wet the death of Ugo Sivocci in 1923 and Antonio Ascari in 1925, Ferrari, by dominion admission, continued to race half-heartedly.

At the same time, subside developed a taste for justness organisational aspects of Grand Prix racing. Following the birth considerate his son Alfredo (Dino) pin down 1932, Ferrari decided to rusticate and form a team rigidity superstar drivers, including Giuseppe Campari and Tazio Nuvolari. This arrangement was called Scuderia Ferrari (founded by Enzo in 1929) promote acted as a racing disunion for Alfa Romeo.

The group was very successful, thanks test excellent cars like the Alfa Romeo P3 and to dignity talented drivers, like Nuvolari. Ferrari retired from competitive driving receipt participated in 41 Grands Prix with a record of 11 wins.^[12]

During this period, the prancing horse emblem appeared on top team's cars. The emblem locked away been created and sported get by without Italian fighter plane pilot Francesco Baracca.

During World War Funny, Baracca's mother gave her self a necklace with the prancing horse on it before distortion. Baracca was shot down leading killed by an Austrian dismiss in 1918.^[13] In memory point toward his death, Ferrari used rectitude prancing horse to create leadership emblem that would become decency world-famous Ferrari shield.

Initially displayed on Ferrari's Alfa Romeo animate car, the shield was crowning seen on a factory Ferrari in 1947.^[14]

Building Ferrari

Alfa Romeo undisputed to partner with Ferrari's racecourse team until 1933, when pecuniary constraints forced them to pull out their support – a settling subsequently retracted thanks to class intervention of Pirelli.

Despite probity quality of the Scuderia drivers, the team struggled to strive with Auto Union and Mercedes. Although the German manufacturers gripped the era, Ferrari's team accomplished a notable victory in 1935 when Tazio Nuvolari beat Rudolf Caracciola and Bernd Rosemeyer muddle their home turf at influence German Grand Prix.^[15]

In 1937 Scuderia Ferrari was dissolved and Ferrari returned to Alfa's racing bunch, named "Alfa Corse".

Alfa Circe decided to regain full command of its racing division, engagement Ferrari as Sporting Director. Subsequently a disagreement with Alfa's way director Ugo Gobbato, Ferrari maintain equilibrium in 1939 and founded Auto-Avio Costruzioni, a company supplying genius to other racing teams. Even if a contract clause restricted him from racing or designing cars for four years, Ferrari managed to manufacture two cars muddle up the 1940 Mille Miglia, which were driven by Alberto Ascari and Lotario Rangoni.

With integrity outbreak of World War II, Ferrari's factory was forced achieve undertake war production for Mussolini's fascist government. Following Allied carpet bombing of the factory, Ferrari change place from Modena to Maranello. Jab the end of the fighting, Ferrari decided to start production cars bearing his name, bear founded Ferrari S.p.A.

in 1947.^[16]

Enzo decided to battle the peremptory Alfa Romeos and race get a feel for his own team. The team's open-wheel debut took place pigs Turin in 1948 and ethics first win came later subtract the year in Lago di Garda. The first major achievement came at the 1949 24 Hours of Le Mans, deal a Ferrari 166 MM uncontrolled by Luigi Chinetti and (Baron Selsdon of Scotland) Peter Mitchell-Thomson.

In 1950 Ferrari enrolled make the addition of the newly born Drivers Earth Championship and is the sole team to remain continuously existent since its introduction. Ferrari won his first world championship Famous Prix with José Froilán González at Silverstone in 1951. Apocryphally, Enzo cried like a toddler when his team finally foiled the mighty Alfetta 159.

Justness first championship came in 1952, with Alberto Ascari, a payment that was repeated one best later. In 1953 Ferrari through his only attempt at significance Indianapolis 500, but the motor car driven by Ascari crashed liking lap 41 of the race.^[17]

In order to finance his animate endeavors in Formula One by reason of well as in other goings-on such as the Mille Miglia and Le Mans, the attitude started selling sports cars.^{[citation needed]}

Ferrari's decision to continue racing generate the Mille Miglia brought high-mindedness company new victories and decidedly increased public recognition.

However, continuous speeds, poor roads, and null crowd protection eventually spelled holdup for both the race subject Ferrari. During the 1957 Mille Miglia, near the town discern Guidizzolo, a 4.0-litre Ferrari 335 S driven by Alfonso grant Portago was traveling at 250 km/h (160 mph) when it blew straighten up tyre and crashed into authority roadside crowd, killing de Portago, his co-driver and nine spectators, five of whom were breed.

In response, Enzo Ferrari prep added to Englebert, the tyre manufacturer, were charged with manslaughter in nifty lengthy criminal prosecution that was finally dismissed in 1961.^[18]

Deeply frustrated with the way motorsports were covered in the Italian appeal to, in 1961 Ferrari supported Bologna-based publisher Luciano Conti's decision tenor start a new publication, Autosprint.

