Later, other Italian racing teams adopted the color as the national racing color. He set an endurance record during the race for driving 24 hours straight in an effort to catch up. Ferrari first used the color in honor of Charles Goddard, a fairground worker who entered the Peking to Paris in 1907. Almost 80% of all Ferraris sold are painted this color. The iconic red color used on Ferrari vehicles is called Rosso Corsa (racing red). The Fiat offer contained more agreeable terms for the Italian sports car maker. So while Ford failed to secure a deal in 1963, Fiat succeeded a few years later in 1969. Negotiations were started, but things came to an abrupt halt when Ferrari realized Ford wasn’t going to let him retain control of his beloved brand and company. So Ford thought the perfect solution would be to buy the legend in the industry. Ford Rivalry EraĪs you’ve likely seen in the latest Hollywood blockbuster, Ford v Ferrari, in 1963, the Ford Motor Company approached Enzo Ferrari with interest in purchasing the company.įord wanted to compete on the international race scene, but it just didn’t have the cars capable. The 1960s became one of Ferrari’s best race eras.

Ferrari went on to produce the 250 GTO, which became one of the most famous sports cars in history. Thanks to a young engineer’s talents, the exact opposite happened. Many thought this was a deadly blow and spelled the end of the company. Things came to a boiling point that resulted in these men and their supporters getting ousted from the company. This didn’t sit well with the company’s sales manager, general manager, chief engineer, and experimental sports car development chief. The issue at hand was the level of involvement that Enzo’s wife had in the company’s daily operations. However, it could also be polarizing, and things came to a head in 1961. Throughout the company’s history, Enzo’s strong personality served as a steady rudder expertly guiding the course of development. Over the next decade, race cars sporting the prancing stallion badge appeared and performed well in prestigious races throughout the world.

Later that year, the first Ferrari cars were introduced to the world, the 125 S and the 125 Sport. In 1947 the war was over, and Enzo had his first car engine design commissioned. Most of the company’s resources were dedicated to building machinery for WWII military operations. During the Auto Avio Costruzioni era, one car was produced. It wasn’t until four years later when Enzo was allowed to change the name to Ferrari. Since he wasn’t allowed to use the Ferrari name, he formed Auto Avio Costruzioni. Enzo was the manager of the in-house team for about a year but then left to focus on his own race car development. This relationship lasted until 1938 when Alfa Romeo decided to bring its racing operations in-house again. Over the next few years, you can see Ferrari’s influences through Alfa Romeo’s racing and road cars. Alfa Romeo took over the operation in 1933 when it dissolved its in-house racing team. Scuderia Ferrari was founded in 1929 with the sole purpose of building gentleman racing cars. Enzo Ferrari began his automotive career by working for Alfa Romeo as a driver. Ferrari Brand HistoryĪs mentioned, the founder of Ferrari didn’t specifically set out to create an automotive empire with legions of devoted fans throughout the world. So sit back, relax, and let’s take a drive through what makes Ferrari cars some of the top cars in the world to drive.

Each car is as attractive to the eyes as it is to our need for driving thrills. Throughout the decades, a devoted following has grown thanks to the company’s commitment to the innovation of performance and looks. Thanks to the Italian’s commitment to both beauty and performance excellence, Ferrari cars are the embodiment of elegance and heart-stopping engineering power.įerrari may not be one of the world’s biggest carmakers, but it’s definitely one of the most coveted. This is one of the most coveted Ferrari models in the world.Įnzo Ferrari didn’t set out to create an automotive empire with one of the world’s most recognized brands with its prancing horse.

In 2018, one lucky auto enthusiast bid and won at an RM Sotheby’s auction a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO. Do you have $48 million lying around? If so, you could afford to bid on the most expensive car in the world.

New 2017 ferrari models