Italians on Italians
Beyond Toscano

Ferrari – THE Italian sports car

While Italy has no shortage of elite sports car manufacturers making vehicles to make the heart race (and the wallet sigh), arguably the cream of the crop must be Ferrari.
 
The iconic Italian company has been creating jaw-dropping cars since the mid 1940s, their logo of a prancing horse proudly rearing up at every engine roar. Its founder, Enzo Ferrari, was a passionate racing driver, applying everything he knew about racing, to designing and creating vehicles of his own.
 
First off the starting grid under his own name was the 125S. At a time when most racing cars had 8 cylinders, it left them for dust with a V12 engine. It was the first of many cars made by Ferarri that took to the international motor racing circuit, making a name and building a reputation of excellence for the manufacturer, which is now based in Maranello, Italy.
The triumph of the 125S set the tone for the new brand, and paved the way for decades of success as makers of some of the world’s most desirable cars. Ferarri has never lost its close relationship with racing, and the company still makes many of the parts found in today’s Formula One racers.