The Machines

Ferrari started building cars to be raced, only producing cars to be sold to fund his racing aspirations. Given his own way, there might never have been such a thing as a customer car, let alone a road car, but even Ingegnere Ferrari had to face the stark reality that without customers, he couldn’t afford to go racing.

From the beginning, only a handful of cars were built for wealthy, ambitious racing drivers, cars that raced with success and style. These cars evolved into the first of the truly road-going models, the early Inters and Berlinettas, spartan racing cars, clothed by the best of the Italian stylists.

The cars started to become more stylish and sophisticated from the outside, but maintaining the race-bred engineering and performance on the inside. For over 50 years, Ferrari has been synonymous with very fast, very beautiful machines. From the earliest racers, to the latest 200 mph supercars, from the stripped out competition models like the GTO to the four seater models like the Mondial and 456, the fascination with Ferrari engineering is all encompassing.

From an aesthetic perspective, Ferraris are beautiful, with chassis’ clad by such automotive artists as Touring, Ghia, Boano, Scagletti Vignale and of course Pininfarina. From a mechanical perspective, Ferraris are rewarding, from the note of the engine, to the performance of the chassis, suspension and steering, a Ferrari driven to the limits will reward the driver immensely, however driven badly will as easily punish.

The cars of Ferrari have developed from a small number of bespoke one-offs to a range of magnificent, highly potent sports cars. From the beautiful little 166 Barchetta to the limited runs of the F40, F50 and the Enzo, they all maintain the beauty, technical excellence and mystique of Ferrari, all road cars, even if only tenuously so, but then again, that is Ferrari tradition.