The history of Ferrari

When talking about machines built for speed, they don't get much faster or sexier than those from Ferrari. Founded more than 60 years ago, the Italian brand has secured a berth at the top of the heap with its high-dollar, high-performance sports cars.
Ferrari's roots lie in the Scuderia Ferrari, an outfit founded in 1929 by Enzo Ferrari for the purpose of organizing amateur drivers for participation in racing competitions. Ferrari was an accomplished racecar driver, with numerous wins under his belt. The company's prancing horse symbol was originally seen on the fuselage of a plane flown by a heroic Italian pilot; Ferrari was invited to use the emblem by the pilot's mother, as a good-luck charm for his vehicles. The first car to bear the Ferarri name was the 125 in 1947, but the company's roots go back much further to founder Enzo's 'Scuderia Ferrari' race team of 1929, which used Alfa Romeos badged with the famous Cavallino Rampante.The 1950's saw the beginning of Ferrari's domination of motorsport with the inauguration of Formula One. The ever present team notched up their maiden victory in 1951, landing the first of their 13 world championships the following year. Legendary names such as Ascari, Fangio, Hill, Lauda and Schumaker being amongst the Tifosi's heroes. This decade also saw the first of their eight successes at Le Mans, with a record six consecutive.Most observers agree that the 166 Inter of 1948 was the first true Ferrari for the road, followed by a succession of low volume, specialist sports cars based on the V12 250 series. Most have been styled by Pininfarina, who went on to exclusively design many all-time classics such as the Dino, Daytona, 308, F355 and 550 Maranello.Ferrari, part of the Fiat empire since 1969, moved the supercar goalposts on with the gorgeous Group B inspired 288GTO of 1984. This was followed up with the legendary F40, F50 and the 220mph Enzo - the fastest Ferrari road car to date. The 1980s saw Fiat's stake in the company rise to 90 percent, with the remainder being owned by the Ferrari family. Enzo's son Pietro was named vice president. The decade also saw the death of the company's founder. Enzo Ferrari passed away in Modena in 1988. During this decade, models like the Mondial, 288 GTO, F40 and Testarossa were launched.
Ferrari welcomed the Maserati brand into its family in 1997; Maserati had previously been acquired by parent company Fiat. The Ferrari team had lost some of its luster on the racetrack since the death of Enzo, but all that changed when it ushered racetrack legend Michael Schumacher into its ranks in the mid-'90s. Schumacher was responsible for several notable wins, and helped restore much of the legendary brand's glory on the track. A new V12 grand touring model, the 550 Maranello, was launched, as was the F355 sports car and F50 supercar.
The new millennium saw Ferrari launching a variety of models, among whose highlights included the 458 Italia, 599 GTB Fiorano, Enzo and F430. Today, Ferrari continues to reign atop the short list for buyers with a thirst for high-priced, high-powered Italian metal.