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FERRARI ENZO

 

The History of Enzo Ferrari

Enzo Ferrari was born on February 18, 1898 near Modena, Italy. When he was 10 his father took him to an automobile race in Bologna. After attending a number of other races, he decided he wanted to become a racing car driver.

While working at a small carmaker involved with converting war surplus, Ferrari took up racing. In 1919 he finished ninth at the Targa Florio. He ended up landing a job with Alfa Romeo and drove a modified production car in the 1920 Targa Florio. Ferrario managed to finish second.

In 1923 while racing at the Circuit of Sivocci at Ravenna he was approached by Count Enrico and Countess Paolina Baracca, the parents of the heroic Italian pilot Francesco Baracca. Francesco was known as the Italian ace of aces. He died on Mount Montello during the war. His parents gave Ferrari their son's squadron badge, which was the famous prancing horse on a yellow shield.

Enzo Ferrari was connected with Alfa Romeo for many years, however, he built only a few sports cars bearing his name and his famous prancing horse badge. In 1929 Enzo formed the Scuderia Ferrari with the aim of organizing racing for members. The Scuderia Ferrari team competed in 22 events and scored 8 victories and several good placings.

In 1940 Enzo Ferrari left Alfa Romeo and started a new company Auto-Avio Costruzioni Ferrari. During World War II the Ferrari workshop moved from Modena to Maranello. The workshop became a victim of the war in 1944 - it was leveled by bombs. A year after the war in 1946 the shop was rebuilt and work began on the first ever Ferrari motorcar, the 125 Sport. This car started a grand tradition of winning for Ferrari. Since it's first race in 1947, Ferrari's have had over 5,000 successes on race tracks around the globe.

In 1969 Enzo Ferrari sold 50% of Ferrari's share capital to the Fiat group. That figure grew to 90% in 1988. Enzo Ferrari died at the age of 90 in Modena on August 14, 1988.

Founded 1947
Founder Enzo Ferrari
Headquarters Flag of Italy Maranello, Italy
Key people Luca Cordero di Montezemolo,
Chairman Piero Ferrari, Vice-President Amedeo Felisa,
CEO Giancarlo Coppa ,
CFO Industry Automotive Products Sports cars
Revenue ? € 1,668 million (2007)[1]
Employees 2,926 (2007)[1]
Parent Fiat S.p.A. Website Ferrariworld.com 

 

 

