Ferrari

Ferrari cars are made by Ferrari S.p.A, which is a maker of fine sports cars, with headquarters in Maranello, Italy. Ferrari was founded by Enzo Ferrari back in 1929, under the name Scuderia Ferrari. Since its inception, the company has made race cars and sponsored professional drivers. Ferrari has also moved into making vehicles for the street, starting in 1947. Enzo Ferrari did not originally plan to make street-legal cars when he founded Scuderia Ferrari as a way to give amateur race drivers a start. Ferrari got his start prepping cars and drivers for Alfa Romeo, being hired by them in 1938 as head of the motor racing division. Throughout its long and storied history, Ferrari has been known for its participation in various racing series, such as Formula One, where it has enjoyed the most success.

In 1941, car maker Alfa Romeo was co-opted by Mussolini’s fascist government to be part of the Axis’ war machine. Enzo Ferrari’s division was very small, and as a result, was not absorbed by the ruling party in Italy. Being prohibited from racing for the next four years, Scuderia Ferrari briefly rebadged itself as Auto Avio Costruzioni Ferrari, claiming to make aircraft parts and tools. In fact, Ferrari did make the Tipo 815 during this period, and the Tipo was the first actual car made completely by Ferrari. However, due to the war in Europe, the car saw little track time. In 1943, Ferrari pulled up stakes and moved to Maranello, where it remains to this day. The Ferrari plant was leveled by an Allied bombing in 1944, and rebuilt in 1946 after the war was over. The new factory included a place for the manufacture of street cars, but until Enzo Ferrari passed away, the street car division existed merely as a way to fund his racing efforts.

The first street car made by Ferrari was 1947′s 125 S, which had a 1.5 liter, V12 engine. Ferrari was a racer at heart, only reluctantly making and selling street vehicles and showing open disdain for his customers. However, his fast and attractive road cars quickly became known for quality and craftsmanship. Fast forward to 1988, where Enzo Ferrari was there for the launch of the Ferrari F40, which was the last car released before he passed away, and probably one of the world’s most well-known “supercars”. In May of 2009 in Maranello, a 1957 Testa Rossa was sold by Sotheby’s and RM Auctions for over $12 million, which was a world record at the time. That record is now held by a Bugatti Atlantic, which was sold for almost $29 million.

Since its humble beginnings, Ferrari has been a force in motorsports, competing in sports car races and Formula One, as well as supplying engines and cars to various racing teams and series. Ferrari continues to be known for its extremely fast, and very-well put together vehicles. The company has a reputation for quality that has stood the test of time.