Enzo Ferrari
The most beautiful car is the one that has yet to be built. Enzo Ferrari was ten when he saw his first one. His father took him to see a race at the Bologna racetrack on Via Emilia. Enzo Ferrari's lifelong passion for racing was born that very day. A fuse was lit: Ferrari fell in love with cars, entranced by their sex appeal and power.
This passion for rancing cars was shared by his team - and by his drivers, in particular. Naturally, the boss adored red, the colour representing Italy in International car and motorbike races but also the colour of passion. Ferrari's factory transformed his dreams into reality and the dream lives on. Ferrari fans, including kings and famous srtists, are happy to queue up to acquire one of Enzo Ferrari's extraordinary creations. Ferrari started out on this path when he was a young test driver but his passion was there from the outset. Very soon he was promoted to being the official Alfa Romeo driver. He rated himself pretty highly as a driver but his determination and ambition drove him on to far greater challenges. Ferrari wanted to win in his own way, and to create cars he could fall in love with and feel at one with. That's how the Ferrari brand was born. From 1950 until today, Ferrari team has never missed a Formula One Championship. The first racing driver he chose was Alberto Ascari. Ferrari liked the young man's meticulous yet assured driving style and time proved Ferrari right: Ascari delivered. Ferrari won the first title in 1952 but this was only the first of many victories. The firm has achieved over 5000 wins to date - to the delight of spectators, Ferrari fans and those behind the racing circuits and championship. But Ferrari's pragmatic attitude prevails: win or lose, move onto the next race. You are only as good as your last race; the next challenge lies just around the corner.
The famous Ferrari logo
"Mr Ferrari, do put my son's prancing horse on your cars as it will bring you luck". This was the curious yet inspired request of Countess Paolina whose son, fighter pilot Francesco Baracca, died during combat in World War One. Baracca was born in Lugo, near Ravenna, where a museum dedicated to the pilot displays a fighter-bomber SPAD VII. On the famous Ferrari logo, the horse remains black, as it was originally designed. Ferrari added the canary-yellow background, which was the colour of Modena, his home-town. But if Modena, a cultured city of art, has become famous well beyond its boundaries, it is partly due to the all-conquering Ferrari brand.
Pilgrimage to Maranello
Everything in a small plot of land: that's the way Ferrari wanted it, just like one big family. The headquarters are in Maranello, along with the Wind Tunnel designed by Renzo Piano and the Ferrari Gallery. Maranello, just 15km from Modena, also boasts a church where the bells peal every time a Ferrari notches up another victory. The Ferrari gallery acts as both a museum and a showcase to the brand. On display is everything, from rare vintage models to the latest Ferrari creations. Nearby, in Fiorano, there's a state-of-art 3km circuit designed to test single-seaters and GT cars. Why would Enzo Ferrari ever wish to leave such a temple of speed?
Imola circuit
The Ferrari brand also embraces the Imola circuit, named after Ferrari and his son Dino. It was tested by one of Ferrari's 340 sport cars and a Ferrari driver beat a Maserati to win the first race ever staged here, back in 1954. Many great champions have competed on the circuit, racing anti-clockwise. Numerous championships have been staged there, such as the San Marino stage of Formula One Gran Prix from 1981 to 2006. The refurbished circuit is once again a feature of racing world.
Not only Ferrari
Conductor Herbert von Karajan once said that Ferrari's 12-stroke engine played notes no other maestro could emulate. To create cars which are works of art you need passion and imagination: just look at the 250GT, the Testarossa or the F40. The blend of love, passion and technology is typical of Emilia Romagna in that other rival brands were created there, notably Maserati and Lamborghini cars. You can admire these stars in museums dedicated to the brands or call in at any of the 13 private car collections that form part of Terra di Motori association.
www.ferrari.com
(source: Emilia Romagna. land with a soul")