10 reasons we love… Ferrari

Enzo Ferrari apparently once said if you ask a child to draw a sports car it will inevitably choose red as its colour. A spirit the brand carrying his name lives by to this day, Ferrari’s undoubted status as the definitive supercar brand inextricably linked with its incredible sporting history. And that’s just one reason we love it. Here are 10 more!
Skip to: The man, the suits, the sunglasses The Cavallino Rampante V12 engines It powers British champions It’s basically a religion, not a car brand Everything sounds cooler in Italian It’s made hybrids sexy Racing is in the blood of all its cars The swagger The greatest Ferrari of all time

Ferrari carries more than the name of its founder, it carries his spirit, too. Forever associated with the signature suits, white hair and dark glasses, his looming, intimidating presence was a constant reminder of who was in charge, be that in the pitlane or on the factory floor. With that came a cultivated image of a ruthless, calculating mindset dedicated to winning, whatever the costs. The truth may have been rather more complex and it’s now getting on for 40 years since he died. But the man, always inscrutable behind those shades, will always cast his shadow over the brand.
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Fair to say Ferrari’s famous prancing horse has found its home on more than just the cars, the brand’s … enthusiastic use of its logo on every kind of merch imaginable bordering on the shameless. The origin story is pretty cool, though, given the badge started out as the personal emblem of aristocratic WW1 Italian fighter pilot Francesco Baracca and was then gifted to Enzo Ferrari by his mother, who said it would bring his cars luck. The symbol was duly painted onto the Alfa Romeos Ferrari had entered into a race in 1932, the cars coming home to a 1-2 finish. And the rest is … logos on lunchboxes.
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Ferraris have used all sorts of engines over the years but V12s have powered its most iconic cars on road and track. Its first in the 1947 125 S was a mere 1.5-litre, but it made 118 horsepower and sounded incredible. That legacy lives on today in the jaw-dropping 12 Cilindri and its open top Spider version
, the capacity now up to 6.5 litres and output 830 horsepower. Huge gains. But the sound, fury and emotion ring true to that 1947 original. Back to top

While he’d have doubtless favoured Italian drivers in his cars Enzo Ferrari didn’t really care where they came from, so long as they were winners. And he seemed to have a particular appreciation for British drivers, Mike Hawthorn and John Surtees both taking F1 championships for him back in the day while he also expressed admiration for Stirling Moss’s abilities, even if Moss himself swore never to drive for the team after turning up to a test to find his seat had been given to an Italian driver. Ferrari’s passionate fans have also taken British drivers to their hearts, nicknaming Nigel Mansell ‘The Lion’ for his fighting spirit even if he never won a championship for them. Will Lewis Hamilton go one better and bring home a title of his own for the team? We’ll see!
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Religion is a huge part of the Italian national identity. And while the Pope may be god’s representative on earth sporting and cultural heroes aren’t too far behind. It sounds far-fetched but, honestly, you can drive a Ferrari through a small Italian village and old men will be dabbing tears from their eyes at the sight and sound, such is the emotion associated with the brand while even boring press conferences can sometimes feel more like religious sermons. The famously passionate Tifosi have meanwhile always brought football fan levels of enthusiasm to the F1 grandstands, and elevated the drivers who have brought glory to the team to the status of gods. Which is something guys sponsored by energy drinks will never achieve, no matter how many races they win.
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Proof, were it ever needed, that everything sounds cooler in Italian ‘racing red’ is inextricably linked to Ferrari’s spirit. Obviously, it was happy coincidence red happened to be Italy’s traditional racing colour. But, honestly, what else could it have been? Passionate, fiery, blood-pumping … the symbolism is all too obvious. And while other traditional shades like Tour de France Blue always look classy on the brand’s luxurious GTs Rosso Corsa remains THE colour.
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While tradition and history are a huge part of Ferrari’s brand it’s never been sentimental about embracing new technology. Especially if it makes the cars go faster. And with hybrid power long a fixture in F1 it was inevitable the road cars would embrace it as well. The 2013 LaFerrari was the first to get a jolt of electricity, the motors and petrol V12 combining to deliver a then epic 800 horsepower. Ferrari then launched its first plug-in hybrid in 2020 with the 1,000 horsepower SF90, the current 296 GTB and open top GTS bringing the tech to a ‘regular’ production model and already besting the power of the SF90, such is the pace of development. While it’s clinging to (part) combustion power for as long as it can will Ferrari’s soul survive the transition to full electric, though?
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It’s said Enzo Ferrari considered building road cars a vulgar necessity to fund his racing but, ever the canny businessman, was quick to realise the marketing value of ‘race on Sunday, sell on Monday’ even if it meant having to deal with the ugly business of selling metal like a normal manufacturer. Tiresome or not, the fact that anyone sitting behind a steering wheel with a prancing horse at the centre feels an instant connection to that incredible racing history is a powerful drug. Some Ferraris deal a stronger hit than others, the 1995 F50 literally powered by the engine derived from an F1 car and about as minimal in its way of creature comforts. Cynics may argue the Purosangue is stretching the idea to its limits. But as soon as you grip the wheel…
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Is it cockiness, or just arrogance? However you describe Ferrari’s attitude there has always been a sense of supreme self-belief in everything the brand does that, again, derives straight from the character of Enzo Ferrari himself. That hasn’t always come across well. But there’s a gravitas about Ferrari that’s impossible to ignore, and is powerful enough to awe even the biggest of drivers to be awarded the honour of racing its cars. Just ask Lewis Hamilton.
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Debates over which is the greatest Ferrari will rage among petrolheads but we’re calling it – the 1987 F40 is the pinnacle. Its name celebrates the 40th anniversary of the brand and it counts as the last car developed under Enzo Ferrari’s eye, the great man dying the following year. Describing it as the ultimate automotive mic drop possibly feels a bit crass but … you get the idea. The perfect intersection of Ferrari’s racing and road car spirit, built from a blend of traditional materials and cutting edge composites and – most of all – famous for its wild, uncompromising performance the F40’s aura is the perfect tribute to the man himself, its spirit living on through to the F80 of the modern day.
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