Enzo behind Enzo

Enzo Ferrari was born on February 20, 1898 in Modena, Italy, and died there on August 14, 1988. However, there is a mistake in his date of birth. He was actually born on February 18th, but due to heavy snowfall in the area, his father was unable to register his birth until February 20th.

In 1908, when Enzo was 10 years old, he took part in several car races on the Bologna circuit and decided to become a racing driver. This decision will shape those who live forever in the “fast lane”. Enzo graduated from school at an early age and began wearing horse shoes. In World War I, he joined the military, where he also worked as a blacksmith. He almost died from the 1917 influenza pandemic and was discharged. After the war, he started a test drive of a small Italian car maker and started racing. Enzo won his first race in 1919.

In 1920 he joined Alfa Romeo and did a lot of work. He founded Ferrari in Modena in 1929 as a branch of Alfa Romeo. At the same time he won the racing car.

He built the first Ferrari car, the Tipo 125, in 1946. Countess Baraka presented Ferrari with her son’s emblem, the black prancing horse. Francesco Baracca was an ace pilot and national hero during World War I. The horse was depicted on the fuselage of a Francesco fighter. The Countess asked Enzo to use the image in his car. This brings him good luck. Yellow was the color of Modena, so Enzo put a black prancing horse on a yellow shield.

In 1947, Enzo entered the Tipi 125 at the Monaco Grand Prix and won the British Grand Prix in 1951.

But when his son Dino died of muscular dystrophy in 1956, tragedy struck his life. This was to change Enzo’s life forever. After his marriage, he moved to a small apartment connected to his factory. He started working 24 hours a day and soon became a hard worker. From that time on, Enzo always wore dark sunglasses in memory of his son.

Ferrari merged with Fiat in 1969 as an equivalent partner, and in 1988 Fiat became a majority partner.

However, Enzo was a colorful and stubborn man throughout his life. Perhaps Lamborghini, who was in the tractor manufacturing industry at the time, was a Ferrari customer. Lamborghini once complained about some of his Ferrari issues, and Enzo told him to stay on the tractor. It’s interesting that Enzo’s quote “clients aren’t always right.” Some wonder if the statement came from a conflict with Lamborghini.

And Ferrari said of his own creation, “Ferrari is a dream. People dream of owning this special car, and for most people it remains a dream except for a few lucky people. “

The 2003-04 model was named “Enzo” as a homage to the founder.

Enzo also built a vocational school and test and experimental trucks in Fiorana, Italy.