The Scuderia Ferrari was founded in 1929 by Enzo Anselmo Ferrari. Based in Maranello, Italy, the company initially engaged in driver sponsoring and race car manufacture before developing its street-legal vehicles in 1947. Today, the Ferrari S.p.A. is a subsidiary of Fiat S.p.A. and has approximately € 1.92 billion revenues with about 2,900 employees.

After Enzo Ferrari had to give up his studies following the death of his father and brother in 1916, Enzo finds work in Modena. After serving for the Italian army in World War I and undergoing two operations in 1917, Enzo Ferrari starts working as a test driver for a torpedo manufacturing company a year later.

In 1919, Enzo Ferrari began his racing career at C.M.N. In 1920, he was became head of the Alfa Corse racing division, which he holds for 19 years. Being an official Alfa racer, Ferrari takes part in several competitions. In 1923, the horse logo found its origins due to using the Countess Baracca mascot on his vehicle. The creation of the so called racing “stable” (Scuderia) in 1929 leads to the creation of an official Ferrari racing team.

In 1931, Enzo Ferrari quits racing due to the increase in work within the Scuderia as well as due to the birth of his son Dino. In 1939, he leaves Alfa Romeo, but is not entitled to use the Ferrari name in combination with racing activities or race cars. Ferrari opens the Auto Avio Construzioni. In 1943 the company moves to Maranello, focusing on developing tool machines. The first Ferrari is designed in late 1945 and its V12 engine becomes a symbol in Ferrari’s history. Ferrari won the Mille Miglia in 1948, the 24 Hours of Le Mans a year later and the Formula One World Championship Grand Prix in 1951.

The company keeps on increasing its success in racing, winning numerous races, titles or constructors championships. As of 2008, Ferrari has won 15 Formula One World Driver Championship titles and 16 Formula One Constructors titles. Ferrari supplies the A1 Grand Prix 2008-09 series with cars and engines, is active in GT racing with its 599 GTB Fiorano and the F430 GT, runs the Ferrari Challenge, a made racing series for the Ferrari F430, or competes in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world’s oldest sports car race held annually since 1923 in France. Its latest supercar, the 2006 FXX is not road legal and therefore can only be used on a racetrack or off public roads.

Besides active racing participation and road car production, Ferrari is also actively engages in concept car development, such as the Ferrari Mythos, Ferrari Modulo or Ferrari Ascari.

Over the past decade, Ferrari has almost doubled its sales to end customers from 3,370 cars in 1999 to 6,580 cars in 2008. The company managed to not only dominate a large part of the international racing scene, but also become a leader for global luxury road car manufacture. Ferrari benefits from a long history in both racing and road car manufacture, and can therefore implement elements developed specifically for racing into the design and creation of its road sports cars. Ferrari thus brings its clients a lot closer to the racetrack.