You may have assumed that Ferrari has been a car company all along, but that was not the case. The legend, Enzo Ferrari did not even intend to create his own automobiles. He was a racer and a team manager, first for Alfa Romeo. And he was good at it, and truth to tell. Really good.

However, this is where the interesting part comes in. In 1939, Enzo had a falling out with Alfa Romeo. His departure was bitter. He signed a contract that stated that he was not to use the Ferrari name on any race cars in four years time. So what did he do? He started a new company called Auto Avio Costruzioni. It made machine tools and aircraft parts. Not exactly glamorous.

Then World War II happened. The Modena factory was bombed two times. Enzo needed to start all over again. He never gave up, though, about making his own racing machine. He immediately went to work as soon as the war ceased. He renamed the company Ferrari despite the fact that the contract with Alfa technically had expired. And he employed a genius of an engineer called Gioacchino Colombo to make an engine.

That was the engine of the very first real Ferrari. The 125 S. It was a small 1.5 liter V12, but it revved like mad and it produced a sound that is still discussed today. Enzo first started it on March 12, 1947. You can see the picture. One of the small workshops in Maranello. Oil on the floor. That uncouth, wailing motor wailing along the walls.

The automobile was first shown at the Piacenza racing circuit on May 11, 1947. It did not take the first race. However, only a few weeks later the 125 S won at the Rome Grand Prix. And there with Ferrari was on the map.

You must have heard about the prancing horse emblem. Enzo borrowed it on a fighter pilot of World War I whose name was Francesco Baracca and he painted it on his plane. Enzo was told to use it as a good luck by his mom, Baracca. He introduced a yellow backdrop, the color of his home town of Modena and that is history.

Enzo Ferrari was obstinate, demanding and totally obsessed with winning. His famous quote was, Aerodynamics are people who cannot make engines. It was that approach that characterized the company. They were not of comfort. They were of speed, of passion, and a touch of Italian magic.

And next time you pass a red Ferrari as it speeds by, you will remember that it all began with a broken contract, a factory that was bombed out, and one man who would not give up. And not a bad side project.