Founder of the colossus of a racing team that carries his name to this day, Enzo Ferrari died at the age of 90 in 1988 when he was still in charge of the team. Ferrari began as a moderately successful race driver in the 1920s but made more of a reputation as a general “fixer” for the Alfa-Romeo team, then one of the top teams of Grand Prix racing. His influence was directly responsible for bringing that team the brilliant mix of designers and technicians who brought it much glory.
For a time, Scuderia Ferrar – the name of the team Enzo founded – became the official competition arm of Alfa-Romeo, but the two went their separate ways just before World War II. The first Grand Prix Ferrari appeared in 1948 and was winning major Grands Prix by the following year. The team took its first World Championship in 1952 and has been winning them on and off ever since. Enzo remained as boss of the team even after Fiat bought the company in 1968.
Ferrari the man was autocratic and ascribed his success to “a flair for the agitation of men.” He would often set one engineer or driver against another, believing this was the way to get their best efforts. He rarely got close to his drivers but made occasional exceptions.
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