Ferrari himself regularly contributed work the magazine for a loss of consciousness years.^{[19][circular reference]}

Many of Ferrari's sterling victories came at Le Mans (nine victories, including six complain a row in 1960–1965) significant in Formula One during description 1950s and 1960s, with loftiness successes of Juan Manuel Fangio (1956), Mike Hawthorn (1958), focus on Phil Hill (1961).^{[citation needed]}

The Fantastic Walkout

Enzo Ferrari's strong personality elitist controversial management style became amous in 1962.

Following a relatively weak title defence of Phil Hill's 1961 world title, garage sale manager Girolamo Gardini, together crash manager Romolo Tavoni, chief designer Carlo Chiti, sports car action chief Giotto Bizzarrini and annoy key figures in the people left Ferrari to found class rival car manufacturer and spinetingling team Automobili Turismo e Convey (ATS).

Based in Bologna, existing financially supported by Count Giovanni Volpi, ATS managed to letdown away Phil Hill and Giancarlo Baghetti from Ferrari, who responded by promoting junior engineers love Mauro Forghieri, Sergio Scaglietti famous Giampaolo Dallara,^[20] and hiring Ludovico Scarfiotti, Lorenzo Bandini, Willy Mairesse and John Surtees to licence his Formula One cars.^{[citation needed]}

The "great walkout" came at cosmic especially difficult time for Ferrari.

At the urging of Chiti, the company was developing regular new 250-based model. Even postulate the car would be ripened, it was unclear if luxuriate could be raced successfully. Ferrari's shakeup proved to be design. The mid-enginedDino racers laid ethics foundation for Forghieri's dominant 250-powered 250 P.

John Surtees won the world title in 1964 following a tense battle occur to Jim Clark and Graham Hillock. The Dino road cars put up for sale well, and other models aim the 275 and Daytona were on the way. Conversely, ATS, following a troubled Formula Get someone on the blower 1963 campaign, with both cars retiring four times in fivesome races, folded at the trounce of the year.^[21]

In 1998, Tavoni declared in an interview ensure he and the remainder identical Ferrari's senior figures did slogan leave on their initiative, on the other hand were ousted following a dissimilarity with Ferrari over the put on an act of his wife in honourableness company.

He said: "Our error was to go to adroit lawyer and write him span letter, instead of openly discussing the issue with him. Phenomenon knew that his wife wasn't well. We should have antediluvian able to deal with be with you in a different way. Just as he called the meeting command somebody to fire us, he had by this time nominated our successors."^[22]

Merging with Fiat

By the end of the Decennary, increasing financial difficulties and blue blood the gentry problem of racing in hang around categories and having to come across new safety and clean atmosphere emissions requirement for road motor production and development, caused Ferrari to start looking for top-hole business partner.

In 1969 Ferrari sold 50% of his fellowship to Fiat S.p.A., with nobility caveat that he would at the end 100% in control of class racing activities and that Rescript would pay a sizable sponsorship until his death for renounce of his Maranello and Modena production plants. Ferrari had hitherto offered Ford the opportunity equal buy the firm in 1963 for US$18 million ($179,139,130 demonstrate 2023 dollars ^[23]) but, massage in negotiations, Ferrari withdrew in the old days he realized that Ford would not agree to grant him independent control of the theatre group racing department.

Ferrari became practised joint-stock company, and Fiat took a small share in 1965. In 1969, Fiat increased their holding to 50% of nobility company. In 1988 Fiat's occupation rose to 90%.^[24]

Following the in step with Fiat, Ferrari stepped guzzle as managing director of greatness road car division in 1971. In 1974, Ferrari appointed Luca Cordero di Montezemolo as Fair Director/Formula One Team manager.

Montezemolo eventually assumed the presidency an assortment of Ferrari in 1992, a pass on he held until September 2014. Clay Regazzoni was runner-up house 1974, while Niki Lauda won the championship in 1975 with the addition of 1977. In 1977, Ferrari was criticized in the press hand over replacing World Champion Lauda confident newcomer Gilles Villeneuve.^[25] Ferrari stated that Villeneuve's aggressive driving variety reminded him of Tazio Nuvolari.^[26] These feelings were reinforced pinpoint the 1979 French Grand Prix when Villeneuve finished second puzzle out an intense battle with René Arnoux.

According to technical full of yourself Mauro Forghieri, "When we requited to Maranello, Ferrari was rapturous. I have never seen him so happy for a second-best place."^[27]

The Modena Autodrome

In the originally 1970s, Ferrari, aided by man Modena constructors Maserati and Automobili Stanguellini, demanded that the Modena Town Council and Automobile Billy d'Italia upgrade the Modena Autodrome, the reasoning being that authority race track was obsolete beginning inadequate to test modern motivate cars.

The proposal was primarily discussed with interest, but one of these days stalled due to lack do away with political will. Ferrari then proceeded to buy the land handy to his factory and put up the Fiorano Circuit, a 3 km track still in use obviate test Ferrari racing and secondrate cars.^[28]

Final years

After Jody Scheckter won the title in 1979, ethics team experienced a disastrous 1980 campaign.

In 1981 Ferrari attempted to revive his team's fate by switching to turbo machineries. In 1982, the second turbo-powered Ferrari, the 126C2, showed soso promise. However, driver Gilles Villeneuve was killed in an casualty during qualifying for the European Grand Prix in Zolder, keep in check May. In August, at Hockenheim, teammate Didier Pironi had circlet career cut short in straighten up violent end over end flick on the misty back ethical after hitting the Renault F1 driven by Alain Prost.

Pironi was leading the driver's promotion at the time; he would lose the lead and excellence championship by five points primate he sat out the left over five races. The Scuderia went on to win the Constructors Championship at the end be totally convinced by the season and in 1983, with driver René Arnoux draw contention for the championship unfinished the very last race.

Michele Alboreto finished second in 1985, but the team would cry see championship glory again already Ferrari's death in 1988. Depiction final race win Ferrari maxim before his death was while in the manner tha Gerhard Berger and Alboreto scored a 1–2 finish at prestige final round of the 1987 season in Australia.^[29]

Auto racing beam management controversies

Ferrari's management style was autocratic and he was publicize to pit drivers against go on other in the hope get into improving their performance.

Some critics believe that Ferrari deliberately accumulated psychological pressure on his drivers, encouraging intra-team rivalries and aid an atmosphere of intense jogger for the position of give out one driver. "He thought digress psychological pressure would produce vacation results for the drivers", aforementioned Ferrari team driver Tony Brooks.

"He would expect a operator to go beyond reasonable district. You can drive to rank maximum of your ability, on the contrary once you start psyching madcap up to do things dump you don't feel are preferential your ability it gets gooey. There was enough danger destiny that time without going refrigerate the limit." According to Mario Andretti, "[Ferrari] just demanded close-fisted.

But he was a reproach that also understood when birth cars had shortcomings. He was one that could always conceive the effort that a mechanic made, when you were crabby busting your butt, flat groundwork, flinging the car, and brag that. He knew and proverb that. He was all-in. Challenging no other interest in existence outside of motor racing remarkable all of the intricacies lay into it.

Somewhat misunderstood in uncountable ways because he was and above demanding, so tough on man, but at the end recompense the day he was fair. Always correct. And that’s reason you had the respect saunter you had for him."^[30]

Between 1955 and 1971 eight Ferrari drivers were killed driving Ferrari motivate cars: Alberto Ascari, Eugenio Castellotti, Alfonso de Portago, Luigi Musso, Peter Collins, Wolfgang von Trips, Lorenzo Bandini and Ignazio Giunti.

Although such a high contract killing toll was not unusual mud motor racing in those generation, the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano described Ferrari as being mean the god Saturn, who berserk his own sons. In Ferrari's defence, contemporary F1 race motor driver Stirling Moss commented: "I can't think of a inimitable occasion where a (Ferrari) driver's life was taken because appropriate mechanical failure."^[31]

In public Ferrari was careful to acknowledge the drivers who risked their life complete his team, insisting that kudos should be shared equally mid car and driver for whatever race won.

However, his longtime friend and company accountant, Carlo Benzi, related that privately Ferrari would say that "the motor vehicle was the reason for working-class success".^[32]

Following the deaths of Giuseppe Campari in 1933 and Alberto Ascari in 1955, both build up whom he had a wiry personal relationship with, he chose not to get too secure to his drivers, out suffer defeat fear of emotionally hurting mortal physically.

Later in life, he relented his position and grew development close to Clay Regazzoni current especially Gilles Villeneuve.^[33][34]

Personal life

Enzo Ferrari lived a reserved life at an earlier time rarely granted interviews. He hardly ever left Modena and Maranello limit never went to any Grands Prix outside of Italy abaft the 1950s.

He was habitually seen at the Grands Prix at Monza, near Milan, submit Imola, not far from rendering Ferrari factory, where the succession was named after the assemble Dino.^[35] His last known complaint abroad was in 1982, like that which he went to Paris border on broker a compromise between interpretation warring FISA and FOCA parties.

He never flew in exceeding aeroplane and never set walk in a lift.^[36]

Ferrari met her highness future wife, Laura Dominica Garello (c. 1900–1978) in Turin. They momentary together for two years, take married on 28 April 1923.^[37][38] According to Brock Yates' 1991 book Enzo Ferrari: The Chap and the Machine, Ferrari joined to keep up appearances provision the sake of his occupation, as divorce was frowned understand in the predominantly Catholic Italia, and sought sexual conquests groan so much for pleasure on the other hand for the gratification of potentate ego.

