Ferrari: The Legend

Contents

?? Ferrari Racing

?? Enzo Anselmo Ferrari. Il Commendatore

Enthused following watching the film Ferrari with Adam Driver and Penélope Cruz, I felt compelled to scribe some snippets about the legend that is Ferrari.

Unleash the Prancing Horse

In 1957 Ferrari F1 team had the finest collection of F1 drivers:

Eugenio Castelletti, Luigi Musso, Peter Collins, Mike Hawthorn, Alfonso De Portago and Wolfgang von Trips

All bar Mike Hawthorn died whilst racing a Ferrari.

Piero Taruffi (the Silver Fox) won the last Mille Miglia in a Ferrari 315 S. He retired in 1957.

The first Ferrari car to win a Formula One championship was the Ferrari 375 F1, driven by José Froilán González at the British Grand Prix.

Ferrari enjoyed significant success at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, winning the race nine times in the 1960s, including six consecutive victories from 1960 to 1965.

Scuderia Ferrari also holds the record for the most Driver's Championships with 15 wins, won by nine different drivers.

Scuderia Ferrari has won the driver's title fifteen times: 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1964, 1975, 1977, 1979, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2007.

In the 1960s, Ferrari was temporarily banned from the 24 Hours of Le Mans because of a dispute over rule changes.

Ferrari cars won over 5,000 races and earned 25 world titles from 1948-1988.

Ferrari is the most successful Formula One team, having achieved 239 race victories out of 1032 race entries, with drivers on the podium in 778 of those races.

The Ferrari 312T was the most successful car design in Formula One, winning 27 races, four Constructors' Championships, and three Drivers' Championships.

Ferrari has competed in every season since 1950.

Enzo Anselmo Ferrari, Il Commendatore

Born on February 18, 1898, and died on August 14, 1988, at 90.

It is said that Enzo was not a nice man; he was opinionated, irritable, quick-tempered and cold.

Some of his comments will make history:

'I don't put much faith in sincere and deep friendships between men driven to confront risk every Sunday.'

Following the death of one of his drivers, 'Ah, so sorry he is dead, but how is the car?

When challenged about the sub-standard quality of Ferrari's brakes, 'the car is meant to go not stop'.

As to the build quality, he quipped, 'I don't sell cars; I sell engines; the cars I throw in for free; something has to hold the engines in'.

Playboy magazine chose Ferrari as their favourite car, the retort, a famous Enzo witticism, 'I build a young man's car that only rich old men can afford.

He was always quick to take an opportunity to express his views, 'Aerodynamics are for people who can't build engines'.

Or, 'What's behind you doesn't matter.'

Enzo Ferrari was known for his intense competitive spirit.

Winning in racing was not just a goal for him; it was an obsession.

Ferrari World is a theme park in Abu Dhabi, the world's largest indoor theme park.

It is also home to the fastest rollercoaster in the world, Formula Rossa, achieving speeds of nearly 150mph.

Ferrari presented The Pope with a Ferrari Enzo; although he never drove the car, he autographed the car to commemorate the occasion.

The Vatican later sold the car at auction, and all proceeds went to charity.

Introduced in 1987, the Ferrari F40 broke new ground in the world of supercars.

With a top speed of 201 mph, it became the first production car to surpass the 200 mph barrier.

The list goes on……

Nice man or not, there can be little doubt that Il Commendatore has left an indelible mark on the motor industry and the world.