Ferrari’s 75th anniversary marked 75 years since the first car built under the Ferrari name—not 75 years since Scuderia Ferrari began. The story starts in 1947 with the 125 S, a racing car whose early setbacks and victories established the close link between Ferrari’s cars and competition.
That connection runs from Enzo Ferrari’s pre-war racing organization through road-car icons, Formula 1 and endurance racing, and into the marque’s hybrid era. It is also the thread that made the Prancing Horse more than a badge.
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1929 and 1947: Scuderia Ferrari and the car manufacturer
Enzo Ferrari was active as a racing driver before founding Scuderia Ferrari in 1929. The Scuderia began as a competition organization associated with Alfa Romeo; Ferrari’s own historical account describes the 1947 manufacturer as the culmination of that earlier sporting adventure.
The dates matter: Scuderia Ferrari began in 1929, while Ferrari’s history as a car manufacturer begins in 1947. On 12 March 1947, the engine of the 125 S was fired for the first time on the road between Maranello and nearby Formigine. Ferrari identifies it as the first car built under the Ferrari marque.
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The 125 S: a promising failure, then a first win
The 125 S used a naturally aspirated 60-degree V12 designed by Gioachino Colombo, with contributions from Giuseppe Busso and Luigi Bazzi. Ferrari says its 1,496.77cc engine inspired the “125” name: roughly 125cc per cylinder across 12 cylinders.
At its first race, at Piacenza on 11 May 1947, Franco Cortese was leading when a fuel-pump failure forced him to retire. Enzo Ferrari reportedly called the result “a promising failure.” Fourteen days later, Cortese drove the car to Ferrari’s first victory at the Rome Grand Prix. Ferrari records six victories for the 125 S in 1947.
The sequence captures an enduring part of Ferrari’s identity: competition was not just a showcase for finished technology. It was where the company tested ideas, encountered failures and pursued improvements.
The Prancing Horse and its Modena background
Ferrari’s official account traces the Prancing Horse to Italian World War I flying ace Francesco Baracca. According to that account, Baracca’s mother suggested that Enzo Ferrari use the horse after Ferrari won the 1923 Savio Circuit. Ferrari retained the black horse and added a canary-yellow background representing Modena.
The emblem appeared on Scuderia Ferrari cars at the 1932 Spa 24 Hours before becoming the badge of the car manufacturer in 1947. The story links the racing organization and the later marque through a symbol that endured as Ferrari grew beyond its origins.
From early sports cars to Formula 1
Ferrari’s early reputation grew across sports-car and endurance racing, including events such as the Mille Miglia and Le Mans. The 166 MM became one of the formative cars of this period, while later models such as the 250 series and 250 GTO came to represent the blend of competition engineering and distinctive Italian coachwork.
Formula 1 became another major part of that story. Scuderia Ferrari made its championship debut at the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix, the second round of the inaugural Formula 1 World Championship. Ferrari’s first F1 victory came at Silverstone on 14 July 1951, when José Froilán González won in a Ferrari 375, according to Formula 1’s historical record.
Alberto Ascari won consecutive drivers’ championships in 1952 and 1953. Ferrari’s racing identity was built across categories: F1, endurance and GT competition all contributed to the company’s public image and its development culture.
Road-car icons and a changing company
Ferrari’s road cars carried the marque’s competition associations into new eras. The 250 GTO, unveiled in 1962, became an emblem of the relationship between road cars and racing. Later, the mid-engined V8 line and flat-12 Berlinetta models helped shape Ferrari’s modern performance-car image.
In 1969, Fiat was announced as the purchaser of 50 percent of Ferrari. Ferrari’s historical account says Enzo Ferrari could no longer carry the full financial burden of the marque’s sporting activity alone. The investment provided industrial and financial support; it did not mark Ferrari’s beginning or turn it into a mass-market manufacturer.
The F40, unveiled in 1987, is another landmark. Ferrari’s retrospective presents it as a culmination of Enzo Ferrari’s vision of performance, aesthetics and technical extremity. Enzo died in 1988, making the F40 the last Ferrari road car launched during his lifetime and a bridge to the limited-series performance cars that followed.
Formula 1, continuity and revival
Ferrari’s Formula 1 history includes championship-winning periods as well as long gaps between drivers’ titles. The team’s story runs from early champions such as Ascari through the successes of the 1970s and into the late-1990s and early-2000s era associated with Michael Schumacher.
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New chapters: endurance racing, hybrids and public markets
Ferrari’s racing identity is not limited to Formula 1. Its historical record also emphasizes Le Mans, the Mille Miglia, sports prototypes and GT competition. In 2022, the company presented the 499P as its planned return to top-level endurance racing in the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship.
Road cars have also changed. The Enzo, LaFerrari and later hybrid models represent successive attempts to apply new technology to high-performance cars. Ferrari’s history is not a straight line from one engine layout to another; its continuity is the effort to make new technologies serve the marque’s performance character.
In 2015, Ferrari became a separately listed public company after separating from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. That restructuring formalized its position as a public luxury company, but it did not instantly replace the strategy built around racing heritage, limited production and personalization.
How Ferrari marked its 75th anniversary
Ferrari framed the 2022 anniversary around the first Ferrari-badged car and its 12 March 1947 engine start. The company unveiled a commemorative logo made as a mosaic of components positioned by Ferrari employees, presenting the workforce as part of the “Ferrari Family.”
On 12 March 2022, the Enzo Ferrari Museum in Modena opened “Ferrari Forever,” an exhibition focused on Ferrari’s Classiche heritage and the company’s 75th anniversary. Ferrari’s 2022 yearbook also appeared in four cover versions featuring the Purosangue, F1-75, 499P and Ferrari fashion collection.
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The F1-75, Ferrari’s 2022 Formula 1 car, carried the anniversary into the racing season. It finished second in the constructors’ championship, while Charles Leclerc finished second in the drivers’ standings, according to Ferrari’s 2022 yearbook.
Why Ferrari’s history still matters
Ferrari’s 75 years as a car manufacturer are best understood alongside the earlier history of Scuderia Ferrari. The company’s story is not simply a sequence of famous cars: it is the evolution of a racing organization into a manufacturer whose road cars, competition programs and public identity have remained closely linked.
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From the 125 S to the 250 GTO and F40, and from Formula 1 to the 499P, the models and racing categories have changed. The lasting theme is Ferrari’s effort to make competition, engineering and design part of one recognizable identity.
FAQ
When did Ferrari begin as a car manufacturer?
Ferrari’s history as a car manufacturer begins in 1947, when the first car built under the Ferrari name, the 125 S, was completed. Scuderia Ferrari was founded earlier, in 1929.
What was the first Ferrari car?
The 125 S was the first car built under the Ferrari marque. Its engine was fired for the first time on 12 March 1947, and it made its first race start at Piacenza on 11 May 1947.
Why is Ferrari’s emblem a prancing horse?
In Ferrari’s official account, the symbol came from Francesco Baracca, an Italian World War I flying ace. Baracca’s mother suggested that Enzo Ferrari use the horse; Ferrari added a yellow background representing Modena.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchWhen did Ferrari first win a Formula 1 race?
Ferrari’s first F1 victory came at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on 14 July 1951. José Froilán González won in a Ferrari 375, according to Formula 1’s historical record.
What did Ferrari celebrate in 2022?
Ferrari celebrated 75 years since the first Ferrari-badged car in 1947. Its anniversary activities included a commemorative logo, the “Ferrari Forever” exhibition at the Enzo Ferrari Museum in Modena, and the F1-75 racing car.
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