Enzo Ferrari 125 years on

Nobody could have expected the life that would follow when Enzo Ferrari came into the world in the Italian town of Modena on February 18, 1898. 

From humble beginnings, an automotive legend was born thanks to Enzo’s vision, determination and sense of adventure. 

Now, 125 years later, we can bring you a new video that outlines how a hungry young car mechanic took his love for racing and founded a brand that would go on to make the most sought-after cars on the planet.

The film tracks some of the highlights of Enzo’s life, from his first competitive race in 1919, a hill climb in Parma, to starting his own team in the form of Scuderia Ferrari a decade later, then founding Ferrari as we now know it in 1947. 

It goes on to show how the Ferrari racing team began to reach the pinnacle of motor sport, from its first win at the 24 hours of Le Mans to the initial F1 victory in 1951.  The following ten years were of unbridled success – the first F1 world title, three world titles in one year and in 1962 Enzo unveiled what would become possibly the most iconic car in history, the 250 GTO. 

In his later years Enzo showed ruthless single-mindedness and belief in what his company should be, resulting in innovation and boundary pushing at every turn. The first rear-engined V12 Prancing Horse arrived in 1971, three years later came 50 wins in F1 for Scuderia Ferrari. As the following decade came to a close, the Ferrari F40 represented perhaps the pinnacle of Enzo’s dream as to what a Ferrari could be, both from an aesthetic and performance point of view. 

When the great man passed away just a year after the F40 was unveiled, he had achieved enough to last ten lifetimes. Little could he know that the brand he founded would continue to chase the dreams he had as a young boy to such extent.