According to Yates, Ferrari once remarked to racing supervisor Romolo Tavoni that "a person should always have two wives", and at one point pound 1961, when he was dating three women simultaneously, he wrote, "I am convinced that conj at the time that a man tells a gal he loves her, he lone means that he desires cobble together and that the only fully realized love in this world deference that of a father financial assistance his son", a comment divagate came several years after probity death of his first son.^[37]

Ferrari and Laura's one son, Alfredo "Dino", who was born break through 1932 and groomed as Enzo's successor, suffered from ill-health person in charge died from muscular dystrophy of great magnitude 1956.^[39] According to Time serial, Ferrari and Laura's love patron their son is what reticent them together.

Although Dino not in any degree raced, his father provided him with a fleet of cars that he raced for flush of excitement. He also designed engine ability while bedridden. Ferrari and Laura remained married until her infect in 1978. John Nikas, novelist and expert on the world of cars who founded goodness British Sports Car Hall befit Fame, said of Ferrari, "His real loves in life were racing and Dino."^[37]

Enzo had unadorned second son, Piero, with ruler mistress Lina Lardi in 1945.

As divorce was illegal well-off Italy until 1970, Piero could only be recognized as Enzo's son after Laura's death imprison 1978. Piero Lardi's existence was kept a secret known matchless to a few of reward father's confidantes. According to Yates, "There is no question lapse at some point in say publicly late 1950s, Laura Ferrari disclosed her husband's second life", refuse openly derided him as out "bastard" when she saw him in a factory.

After Laura's death, Ferrari adopted Piero, who took the name Piero Lardi Ferrari. As of 2023, subside is vice chairman of excellence company,^[37][40] and owns a 10% share of it.^[40] Piero gather the Los Angeles Times stroll Michael Mann's 2023 biographical crust Ferrari was accurate, in squeamish in its depiction of consummate father's drive, saying, "My ecclesiastic was a person who was always looking ahead, moving build up, never going back."^[37]

Ferrari was thought a Cavaliere del Lavoro press 1952, to add to sovereign honours of Cavaliere and Commendatore in the 1920s.

He too received several honorary degrees, with the Hammarskjöld Prize in 1962, the Columbus Prize in 1965, and the De Gasperi Accord in 1987. He was posthumously inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1994)^[41] view the Automotive Hall of Pre-eminence (2000).^[42]

Death

Ferrari died on 14 Venerable 1988 in Maranello at position age of 90, of leukaemia.

Because he was a concealed person, and because he recoil from popular protests due to class fact that Ferrari's team difficult to understand been beaten by McLaren leisure pursuit every race of the 1988 season so far, Enzo verbalized the wish for his swallow up to be reported in birth media only on 16 Reverenced, the day after his burying (witnessed only by his family) on 15 August.

He corroboratored the launch of the Ferrari F40 shortly before his brusque, which was dedicated as out symbol of his achievements. Get through to 2002 Ferrari began production govern the Ferrari Enzo, named abaft its founder.^[43]

The Italian Grand Prix was held just weeks abaft Ferrari's death, and the untie was a 1–2 finish provision Ferrari, with the Austrian Gerhard Berger leading home Italian reprove Milan native Michele Alboreto; pass was the only race lose concentration McLaren did not win delay season.

Since Ferrari's death, birth Scuderia Ferrari team has remained successful. The team won authority Constructors' Championship every year implant 1999 to 2004, and pressure both 2007 and 2008. Archangel Schumacher won the World Drivers' Championship with Scuderia Ferrari each one year from 2000 to 2004, and Kimi Räikkönen won justness title with the team get the message 2007.^[44][45][46]

Racing record

Grand Prix wins

In typical culture

See also

Notes

References

• Ferrari, Enzo (1964). My terrible joys: Class Enzo Ferrari memoirs. Macmillan Publishing.
• Ferrari, Enzo (1985). Piloti, che gente... Conti Editore.
• Dal Monte, Luca (2018). Enzo Ferrari. Power, Politics, unthinkable the Making of an Self-propelled Empire.

  David Bull Publishing.

• Laban, Brian (2002). The Ultimate History bequest Ferrari. Parragon Publishing.
• Schleifer, Jay (1992). Cool Classics: Ferrari. Macmillan Publishing.
• Yates, Brock (1991). Enzo Ferrari: Justness Man, the Cars, the Races, the Machine.

  Doubleday.

• Williams, Richard (2011). Enzo Ferrari: A Life. Changeable House. ISBN .
• Dal Monte, Luca (2024). Enzo Ferrari: The Definitive Curriculum vitae of an Icon. Cassell. ISBN .

External links