BUYING YOUR FIRST FERRARI



By Erik C. Nielsen

Purchasing one of the many 2+2 models like the author’s 365 GT/4 2+2 and Mondial
8 coupe can be an excellent way to break into Ferrari ownership for the first time.
Since this is my first article for the first issue of F-Chat’s new magazine, I
might as well start at the beginning rather than get into something esoteric. I
could go into which way a fuel line clamp should be placed on an inside
plug 250 PF Coupe, but that would probably put all but three people to sleep.
And the three remaining people would probably have four different opinions.
Six, if there is alcohol involved. So, let’s just shelve the concours
dissertation and save that for another day.
Rather than start with which model to get, the first question you really need
to ask yourself is why you want a Ferrari. No, I’m not talking about the fact
that you have cash to burn or a receding hairline that you want to hide. I’m
referring to what you want to do with it when you get it. Do you want it for
car shows, track events, to park in the driveway to get under the skin of the
guy across the street whose trophy wife has to put on makeup to get the mail,
or just to drive it and have fun with it?
These things aren’t cheap. And, if you buy the wrong tool for the job,
you’re going to end up frustrated, broke, or, God forbid, ticked off and
cursing these cars and you’ll wind up driving a <gasp> Porsche, MB,
BMW...
So, do you know? Or are you just sitting there going “when is this guy
going to get to the cars?”
I don’t like telling anybody what to do with their money, but let’s tackle
each potential use one at a time and you can decide for yourself. On the car
show/concours side, I hate to say it, but most of the time it really is “pay to
play”. If you want to go to the local high school on a Saturday morning,
anything with a prancing horse or a Dino script on the nose will be
guaranteed to attract attention and maybe bring some hardware home. But if
you move further up the food chain to regional and national events, you had
better open your wallet to get the “more desirable” models and a good solid
example, preferably one that someone else almost went bankrupt restoring.
If you go this route, the heights you can achieve are limited only by your
finances. At the top level of the “sport”, the most desirable cars will be the
one-off customs or historically important race cars, all supported by a small
army of specialists.
Concours not for you? Then on to the second one, track events. This one is
pretty straightforward. Speed is money; how fast do you want to go? Wait.
That sounds an awful lot like concours. In a way it is, but don’t get
discouraged too quickly. On the track, weight is the enemy, so you want to
have something that is light and nimble. If it has a big motor at the same
time, smiles are guaranteed. With the exception of the true race cars that
Ferrari has made over the years, the best place to start would be the midengine
V6/V8 cars that started in 1976 with the Dino 206 GT and continues
to the current day with the F430.
But as you get serious about reducing your lap times and going faster and
faster, you really should consider getting a purpose-built car, rather than
push a street car hard. The entry level on this side is the challenge car which
started off as a street legal 348 with a kit in the early 90s. That all changed
in 1996 when Ferrari started selling the 355 Challenge as a purpose-built
race car and continued on to the 360 Challenge. As with all race cars, these
get faster the newer the model. If your finances allow you to afford it, by all
means go after the purpose-built cars of the early years, or a monoposto
(single seater, usually an F1 car).
Track events sound like your thing? Okay, now that you have the car, you
have to run it. As you push a car faster and faster on the track, your going to
wear things out much quicker than if you were just using it on the street. It
is possible to go through a set of tires in a weekend of hard driving and a set
of brake pads in two to three weekends. Plus, more frequent oil changes,
more brake flushes, worn suspension bushings, etc... And we have haven’t
even mentioned the costs if you bump a guard rail or slam head first into a
wall. If you really are going to drive very hard on the track, you should be
prepared mentally to write the car off. No problem? Then go for it.
The third category that I mentioned earlier really isn’t one that I recommend,
but it is one aspect of Ferrari ownership. This is what I call “owning a
Ferrari so you can tell everyone you own a Ferrari.” Depending on how
many people you want to see the car, the entry costs can be very low.
Owning a Ferrari as garage art (but not in the concours sense where
everything has to work) can be very frustrating. Some people think that as
long as the brakes aren’t frozen, they can push it in and out of the garage to
wash it on Saturday (even though it hasn’t been driven since the last week)
and get the neighbor’s attention. The only problem with this approach is
that most of the cars that fall into this category need serious attention and
sorting to make them fully functional.
Ferraris are just like any other mechanical device; they are designed to move,
not to be a static display. Ferraris are meant to be driven. If you let one
