Enzo Ferrari's life

[Ferrari-girl]

Hello everybody, I'm new on this forum and I'm a bit lost because there are so many interesting threads that I don't know where to start!
But I've got a question, I'm writing a special for a Dutch website about Enzo's life. And I read somewhere that Enzo never visited the F1. Is this true? On the website I read that they say that Enzo didn't want to see his car break down and that this was a way he could blaim the other people if a race went bad. I hope some of you know more about this! FORZA FERRARI !!!

[REDARMYSOJA]

On the website I read that they say that Enzo didn't want to see his car break down and that this was a way he could blaim the other people if a race went bad

Things like this are why you have to be very careful when researching Enzo. There are people who will say things about him either out of ignorance or out of malice.

Enzo did quit going to races, but before that he attended many. You have to remember Enzo was a driver himself before the war and ran Alfa Romeo's racing department, so he had been to plenty of races.

As for Enzo not wanting to see his car break down so he could blame it on the driver, well, that's a load of crap.

Enzo did say one time that he couldn't stand to see his cars tortured and quit driving himself because he couldn't inflict upon a machine the torture needed to win. (Even though he did win). But he didn't blame a driver or others every time a race went bad, if ever. You have to also remember Enzo had seen and competed in literally thousands of races and having been a driver, mechanic, team manager and just about anything else involving racing he knew better than anyone that sometimes things just don't go your way.

Like I say, be careful what you read and believe about Enzo because many want nothing but to vilify him and bring him down. Even all these years after his death.

[Ferrari-girl]

Thanks for answering my question about Enzo!

I've got some other things I want to know if they are true or not: Is it true that Laura Ferrari wanted to become involved at Ferrari, but that this frustrated Enzo so much that he sought solace with his mistress?
This is the site where I've read this, it's the same as where I read that Enzo never attended races: http://www.enterf1.com/news/070-the-bite-point.asp

[Liscia]

Ferrari-girl that may have been a factor. His wife took to going to races with the team after the Commendatore stopped and was
very much resented for her high-handedness and interference. She was the major cause of the dismissal of many key personnel like Romolo Tavoni and Carlo Chiti
(among others) who were key to bringing the 1961 championship to the team. Tavoni recounts this tale in an article by Pritchard about the 1961 season
in the current (here in USA) issue of the British magazine Motorsport which I read yesterday at a bookshop - you may want check it's availability in your area.
It's not a very pleasant tale but who really knows the truth these 50 years later? Laura Ferrari WAS reputed to be quite a piece of work and maybe even slightly
batty by many accounts and Enzo probably wasn't happy at home ergo his need to find "something soft" elsewhere. Top of the Season to you and good luck with your
researches.

[REDARMYSOJA]

Oh my, Laura Ferrari! What a piece of work she was. From all I know Liscia gave you a very accurate account of Laura and her meddling.

If you want to know more, read this...

http://www.forix.com/8w/ats.html


Oh, and get rid of that source you have been using. Use the 8W site from now on. The folks who do that site are true racing historians and very accurate. There is lots more very interesting stories there not just about Ferrari and their drivers but many other teams. Poke around the site a bit and you'll see what I mean.

[Ferrari-girl]

REDARMYSOJA, thanks for the site, it's indeed a lot better then the site i've found!!!
I've got one more question: Is it true that Enzo's dead wasn't announced till 2 days later, as a compensation for the fact that his father had registered his birth 2 days later. Because of heavy snowfall his father couldn't register the day Enzo was born. Or is this also false?

[Tifoso84]

Good informative video about Enzo's life:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljKgjlCQNmY

[GrndLkNatv]

You folks forget how important Luigi Chinetti was to the Ferrari legend. At the end of WWII, Chinetti was in the United States, the entire world except for the US was broke so Luigi started selling cars here in the US because it was the only place there was a market. Luigi then started Ferrari NART (North American Race Team) and it was a NART car that won the 1964 WDC. From what I have been told Luigi escaped from Italy during WWII and came to the US to race at Indy, before that he and Enzo had been on the Alfa Romeo team together, Luigi having been the team's lead mechanic/engineer and a famous driver. Anyway if you really see what Luigi's contribution was to the company, you might say his efforts were just as important as Enzo's.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luigi_Chinetti

Of course I am biased since I have friends who were on the NART team...

[fratelliferrari]

Fantastic video of the story of Enzo. I will enjoy watching it!

[REDARMYSOJA]

Luigi then started Ferrari NART (North American Race Team) and it was a NART car that won the 1964 WDC.



I wouldn't say that. It was a Ferrari carrying the NART colors as Enzo was embroiled in a dispute with the FIA over sportcars and he let the competition license drop. For that reason the car was entered in the last two races in NART colors. Entering the cars was pretty well NART's sole contribution.

But you are correct that Chinetti deserves a lot of credit for helping make Ferrari the force it is today.

[Massimo]

I think some of the things said here are completely disrespectful to the late great Enzo Ferrari ans his wife Laura. regardless if she was a difficult personality.
Asking if it is true that sign. Ferrari visited his mistress??? Are you joking me? You should be ashamed of yourself, i hope this article of yours never sees the light of day.

[mirafiori]

If some one was to make a proper documentary or film on Enzo Ferrari, and Ferrari in general, of its history of its cars, and race cars, drivers the factory at Maranello etc, it could be as popular as the Senna film.

[REDARMYSOJA]

I think some of the things said here are completely disrespectful to the late great Enzo Ferrari ans his wife Laura. regardless if she was a difficult personality.
Asking if it is true that sign. Ferrari visited his mistress??? Are you joking me? You should be ashamed of yourself, i hope this article of yours never sees the light of day.

When learning, discussing, or writing about history you have two choices, either ignore the ugly parts and tell half truths and half the story, or accept we as human beings are not perfect and don't gloss over things.

As for Laura Ferrari, we were all kind in our words. As for Enzo's mistresses, perhaps you should learn about Lina Lardi (where do you think Piero came from) and Fiamma Breschi. This is nothing that isn't well known.

[Massimo]

When learning, discussing, or writing about history you have two choices, either ignore the ugly parts and tell half truths and half the story, or accept we as human beings are not perfect and don't gloss over things.

As for Laura Ferrari, we were all kind in our words. As for Enzo's mistresses, perhaps you should learn about Lina Lardi (where do you think Piero came from) and Fiamma Breschi. This is nothing that isn't well known.

I don't ignore the ugly parts, fare from it, i think it's not up to us to discuss them, there is not much about Enzo Ferrari that i should learn, that i don't know already, and that a tifoso like you feels the need to lecture me with wiki information, i find very disappointing.
The point is, somebody asks for information about Enzo Ferrari, and one of two questions is, if he sought solace with his mistress out of frustration with his wife, not only that, you encourage that thought by referring to Laura Ferrari as "a piece of work", come on man, what are you? a tabloid reporter?

Somebody wants to write an article about Enzo Ferrari and this is the direction the piece is going? And being encouraged on a Ferrariforum, really Mr. Redarmysoja? Why not gently encourage this so called reporter to read about Mr.Ferrari's position during the second worldwar, smiling to the Germans and Italian fascist regime during the day, but supporting the resistance and partisans by night, risking his own life, or to read about his loyal advisor Franco Gozzi, or Colombo, Scaglietti and more, to really get a picture about who this great man was, in other words, the real Enzo Ferrari, a courageous man during the war, constructing weapons for the resistance, a visionair, great captain of industry, simbol of hope for Italy, the complete myth around the marque, founder of the most historic and succesfull racing scuderia ever.

But you choose to go along with the illegitimate children story, sorry man, tabloidpress standards, at best.
No hard feelings, just not my idea of respect.

[REDARMYSOJA]

I don't ignore the ugly parts, fare from it, i think it's not up to us to discuss them, there is not much about Enzo Ferrari that i should learn, that i don't know already, and that a tifoso like you feels the need to lecture me with wiki information, i find very disappointing.
The point is, somebody asks for information about Enzo Ferrari, and one of two questions is, if he sought solace with his mistress out of frustration with his wife, not only that, you encourage that thought by referring to Laura Ferrari as "a piece of work", come on man, what are you? a tabloid reporter?

Somebody wants to write an article about Enzo Ferrari and this is the direction the piece is going? And being encouraged on a Ferrariforum, really Mr. Redarmysoja? Why not gently encourage this so called reporter to read about Mr.Ferrari's position during the second worldwar, smiling to the Germans and Italian fascist regime during the day, but supporting the resistance and partisans by night, risking his own life, or to read about his loyal advisor Franco Gozzi, or Colombo, Scaglietti and more, to really get a picture about who this great man was, in other words, the real Enzo Ferrari, a courageous man during the war, constructing weapons for the resistance, a visionair, great captain of industry, simbol of hope for Italy, the complete myth around the marque, founder of the most historic and succesfull racing scuderia ever.

But you choose to go along with the illegitimate children story, sorry man, tabloidpress standards, at best.
No hard feelings, just not my idea of respect.


