Enzo Ferrari
Enzo Anselmo Ferrari (born February 18 (official entry in the birth register: February 20) 1898 in Modena , † August 14, 1988 there ) was an Italian racing driver , racing manager and founder of the sports and racing car manufacturer Ferrari .
Enzo Anselmo Ferrari was born into a northern Italian family on February 18, 1898 in the mountains of the Emilia-Romagna region. His mother was a farmer, his father owned a number of locksmiths in the area. Dates of birth that differ in different biographies are due to the late registration of his birth due to the weather conditions at the time. Ferrari was married first to Laura Garello and second to Lina Lardi degli Adelardi and has two sons, Alfredo "Dino" Ferrari (1932–1956) and Piero Ferrari , who is now Vice President of Ferrari and still has a share of 10% the company owns.
Training and beginnings
Following his school education in 1914, Ferrari learned his father's craft in his forge. Even in his youth, he was almost exclusively interested in the emerging technology of internal combustion engines . So he used his father's business to perfect his technical knowledge, initially with engine repairs and later with the first self-made engines. Later, Ferrari was happy to be addressed with the title “Ingegnere”, even though he had never received any formal training.
Entry into automobile racing
Because of his work as a motor vehicle mechanic, he was drawn to the emerging automobile racing sport. A corresponding application as a works driver at the automobile manufacturer Fiat in Turin was not successful. Savings and private sponsors made it possible for Ferrari to build its own vehicle in 1919, with which it took part in races in the region and attracted the public's attention. His knowledge of performance-enhancing improvements in combustion engines, which he acquired at an unusually early stage, coupled with his ability to make optimal use of them as a driver, earned him several victories in the first few months of his racing career. His reputation in the industry resulted in his employment as a test driver at Costruzioni Meccaniche Nazionali (CMN).
Ferrari's successes increased the reputation of CMN, so that after a short time he became the first factory driver. He was able to consolidate his popularity through top placements in various hill climbs. The decisive factor for his move to the renowned Alfa Romeo racing team was fourth place in the Parma – Poggio di Berceto hill climb , which at that time was of national importance. In 1920, Enzo Ferrari became chief works driver for the Alfa crew after winning second place at the Targa Florio . In the 47 races in which Enzo Ferrari took part as a driver, he clinched over a dozen victories for Alfa-Romeo, making him the most successful driver in Italy.
The founding of the Ferrari racing team
In 1929 Ferrari founded his own racing team, Scuderia Ferrari , based in Modena; Alfa Romeo vehicles continued to be driven. After Ferrari ended his active career, he became deputy head of the Alfa Romeo team. This collaboration ended in 1939 with the condition that Enzo Ferrari would no longer be allowed to participate in racing for four years. After his workshop was almost completely destroyed by Allied bombers in 1943, the racing team moved from Modena to Maranello . In 1946, the now independent Scuderia Ferrari constructed its own racing car for the first time, with which it achieved its first victory the following year.
Ferrari in the Formula 1 World Championship
Today's Formula 1 World Championship started on May 13, 1950 with the Great Britain Grand Prix in Silverstone . Since the second race, on May 21, 1950 in Monaco , Ferrari has been the only car and engine manufacturer to have participated with its own racing team every season without interruption - but not in every single race, as is often wrongly read. A pilots' strike prevented participation in the British Grand Prix on July 18, 1959 . In the 1960s, some overseas races were skipped for cost reasons and finally Ferrari temporarily stopped participating in the Grand Prix races in the middle of the 1973 season due to persistent unsuccessfulness. Because of the cancellation of James Hunt's disqualification in a McLaren at the Spanish Grand Prix shortly before, Scuderia Ferrari also canceled participation in the 1976 Austrian Grand Prix . With 15 drivers 'and 16 constructors' world championships, Scuderia Ferrari is the most successful Formula 1 team in history.
Production of road cars
His company has also been manufacturing high-performance road vehicles since 1946/47.
Mainly road vehicles with V6 engines were built under the Dino brand (Dino 206 GT and GTS, Dino 246 GT and GTS and Dino 208 GT4 and 308 GT4 in three different body specifications). Dino was the nickname of Enzo Ferrari's firstborn son, Alfredo Ferrari . He died of muscular dystrophy on June 30, 1956 . A racing car was later named after him. The type designation revived in the mid-1960s, when the first six-cylinder sports cars from Ferrari were created in cooperation with Fiat due to sports laws. To homologate the engine for Formula 2 , 2000 engines had to be installed in series vehicles and Ferrari could not achieve this number without a partner. It so happened that this engine was used in the Ferrari Dino and the Fiat Dino . The unit was also used in the Lancia Stratos .
Enzo Ferrari, nicknamed il Drago (the dragon) for his imperious style , ran the company until his death. He received the nickname Il Commendatore after the eponymous class of the Order of the Crown of Italy , which was awarded to him in 1927.
A super sports car from Ferrari was named after Enzo Ferrari in 2002 , the Ferrari Enzo , the successor to the F40 (1987) and F50 (1995). Production was limited to just 400 vehicles and sold to selected customers. The 400th and last Enzo was auctioned off in a benefit auction for the benefit of the victims of the seaquake in the Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004 .
Enzo Ferrari died in August 1988 at the age of 90 and found his final resting place on the Cimitero di San Cataldo in his hometown of Modena.
Eponyms
An asteroid discovered on July 28, 1986 was named (4122) Ferrari in honor of Enzo Ferrari in 1990 .
Publications
- My memoir. Verlag Moderne Industrie, Munich 1964.
literature
- Luca Dal Monte, Enzo Ferrari. Power, Politics and the Making of an Automotive Empire , David Bull Publishing, 2018;
- Richard Williams Enzo Ferrari: A Life , Vintage 2002; ISBN 0224059866
Web links
- History of Enzo Ferrari on ferrari.com (German, English, Italian)
- Literature by and about Enzo Ferrari in the catalog of the German National Library
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Cf. Maranello, Mythen und Motoren: 50 Jahre Ferrari (article in the Rhein-Zeitung from 1997) and excerpt ( memento from March 22, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) from Richard Williams: Enzo Ferrari. A life. ( ISBN 978-0-224-05986-2 ) on the publisher's website ( Random House )
- ↑ Sylvie Lauduique-Hamez: Les incroyables du sport automobile. Calmann-Lévy , 2007, ISBN 978-2-702-14614-9 ( limited preview in Google book search).
- ↑ Klaus Nerger: The grave of Enzo Ferrari. In: knerger.de. Retrieved July 14, 2018 .
- ↑ Minor Planet Circ. 16043
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ferrari, Enzo |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Ferrari, Enzo Anselmo (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Italian racing driver and founder of the racing car manufacturer Ferrari |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 18, 1898 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Modena |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 14, 1988 |
| Place of death | Modena |