sit, or purchase a basket case with no intention of putting the
time/money/effort into making it road worthy, you’ll probably get frustrated
with the car and pass it off to someone who either does have the
time/money/effort to make it right, or another person who doesn’t know
what they are getting themselves into, thus repeating the cycle. They’re all
going to need work as seals deteriorate, parts wear out from corrosion, tires
will dry rot, and belts will flat spot. So, if you are going to spend the money
to purchase a car, you might as well get one that works.
Which brings me to the last category of cars (which happens to be my
preference), the drivers. These are the cars that may not be perfect from a
concours perspective (minor wear, a few paint chips that have been touched
up, etc.), but are usable cars. Take them out to the store, run them on the
track occasionally to develop your driving skills, wash and wax them on the
weekend to put them in the local or regional car show/concours if the mood
strikes you, grab a beer and head to the garage after work to fiddle with the
burnt out fog lamp. Anytime. Anywhere. Cars for car guys and girls.
If you decide that this last category is for you, don’t think that you have to
go spend as much as your house to get a nice one. You’re buying a car for
yourself, not for what other people think you should be buying, so the field
opens up to include everything that ever came out of the factory. One
category of often overlooked and under appreciated Ferraris is the 2+2s.
Both the front engine V12s and the mid engine Mondial series. I’ll go out
on a limb and argue that these are actually the most practical of all Ferraris if
you want to do something more than drive the car for an hour on Sunday
morning. By being bigger cars, they have room if you are over six feet tall,
they have space for your spouse’s crap, er, uh, luggage for a weekend at a
nice bed and breakfast, and if you want to bring the kids, bring them. This is
what gran turismo is all about. Grand touring.
Because these cars are overlooked, they are also pretty affordable and you
do get bang for your buck. But be careful, as they tend to be on the bottom
end of the food chain, there are plenty with deferred maintenance issues
(usually as a result of the previous type of owner) that may need to be
addressed. Do your homework and you could end up with a bargain.
Ferrari ownership sound like it’s for you? No, okay, that’s fine, it isn’t for
everyone. Ciao.
Still here? Wonderful. Let’s move on to the next section, what to look for
before you purchase one.
I’m running under the assumption that this is your first Ferrari purchase, so
you need to find one for sale. There are plenty of places to look; F-Chat’s
classifieds, Ferrari Market Letter, Hemmings, DuPont Registry, etc. One of
the places you should also look is your local Ferrari dealer. Head down and
start up a conversation. While they are focused on the new cars, a half hour
discussion with them will also help you decide if this is still something for
you.
The old adage of “buy the best one you can afford” still applies. These cars
aren’t cheap to work on or to restore. The one with a worn interior may be
priced $3000 less than the one with almost no wear, but it may also cost
$7000 to get it to that level. There aren’t many bargains out there and as a
new-to-the-market owner, you probably will have a harder time finding one.
Probably the best way to protect yourself on this is to do some due diligence.
For most people, that comes in the form of a pre-purchase inspection, or PPI
as most people refer to it. This consists of taking the car that has captured
your attention to a reputable shop to have it checked over. Each car has its
own unique weak points, and a good shop will be able to diagnose how
much work it is going to need. You can use this to avoid the basket case or
as a point of negotiating on price. As far as looking for a shop, while Ferrari
of Atlanta may be a great dealership to do this, if the car is located in
California, it doesn’t do you a lot of good. Use the regional forums on FChat
to find a reputable shop to check a car out.
Still here? The last thing that I want to say is once you have the car, be
prepared to spend some money. Another cliché that you’ll hear in the
Ferrari world is that the purchase price is only the down payment for
ownership. These cars can be very expensive when things go bad. It
happens. If you have to leverage to the hilt for the purchase, you’re going to
end up disappointed with owning one when something does go wrong. But,
if you do your homework and can budget for consumable items (brakes, tires,
clutches) and scheduled maintenance (for example, the dreaded belt changes
on the V8’s), you’ll know what you’re getting yourself into. A
knowledgeable consumer will make smart decisions.
As I mentioned before, ownership is not for everyone and that’s okay.
Getting one of these cars is a very personal process and only you can figure
out what you want.
But if you’ve made it this far and are still looking for more, welcome to the
Ferrari world, you’ve got the disease. It’s not fatal, but there is no cure.
Look around, there are tons of things to see and learn. Find a model that
suits your needs, find the best example you can afford, and go have fun.
Ferraris are meant to be driven.

