THE LEGEND OF ENZO

DURING HIS LIFETIME FERRARI FORGED THE ENTIRE PANTHEON OF MOTORSPORTS

- NICOLAS STECHER

The bust of one Enzo Ferrari rests on the Mount Rushmore of the automotive industry, eyes forever hidden behind thick blocky sunglasses. Referred to as “il Commendatore” by those who trembled at his approach, or “il Drake” for the many who envied him, and “The Pope of the North” by the army of admirers. Libraries of books, documentaries and films have tried to capture the enigmatic aura of the man who changed the automotive landscape in ways few, if any, have. We’ll do our best to sketch an outline.

Born on February 18, 1898, in the small city of Modena just before the dawning of the 20th century, Enzo Anselmo Giuseppe Maria Ferrari was born. The family lived simply but happily above his father Alfredo’s metal workshop where he manufactured parts for the rail industry, while Enzo nurtured nascent interests in singing (as a tenor in opera) and sports journalism (he published his first article about an Inter Milan victory in the largest Italian sports newspaper at the ripe age of nine).

That is until 1908, when his father took him and his brother Alfredo Jr., nicknamed Dino, to the nearby Circuito di Bologna to witness firsthand the legendary racer Felice Nazzaro score the checkered flag in a blur of clay dust and choking exhaust. An obsession blossomed right there and then that would in the coming decades figuratively and literally set the world on fire.