The late great Enzo Ferrari was born 120 years ago

When we talk about motorsport or even just fast cars it’s hard not to mention the car manufacturer Ferrari. After all, the Italian brand has a very rich history of success (and its fair share of losses) in racing that has made it famous for generations.

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With this, the brand celebrated the 120th birth year of the man who started it all – Enzo Anselmo Ferrari – by organizing a special photographic exhibition in the self-named museum in Modena, Italy. It will showcase photographs of the founder from his childhood to adulthood.

His lesson is more relevant than ever and his modernity unquestionable. He was a man with extraordinary vision and ability to manage people and resources as well as a strong entrepreneurial spirit and exceptional courage. One wonders what he could have achieved if he had had access to today’s technical resources and knowledge. The mark that he left on the world remains a source of pride for all of us at Ferrari and for the whole of Italy.

Sergio Marchionne
Chairman and CEO of Ferrari

Enzo Ferrari lit his passion for motorsports when his father brought him to the 1908 Circuito di Bologna. He founded 'Scuderia Ferrari' in 1929 which became the motorsport division of Alfa Romeo before he left the brand. It would then become a stand alone racing team a few years later when he built the first true Ferrari called the 125 S.

A couple of years later, he would end his career as a race car driver due to the birth of his son Dino and his workload as head of the racing team. In late 1940s, his racing team began to dominate the international motorsport scene: Mille Miglia (1948), Le Mans 24 Hour Race (1949), and Formula 1 World Championship Grand Prix (1951).

The success brought about by Ferrari’s career, cars, and his racing team from that point onward helped cement his name in the history books as one of the most successful racing personalities of all time.