A superb and rare photo of the magnificent Enzo Ferrari photographed in 1955.
Enzo
Anselmo Ferrari was born in the Italian city of Modena in 1898, Enzo
Ferrari grew up with little formal education but a strong desire to race cars.
During World War I he was a mule-shoer in the Italian Army. His father,
Alfredo, died in 1916 as a result of a widespread Italian flu outbreak. Ferrari
became sick himself and was consequently discharged from Italian service. Upon
returning home he found that the family firm had collapsed. Having no other job
prospects he sought unsuccessfully to find work at FIAT and eventually settled
for a job at a smaller car company called CMN redesigning used truck bodies
into small passenger cars. He took up racing in 1919 on the CMN team, but had
little initial success. He left CMN in 1920 to work at Alfa Romeo and racing
their cars in local races he had more success. In 1923, racing in Ravenna, he
acquired the Prancing Horse badge which decorated the fuselage of Francesco
Baracca's (Italy's leading ace of WWI) SPAD fighter, given from his mother,
taken from the wreckage of the plane after his mysterious death. This icon
would have to wait until 1932 to be displayed on a racing car. In 1924 he won
the Coppa Acerbo at Pescara.
His successes in local races encouraged Alfa to offer him a chance of much more
prestigious competition. Ferrari turned this opportunity down and did not race
again until 1927. He continued to work directly for Alfa Romeo until 1929
before starting Scuderia Ferrari as the racing team for Alfa.
Ferrari managed the development of the factory Alfa
cars, and built up a team of over forty drivers, including Giuseppe Campari and
Tazio Nuvolari. Ferrari himself continued racing until the birth of his first
son in 1932 (Alfredo Ferrari, known as Dino, who died in 1956). The support of
Alfa Romeo lasted until 1933 when financial constraints made Alfa withdraw.
Only at the intervention of Pirelli did Ferrari receive any cars at all.
Despite the quality of the Scuderia drivers the company won few victories (1935 in Germany by
Nuvolari was a notable exception). Auto Union
and Mercedes dominated the era. In 1937 Alfa took control of its racing efforts
again and again, reducing Ferrari to Director of Sports under Alfa's
engineering director. Ferrari soon left, but a contract clause restricted him
from racing or designing for four years.
He set up Auto-Avio Costruzioni, a company supplying
parts to other racing teams. But in the Mille Miglia of 1940 the company
manufactured two cars to compete, driven by Alberto Ascari and Lotario Rangoni.
During World War II his firm was involved in war production and following
bombing relocated from Modena
to Maranello. It was not until after World War II that Ferrari sought to shed
his fascist reputation and make cars bearing his name, founding today's Ferrari
S.p.A. in 1947. The first open-wheeled race was in Turin in 1948 and the first victory came
later in the year in Lago di Garda. Ferrari participated in the Formula 1 World
Championship since its introduction in 1950 but the first victory was not until
the British Grand Prix of 1951. The first championship came in 1952–53, when
the Formula One season was raced with Formula Two cars. The company also sold
production sports cars in order to finance the racing endeavours not only in
Grand Prix but also in events such as the Mille Miglia and Le Mans. Indeed many of the firm's greatest
victories came at Le Mans (14 victories, including six in a row 1960–65) rather
than in Grand Prix, certainly the company was more involved there than in
Formula One during the 1950s and 1960s despite the successes of Juan-Manuel
Fangio (1956), Mike Hawthorn (1958), Phil Hill (1961) and John Surtees (1964).
In the 1960s the problems of reduced demand and inadequate financing forced
Ferrari to allow Fiat to take a stake in the company. Ferrari had offered Ford
the opportunity to buy the firm in 1963 for US$18 million but, late in
negotiations, Ferrari withdrew. This decision triggered the Ford Motor
Company's decision to launch a serious European sports car racing program. The
company became joint-stock and Fiat took a small share in 1965 and then in 1969
they increased their holding to 50% of the company. (In 1988 Fiat's holding was
increased to 90%). Ferrari remained managing director until 1971. Despite
stepping down he remained an influence over the firm until his death. The input
of Fiat took some time to have effect. It was not until 1975 with Niki Lauda
that the firm won any championships — the skill of the driver and the ability
of the engine overcoming the deficiencies of the chassis and aerodynamics. But
after those successes and the promise of Jody Scheckter title in 1979, the
company's Formula One championship hopes fell into the doldrums. 1982 opened
with a strong car, the 126C2, world-class drivers, and promising results in the
early races. However, Gilles Villeneuve was killed in the 126C2 in May, and
teammate Didier Pironi had his career cut short in a violent end over end flip
on the misty backstraight at Hockenheim in August. Pironi was leading the
driver's championship at the time; he would lose the lead as he sat out the
remaining races. The team would not see championship glory again during Ferrari's
lifetime.
Enzo Ferrari died on August 14, 1988 in Modena at the age of 90. His death wasn't
made public until two days later, as by Enzo's request, to compensate late
registration of his birth. He died at the beginning of the dominance of the
McLaren Honda combination. The only race which McLaren did not win in 1988 was
the Italian Grand Prix. It was held just weeks after Ferrari's death, and,
fittingly, the result was a 1-2 finish for Ferrari, with Gerhard Berger leading
home Michele Alboreto. After Ferrari's death, the Scuderia Ferrari team has had
further success, notably with Michael Schumacher, Rubens Barrichello, Felipe
Massa and Kimi Räikkönen from 1996 onwards. He witnessed the launch of one of
the greatest road cars Ferrari F40 shortly before his death, which was
dedicated as a symbol of his achievements. In 2003 the first car to be named
after him was launched in the Enzo Ferrari.
Made a Cavaliere del Lavoro in 1952, to add to his
honours of Cavaliere and Commendatore in the 1920s, Ferrari also received a
number of honorary degrees, the Hammarskjöld Prize in 1962, the Columbus Prize
in 1965, and the De Gasperi Award in 1987. In 1994, he was posthumously inducted
into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. After the death of his son
Alfredo ("Dino"), Ferrari wore his now iconic sunglasses almost every
day to honor his son.
This is a very nice and very rare non
period photo that reflects a wonderful era of (Enzo) Ferrari ’s automotive
history in a wonderful way. This is your
rare chance to own this photo, therefore it is printed in a nice large format
of ca. 8" x 11" (ca. 20 x 28 cm). It makes it perfectly suitable for framing.
Shipping costs will only be $ 7.00 regardless of how many photos you buy. For 5 or more photos, shipping is free!
(Note: A. Herl, Inc. does not appear on photo, for ebay purposes only)
No copyright expressed or implied. Sold as collectable item only. We are clearing out our archives that we have gathered from various sources.
All items always sent well protected in PVC clear files and board backed envelopes.
We have photographs that came from professional collections and/or were bought from the original photographer or press studio! They are all of professional and excellent quality.
After many decades of professionally collecting photographs and posters we are clearing out our archives. They make the perfect gift and are perfectly suited for framing. They will look gorgeous unframed and will be a true asset nicely framed with a border. They are a gorgeous and great asset in every home, workshop, workplace, restaurant, bar or club!
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