You have no idea who I am or how much research I have done to know the story of Enzo Ferrari and I assure you I did not use wikipedia as a source. Perhaps you missed my initial reply to the OP.



Things like this are why you have to be very careful when researching Enzo. There are people who will say things about him either out of ignorance or out of malice.

Enzo did quit going to races, but before that he attended many. You have to remember Enzo was a driver himself before the war and ran Alfa Romeo's racing department, so he had been to plenty of races.

As for Enzo not wanting to see his car break down so he could blame it on the driver, well, that's a load of crap.

Enzo did say one time that he couldn't stand to see his cars tortured and quit driving himself because he couldn't inflict upon a machine the torture needed to win. (Even though he did win). But he didn't blame a driver or others every time a race went bad, if ever. You have to also remember Enzo had seen and competed in literally thousands of races and having been a driver, mechanic, team manager and just about anything else involving racing he knew better than anyone that sometimes things just don't go your way.

Like I say, be careful what you read and believe about Enzo because many want nothing but to vilify him and bring him down. Even all these years after his death.

I also encouraged the OP to find a better source for her research. I would not, however, as you would do, try to force them through insults to write the story the way I think it should be written.

And perhaps you don't know what "piece of work" means, it merely means a true character, someone who is outspoken and can cause a stir. I'd say someone who would throw a glass of soda into the face of Romolo Tavoni, or cause the walkout of Tavoni, Chiti, Bizarini, Gardini, Selmi, Della Casa, Galassi and Gilberti would qualify as such.

So if you want to write a story and ignore any such thing about Enzo, go right ahead. No one is stopping you.

[Massimo]

You have no idea who I am or how much research I have done to know the story of Enzo Ferrari and I assure you I did not use wikipedia as a source. Perhaps you missed my initial reply to the OP.




I also encouraged the OP to find a better source for her research. I would not, however, as you would do, try to force them through insults to write the story the way I think it should be written.

And perhaps you don't know what "piece of work" means, it merely means a true character, someone who is outspoken and can cause a stir. I'd say someone who would throw a glass of soda into the face of Romolo Tavoni, or cause the walkout of Tavoni, Chiti, Bizarini, Gardini, Selmi, Della Casa, Galassi and Gilberti would qualify as such.

So if you want to write a story and ignore any such thing about Enzo, go right ahead. No one is stopping you.

Fair enough, wiki info was probably a bit strong.
I'm not ignoring this part of his life, just think there is so much more to tell than this, or maybe because where i come from it's considered not done, to speak bad about someone or his wife when they are not present, wait untill they are infront of you, and tell them to their face, so i'm probably more sensitive to this.
Especially when they are no longer among us, it feels really uncomfortable, it goes against everything i was ever taught about respect, hope you can understand that to.

[REDARMYSOJA]

Fair enough, wiki info was probably a bit strong.
I'm not ignoring this part of his life, just think there is so much more to tell than this, or maybe because where i come from it's considered not done, to speak bad about someone or his wife when they are not present, wait untill they are infront of you, and tell them to their face, so i'm probably more sensitive to this.
Especially when they are no longer among us, it feels really uncomfortable, it goes against everything i was ever taught about respect, hope you can understand that to.

Understood and I can respect your view. But really, if telling about Enzo and the team there is really no way around not explaining Piero's story. And Laura's actions did have a significant effect on the GP team as well as Fiamma Breshi on the road car side. If that is all someone wants to tell about, I agree with you it's nothing but tabloid journalism. But if one is telling the complete story, these things will really need to be mentioned.

And to me, it's how it's mentioned that determines if it is insulting or not. We are all humans and all have similar events in our lives, so those who read the story without prejudice would probably think no less of Enzo, but those who are already prone to judgment on him will not be kind anyway.

In the end, I think we are both of the same mind, Enzo was a great man, and Forza Ferrari!

[Massimo]

Understood and I can respect your view. But really, if telling about Enzo and the team there is really no way around not explaining Piero's story. And Laura's actions did have a significant effect on the GP team as well as Fiamma Breshi on the road car side. If that is all someone wants to tell about, I agree with you it's nothing but tabloid journalism. But if one is telling the complete story, these things will really need to be mentioned.

And to me, it's how it's mentioned that determines if it is insulting or not. We are all humans and all have similar events in our lives, so those who read the story without prejudice would probably think no less of Enzo, but those who are already prone to judgment on him will not be kind anyway.

In the end, I think we are both of the same mind, Enzo was a great man, and Forza Ferrari!

The Drake was a great man indeed, Forza Ferrari!