Ferrari Reviews
About Ferrari
Ferrari is a brand that needs no introduction. It has long been associated with racing, and its “prancing horse” logo is instantly recognized. Enzo Ferrari founded the company that bears his name. He was a race car driver and, later, an entrepreneur.
The Ferrari company traces its roots to 1947. However, Enzo Ferrari was previously associated with Alfa Romeo before leaving that company in 1939. In 1940, he founded Auto Avio Costruzioni and built two copies of his 815 sports car. World War II effectively halted all motor racing.
In 1947, Ferrari built the 125 S, which was an open-top racer powered by a 12-cylinder engine. It was also the first model to bear the Ferrari name. A succession of models, including the 159 S, 166 S and the 195 S, established the Ferrari name. All three were competition models, entering and winning such races as the Targo Florio and Mille Maglia in 1948.
The Ferrari name shot to fame in 1952 when Alberto Ascari won Ferrari’s first world championship. That achievement set a course that has kept Ferrari among the top racing programs in the world.
While most early Ferrari models were race cars, the company also built road cars early on. However, production was typically limited to a small number, such as the 36 two-door Ferrari 500 Superfast examples built from 1964 to 1966 or the 14 copies of the 365 California that followed.
In 1970, Fiat took a 50-percent stake in Ferrari. The sports cars that followed included a pair of mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive models: the Ferrari 308 GTB and GTS. Other top models of that era included the Mondial, which was released in 1980 and the 288 GTO and the Testarossa, which were offered starting in 1984. Enzo Ferrari’s final car was the F40, which was powered by a twin-turbo V6 engine. Enzo died in 1988, one year after the F40’s debut. Fiat soon took a 90-percent stake in the company.
In the 1990s, Ferrari introduced the F50, which is a two-door or targa top model powered by a V12 engine. About that time Ferrari offered the 456 and that was the last model with pop-up headlights. Another V12 model was the 550 Maranello, which rolled out in 1996.
With the new millennium, Ferrari stepped up its model variation and changes. In 1999 and lasting through 2005, the 360 was built, which was offered as a two-door coupe or convertible. Also offered during that first decade were the F430, the 612 Scaglietti four-seat grand tourer and the Enzo supercar.
More recent models include the 488, California, Portofino, F12berlinetta, 812 Superfast, F60 America, F12tdf, GTC4Lusso and the LaFerrari hybrid. In 2014, Ferrari became a separate company, splitting off from Fiat Chrysler. Today, annual production exceeds 8,000 units across the model line, with demand for some models far outstripping supply.