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June 3, 2016

Posted By : Barrett-Jackson

A GALLERY OF FERRARIS – Plus a look at Enzo Ferrari, legendary founder of the race car and supercar empire

June 3, 2016
Posted by Barrett-Jackson

Born on February 18, 1898, Enzo Ferrari was only 10 years old when he witnessed his first race. The hook was set. By 1920 he was a factory driver for Alfa Romeo, taking second place at the legendary Targa Florio, a brutal race staged on public roads in which competitors negotiated some 1,350 corners on every one of its 67-mile laps. Enzo knew racing. He also knew road cars. To him, they were often one and the same.

Enzo Ferrari

He founded Scuderia Ferrari (meaning “Ferrari Stable” in Italian) in 1929, with the main goal to allow owner-drivers to race. The Scuderia became the technical racing outpost of Alfa Romeo and effectively took over as its racing department in 1933. Enzo’s 20-year collaboration with Alfa Romeo culminated in him being appointed head of Alfa’s racing division, a position he held until September 1939, when he left to focus on creating the now legendary cars that bear his name.

Following the interruption caused by World War II, Enzo got down to the business of building Ferraris. In late 1945 design work began; he had the ambitious plan to power the first Ferrari with a V12 engine because of its versatility. The race car – now known as the 125 S – went for its first test-drive on the open road in March 1947. Like all its successors, that first Ferrari bore the now-famous Prancing Horse emblem once belonging to Italian fighter pilot Francesco Baracca, who was shot down during World War I.

Enzo remained at the helm of Scuderia Ferrari for more than five decades, with the last car created under his management – the F40 – unveiled in 1987. Enzo Ferrari died at the age of 90 on August 14, 1988, leaving behind a lasting legacy of extraordinary automobiles and what is now considered to be among the world’s most powerful brands.

Enjoy this gallery of some of the fantastic Ferraris that will be crossing the block at Barrett-Jackson’s Inaugural Northeast Auction, June 23-25, 2016, at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut: