Enzo Ferrari was born in Turin, Italy in 1898. He grew up with little education and worked as a mule-shoer in WWI. After being discharged due to illness, he attempted to get a job at FIAT but was turned away, winding up at a small company called CMN refitting truck parts onto cars. In 1919 he would race for the first time on CMN’s team, finding little success. By 1920 Ferrari worked for Alfa Romeo, and by 1924 had won some lower tier races. He was given an offer by Alfa Romeo to be one of their top racers, but instead chose to form Scuderia Ferrari in 1929 as Alfa Romeo’s race team. Unfortunately the team would see minimal success, and after WWII Ferrari moved on, founding Ferrari SpA in 1947. It is from these humble beginnings that the most dominant builder of race cars in history was born.
Ferrari is the oldest and most successful team in F1. They have won 15 World Driver’s Championship titles, 16 World Constructor’s Championship titles, 201 Grand Prix victories, 603 podium finishes, and 205 fastest laps in 758 Grand Prixs contested… all records. In 2008 Ferrari would once again take the Constructor’s Championship and Ferrari drivers finished second and third in Driver’s Championship standings. Ferrari is also the second most successful team in the history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with nine victories including five in a row, despite having only been in competition in select years between 1949 and 1973.
Today it seems Ferrari can do no wrong. Every new model is breathlessly anticipated by the public, reviewers and drivers alike - and Ferrari never dissapoints. Each car is a stunning achievement in art and technology, and perhaps the only people that enjoy Ferraris more than those who drive them are those who build them; Ferrari was named the Best Workplace in Europe in 2006 and 2007 by the Financial Times.