Cost to maintain a Ferrari

Ferrari Models
Change Oi l
30k timing belt service.

Misc. service

308 $200-400 $3000-$5000  
Testarossa $300-500 $8000-$12000  
Mondial $300-500 $7000-$10000  
512TR $300-500 $8000-$12000  
328 $200-400 $4000-$6000  
348 $300-500 $8000-$11000  
F355 $300-500 $9000-$12000  
360 $300-700 $6000-$9000  
F430 $300-700 $6000-$9000  

 

Ferrari road car timeline, 1960s – present

Sports cars

Ferrari's first models were sports/racing cars quite different from the grand touring models that followed. See below for a complete list.

2-seat Gran Turismo

Ferrari quickly moved into the Gran Turismo market, and the bulk of the company's sales remain in this area.

Mid-engine V6/V8

328GTS Targa

The Dino was the first mid-engined Ferrari. This layout would go on to be used in most Ferraris of the 1980s and 1990s. V6 and V8 Ferrari models make up well over half of the marque's total production.

Mid-engine 2+2

Bertone-bodied Dino 308 GT4

For a time, Ferrari built 2+2 versions of its mid-engined V8 cars. Although they looked quite different from their 2-seat counterparts, both the GT4 and Mondial were closely related to the 308 GTB.

Front-engine 2+2

612 Scaglietti

The company has also produced front-engined 2+2 cars, culminating in the current 612 Scaglietti and upcoming California.

Mid-engine 12-cylinder

Ferrari entered the mid-engined 12-cylinder fray with the Berlinetta Boxer in 1973. The later Testarossa remains one of the most famous Ferraris.

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Supercars

Enzo Ferrari

The company's loftiest efforts have been in the supercar market.

Competition cars

Current

Past

1958 250 Testa Rossa from the Ralph Lauren collection
1962 Ferrari 250 GTO.

THE FACTORY

 

The 430 SCUDERIA

The Ferrari F430 is a high-performance sports car produced by the Italian automaker Ferrari to succeed the 360. It debuted at the 2004 Paris Motor Show. European left-hand drive sales began in November 2004, but right-hand drive sales did not start until Spring 2005, and the North American market did not get the F430 until Summer 2005.

Overview

The F430's chassis is heavily based on its predecessor, the 360. Internally, both cars are referred to with the same model number (F131), though the F430 has the Evoluzione tag attached to show that it features some major changes. Internally, the car is simply known as the "Evo".[2]

The MSRP for a Ferrari F430 is between $168,005 - $227,000 in the United States.[3] The F430 is sold starting at about £120,000[4] in the United Kingdom, approximately €175,000 in the European Union and $389,000 for the base model to $450,000 for the Spider F1 Sequential in Australia.

Design

The rear end of the F430

F430 Side Mirror

The body has been redesigned to be more curvaceous and aerodynamic. Although the drag coefficient remains the same, downforce has been greatly enhanced. A great deal of Ferrari heritage is found in the car: at the rear, the Enzo's tail lights and interior vents have been added. The car's name has been etched into the Testarossa-styled driver's side mirror. The large oval openings in the front bumper are reminiscent of Ferrari racing models from the 60s, specifically the 156 "sharknose" Formula One car and 250 TR61 Le Mans cars of Phil Hill.

Engine

Along with a restyled body, the F430 features a 4.3 L V8 petrol engine derived from a shared Ferrari/Maserati design. This new powerplant is a significant departure for the F430's line: The engines of all previous V8 Ferraris were descendants of the Dino racing program of the 1950s. This fifty year development cycle comes to an end with the entirely new 4.3 L, the architecture of which is expected to replace the Dino-derived V12 in most other Ferrari cars. The engine's output specifications are: 360.4 kW (483 hp) at 8500 rpm and 465 N·m (343 ft·lbf) of torque at 5250 rpm. The F430 will reach a top speed of 197 mph (317 km/h).

 


The 360 Challenge Stradale


The Ferrari 360 is a mid-engine two-seater sports car produced from late 1999 until 2005. The 360 replaced the Ferrari F355 and was itself replaced by the fairly similar Ferrari F430. For the 360, Ferrari partnered with Alcoa to produce an entirely new all-aluminum space-frame chassis that was 40% stiffer than the 355, yet 28% lighter despite a 10% increase in overall dimensions. Along with the new frame was a new Pininfarina body styling that broke ranks with the last decade's sharp angles and flip-up headlights, replacing them with a rounded appearance that harkened to the 1960s. The new V8 engine, common to all versions, was only slightly larger and more powerful than the 355's at 3.6 litres and 300 kW (400 bhp) of power, but the lighter frame and added stiffness improved performance; the 0 to 100 km/h acceleration performance improved from 4.6 to 4.4 seconds (not as trivial as it might seem), and in the Challenge versions it was as low as 4.0 s. An engine replacement resulted in the current V8 road model, the F430 (internally referred to as the evoluzione or evo) which came out in 2004.

Seven versions of the basic 360 were produced, three road models, three race versions & a one-off wedding present to Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo:

Ferrari 360 production road cars:
1. Ferrari 360 Modena, a fixed roof two-door luxury sports coupe, available with a 6-speed manual or F1 electrohydraulic shift;
2. Ferrari 360 Spider, a convertible variant of the Modena;
3. Ferrari Challenge Stradale, an F1 electrohydraulic shift 360 Challenge inspired variant of a 360 Modena.

Ferrari 360 factory race cars
4. Ferrari 360 Challenge, a 360 F1 electrohydraulic shift stripped out circuit racing variant of the 360 Modena .
5. Ferrari 360 GT, a GT racing variant of the 360 challenge race cars, more extreme than a Challenge.
6. Ferrari 360 GT-C, based on the 360 GT with 360 CS parts to compete in the N-GT class.

Ferrari 360 one-off special
7. Ferrari 360 Barchetta, a one-off wedding present from Ferrari to Ferrari's president.

Challenge Stradale

The Challenge Stradale is a more track day focused car than the Modena, it was inspired by the challenge racing series and can be thought of as a Challenge car for the road. Ferrari engineers designed the car from the outset with 20% track day use in mind and 80% road use. With only a small 25bhp improvement in engine power from the Modena but with substantially improved power to weight ratio, the Challenge Stradale accelerates from 0 to 100km/h (62mph) in just 4.2 seconds.

In total, the CS is up to 110 kg (243 lbs) lighter than the standard Modena if all the lightweight options are specified such as deleted radio, lexan side windows and fabric cloth (instead of the leather option). As much as 94 kilos (207 lbs) was taken off on the bodywork by stripping the interior carpets, lighter weight bumpers, carbon mirrors and the optional Modena carbon seats becoming standard. The engine and transmission weight was slimmed down 11kg (24 lbs) through the use of a smaller, lighter weight sports (yet still stainless steel) exhaust back box and valved exit pipes.

There are a lot of subtle (and some not so subtle) styling differences between the Challenge Stradale and the standard Modena.

These include;

Visual Differences

  • 19" BBS Challenge Styled Alloys with Titanium wheel bolts
  • Large Diameter Carbon Ceramic Brakes
  • Carbon-fibre side mirrors
  • Updated front and rear bumpers
  • Pair of rear bumper diffusers
  • Sharper side skirts
  • Plexi-glass rear window
  • Lower ride height on Titanium springs
  • Lighter weight challenge grille (black metal mesh) made from Aluminium
  • Challenge Stradale badging on rear grille
  • Optional Tri-colour Racing Stripe

The car also had the optional carbon racing seats (available in 3 sizes, small, medium and large) which are noticeable from the outside to complement the interior detailing

Interior Differences

  • New instrument dials with a yellow rev counter and carbon fibre surround
  • Carbon Fibre door panels
  • Carbon Centre Console
  • Fabric Dashboard with deleted stereo and glovebox
  • New Steering wheel with optional coloured racing ring

Dimensions

  • Overall length: 4477 mm (176.3 in)
  • Overall width: 1922 mm (75.7 in)
  • Height: 1199 mm (47.2 in)
  • Wheelbase: 2600 mm (102.4 in)
  • Front track: 1669 mm (65.7 in)
  • Rear track: 1617 mm (63.7 in)
  • Curb weight: 1180 kg (2601 lb)
  • Fuel capacity: 95 L (25.1 US gal)

