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A red Ferrari F40 parked on pale gravel beside a stone building and olive trees.

Enzo Ferrari

Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), Italian racing driver and industrial founder, moved from Alfa Romeo to the Modena racing team that carried his name. Auto Avio Costruzioni, the 815 and the first Ferrari constructor cars trace a shift from team operations to manufacturing.

A driver before a constructor

Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), an Italian racing driver and industrial founder, began his racing career in 1919 and joined Alfa Romeo in 1920. After retiring from competition in 1932, he continued to develop Scuderia Ferrari, the team he had founded in 1929.1,2,3

The Scuderia in Modena

Ferrari and several business partners formed Scuderia Ferrari in Modena in 1929. It initially assisted amateur drivers and entered Alfa Romeo cars in competition; it was a racing team and service operation before it became associated with Ferrari-built road cars.1,3

From Auto Avio Costruzioni to Ferrari

After leaving Alfa Romeo in 1939, Ferrari founded Auto Avio Costruzioni in Modena. It first made small engines for training aircraft and later hydraulic grinding machines. A four-year restriction prevented him from using the Scuderia Ferrari name; in 1940 the company built two 815 racing cars with engineer Alberto Massimino. Ferrari’s 125 was ready for competition in 1947, when his cars won six of fourteen races.1,3

Sources and citations (3)
  1. FERRARI, Enzo
  2. Enzo’s speaking legacy
  3. Ferrari, Enzo

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