ENZO FERRARI: THE MAN BEHIND THE PRANCING HORSE

THE EARLY YEARS

Enzo Ferrari was born in 1898 in Modena, Italy. His father and elder brother died in the influenza pandemic of 1916, a formative loss that historians link to Enzo's later emotional distance and fierce self-reliance.

He found his calling at a 1908 racing event in Bologna, and vowed to become a driver. After serving in World War I, he joined Alfa Romeo as a test driver in 1919.

THE RACING YEARS

As a driver Enzo was skilled but not destined for greatness. His real talent emerged when he built Scuderia Ferrari in 1929 — essentially Alfa Romeo's racing team — until the two parted ways in 1939.

Barred from using his own name on a car for several years, Enzo worked secretly, promising he would one day build cars under his own badge.

THE REBIRTH

In 1947, the first car to wear the Ferrari name — the 125 S — rolled out of the Maranello workshop, powered by a small V12. Its racing debut did not go perfectly, but Enzo's path was set.

The prancing horse badge, inherited from a World War I flying ace, became one of the most recognised symbols in the world.

THE MACHINE

Ferrari's obsession was always the engine — above all the V12, which he believed held a purity that nothing else matched. That philosophy still defines Ferrari today, from the 812 Superfast's 800 hp V12 to modern V6 hybrids.

Road cars existed, in Enzo's words, only to fund the racing. Yet it is those road cars that made the name immortal.

THE LEGACY

Enzo Ferrari died in 1988. He had sold part of the company years earlier but never lost control of its spirit. He remains one of the most studied figures in motorsport — brilliant, difficult, and utterly uncompromising.

Timeline

• 1898 — BORN: Enzo Ferrari is born in Modena.
• 1929 — SCUDERIA: Founding of Scuderia Ferrari.
• 1939 — THE BREAK: Splits from Alfa Romeo.
• 1947 — FIRST CAR: The 125 S launches the brand.
• 1988 — THE LEGACY: Enzo dies, the legend endures.