Passionate. Dedicated. Driven. Ruthless. There are so many adjectives that can be used to describe the man behind the Prancing Horse, Enzo Anselmo Ferrari, who was born on this day back in 1898. Telling the many stories behind the myriad ups and downs of Ferrari would fill several bookshelves, which speaks volumes about the man and his achievements. In fact, whenever I want an epic tale of high speed heroism, dastardly racing intrigue, or just want to admire beautiful cars, I reach for a Ferrari book in my collection. Ferrari is the marque; Enzo is the reason.
‘Il Commendatore’ was a genius entrepreneur, enigmatic leader and pantomime villain, respected and feared in equal measures. The car that bears his name is a fitting tribute: created in 2002/3 to celebrate the run of Formula 1 titles for Scuderia Ferrari in the new millennium, the Ferrari Enzo was all about overarching power and passion in scarlet.
The man who started what would become one of the most important automotive dynasties never had an easy life: he achieved his success through sheer hard work and bloody-mindedness. Enzo was born in Modena, an area which is still home to the majority of Italian prestige marques, and was smitten with fast cars from an early age.
One of his first jobs was working for Alfa Romeo (which is why I always insist that I drive cars that are technically the reason why Ferrari exists…), and whilst racing himself, Enzo went on to run Alfa’s racing programme under the Scuderia Ferrari banner during the 1920s and ’30s.
Ferrari SpA was formed in 1947 from the ashes of a ravaged Italy, and Enzo rapidly steered the company to meteoric success. Financial problems hit in the ’60s and the company was offered for sale to Ford, only for Enzo to pull out of negotiations at the eleventh hour when he realised he would lose control of his beloved company.
That led to the epic clash of the titans at Le Mans, when a spurned Ford put Ferrari to the sword with its iconic GT40 programme. Eventually it was Fiat who bought in, allowing Enzo to retain a majority stake until his death in 1988. At least he did get to see what is widely regarded as the most iconic Ferrari road car of all time, the F40, just before passing away.
Enzo virtually invented psychological warfare in racing. A virtual recluse during his latter years, I can’t help but imagine scenes in films like the Godfather when thinking about the man: dark rooms filled with cigarette smoke, the big man himself in sunglasses and immaculate suit surveying his ‘victims’ from across his desk. It’s no wonder the man is so legendary.
Today is the perfect day to reflect on his achievements. I aim to spend the afternoon watching videos of screaming scarlet machines, so please join us in celebrating the lifetime of ‘Il Commendatore’ on this anniversary of his birthday.
Enzo, we salute you.
Jonathan Moore
Instagram: speedhunters_jonathan
jonathan@speedhunters.com
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