Performance

  • 0–100 km/h (62 mph): 4.1 s[3]
  • Top Speed : 300 km/h (186 mph)[3]
  • downforce: about 270 kgf (2.6 kN) @ 300 km/h (without rear wing)
  • lift/drag: about -1.1:1

Race models

Challenge

The Challenge was a track only car. It was a non-road legal variant of the Modena that shed 120 kg of weight by use of carbon fibre and stripping out of all of the road car's luxuries such as leather interior coverings, electric windows and mirrors. The car boasted a fully stripped out racing interior with full integrated welded in roll cage and fire extinguisher. Lightweight BBS 18" alloys, challenge rear grille and plexi-glass rear engine cover cosmetically distinguished the car from the standard 360. The Modena's advanced electronic suspension system with integrated ASR was dropped in favour of conventional racing Boge dampers. These changes lowered the car by an inch over the Modena while removing the electronic safety net of the road going car.

The engine performance was left the same as the Modena (at 400 bhp) with the focus on handling, weight reduction and weight balance improvements. The Challenge was only available in F1 automatic variant, no manual cars were produced. The biggest differences in driving were attributed to the weight reduction and massive handling improvements through the use of uprated stiffer springs and uprated aluminium suspension flamblocks (bushes).

 

Road Beast

 

Ferraroi 0-60 and 1/4 mile Performance

Year Make & Model (0-60) (1/4 Mile)

Ferrari

1967 Ferrari 275 GTS/4 NART 6.7 14.7
1977 Ferrari 308 GTB 8.2 17.0
1980 Ferrari 308 GTS 6.9 14.9
1981 Ferrari 308 - Dino GT4 7.8 N/A
1981 Ferrari 308 GTSi 7.9 N/A
1983 Ferrari 308 GTBi Quattrovalvole 6.8 15.2
1986 Ferrari 328 GTS 5.6 14.2  (C&D May 86)
1988 Ferrari 328 GTS 6.7 15.0
1968 Ferrari 330 GTS 6.9 14.9
1970 Ferrari 330 GTS 6.9 14.9
1995 Ferrari 333 SP 3.6 11.3
1990 Ferrari 348 tb 6.0 14.3
1993 Ferrari 348 tb Serie Speciale 5.6 14.0
1993 Ferrari 348 Spider 5.6 14.1
1998 Ferrari 355 F1 4.6 13.0
2001 Ferrari 360 Spider F1 4.6 13.2
1986 Ferrari 412 6.7 15.0
1994 Ferrari 456 GT 4.8 13.3
1995 Ferrari 456 GT 5.1 13.4
1997 Ferrari 456 GTA 4.9 13.3
1998 Ferrari 456M 5.2 13.5
1978 Ferrari 512 Berlinetta Boxer 5.5 N/A
1982 Ferrari 512 Berlinetta Boxer 5.1 13.5
1992 Ferrari 512 TR 4.7 12.9
2000 Ferrari 550 Maranello 4.2 12.7
2001 Ferrari 550 Barchetta Pininfarina 4.9 13.3
2003 Ferrari 575M Maranello F1 4.2 12.6
1973 Ferrari Dino Spyder 8.8 15.3
1974 Ferrari Dino 7.1 15.5
1995 Ferrari F355 Berlinetta 4.7 12.8
1996 Ferrari F355 Spider 4.9 13.4
1997 Ferrari F355 Berlinetta 4.8 13.2
1992 Ferrari F40 3.8 11.8
1986 Ferrari GTO 5.0 14.1
1982 Ferrari Mondial 8 9.4 17.1
1984 Ferrari Mondial Cabriolet 7.6 16.0
1986 Ferrari Mondial 3.2 7.1 15.3
1991 Ferrari Mondial t Cabrio 6.6 15.0
2005 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti 4.6 12.8 (R&T Sept '05)
1985 Ferrari Testarossa 5.3 13.6
1986 Ferrari Testarossa 5.3 13.4
1989 Ferrari Testarossa 6.2 14.2

 

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