Enzo Ferrari was born on 18 February 1898. 127 years later, his devotion to progress lives on
Words: Chris Rees
Enzo Ferrari was, in every sense, a driven man. His overwhelming compulsion to win, to achieve, and to create the world’s best cars, saw him push himself – and others – to ever higher pinnacles.
Although a racing driver himself, it was as a leader that he truly excelled. In charge of Scuderia Ferrari, the racing team he founded in 1929, he always pushed beyond what others thought impossible.
The very first Ferrari, the 125 S, embodied Enzo’s passion to create a competitive edge through innovation. Its ambitious V12 engine made it a highly successful machine.
Enzo fostered a winning spirit and an environment that encouraged new ideas. His spirit of innovation lived on at Maranello after his death in 1988 – and continues to this day. For instance, Ferrari experimented with paddle-shift transmission as early as 1979, and fitted it to the Grand Prix-winning 640 F1 car in 1989; in 2021, Ferrari launched its first fashion show; the Purosangue of 2022 was the first Prancing Horse with four doors; in 2023, Ferrari returned to spectacular victory at Le Mans; and the F80 is the very latest supercar from Maranello, launching a new era of V6 hybrid power inspired by Ferrari’s F1 cars and the Le Mans-winning 499P.
Enzo’s passion for innovation has never burnt so brightly at Maranello at it does today. Ferrari will always surprise, innovate, push to the utmost to win. If there is one legacy above all that Enzo Ferrari bequeathed, it is this.
