Enzo Ferrari started as a racing manager and driver, not a car manufacturer. It is easy to assume that Ferrari was just a car manufacturer from the beginning. As a manager, he started working for Alpha Romeo. He did quite well for the company.

Things took a contrary turn for Enzo when he had a dispute with Alpha Romeo in 1939. His contract did not permit the use of the name Ferrari to market race cars for four years. Enzo would not be called a failure. He established a company called Auto Avio Costruzioni. This company mainly produced tools for aviation and machinery.

After starting his company, World War II commenced. His company was located in Modena, and it was bombed during the war. Enzo had to rebuild the company from the ground up, but for until then, he would not stop dreaming of making his own racing car. He did not waste time at the end of the war. Enzo renamed the company Ferrari and hired Gioacchino Colombo, a distinguished engineer, to create an engine.

The heart of the first true Ferrari is the 1.5-liter v12 engine. The first true Ferrari was called the 125 S, and it made a sound that was unrivaled, and it is still known to this day. It was first ignited on March 12, 1947 in the small workshop of Enzo. You can picture the setting. The little Italian workshop was covered in engine oil and with a raw, rageous engine that was rebounding off of every wall.

The 125 S was first introduced in the Piacenza racing circuit on May 11, 1947, but it did not win that race. Within a few weeks, it won the Rome Grand Prix. Because of this, Ferrari racing was on the map.

To this day, you can still see the prancing horse emblem on a majority of Ferrari automobiles. Enzo, as a tribute to Francesco Baracca, a WWII pilot, borrowed the prancing horse symbol. Baracca’s mother advised Enzo to use the emblem as a token of luck. Enzo was from a small town in Italy called Modena, and it is known for being the center of the Italian auto design. Enzo, when implementing the emblem, painted the background a shade of yellow. This is how the prancing horse emblem became legendary.

A perfect example of this is when you see a bright red Ferrari, remember that a broken contract, devastated factory, and a man with extreme determination is what made it all happen. This passion project is what automotive history is all about.