Ferrari facts for kids

This page is about the automobile manufacturer. For other uses, see Ferrari (disambiguation).

"Ferraris" redirects here. For the surname, see Ferraris (surname).

"RACE" redirects here. For other uses, see Race.

Quick facts for kids
Ferrari S.p.A.

Headquarters in Maranello, Italy
Type	Public (S.p.A.)
Traded as	BIT: RACE NYSE: RACE FTSE MIB component Euro Stoxx 50 component
Industry	Automotive
Founded	13 September 1939; 85 years ago (1939-09-13) in Modena, Italy (as Auto Avio Costruzioni)
Founder	Enzo Ferrari
Headquarters	Maranello, Emilia-Romagna, Italy Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy (seat) 44°31′57″N 10°51′52″E / 44.53250°N 10.86444°E / 44.53250; 10.86444
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	John Elkann (Executive Chairman) Piero Ferrari (Vice Chairman) Benedetto Vigna (CEO)
Products	Sports cars, luxury cars
Production output	13,752 units shipped (2024)
Revenue	€6.677 billion (2024)
Operating income	€1.888 billion (2024)
Net income	€1.526 billion (2024)
Total assets	€9.497 billion (2024)
Total equity	€3.543 billion (2024)
Owners	Exor (24.65% equity; 36.48% voting rights) Piero Ferrari (10.48% equity; 15.51% voting rights) Public (58.8% equity; 48.01% voting rights)
Number of employees	5,435 (2024)
Divisions	Scuderia Ferrari

Ferrari S.p.A. is a famous Italian company that makes luxury sports cars. It is based in Maranello, Italy. Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) started the company in 1939.

Ferrari built its first car in 1940. It started making its well-known road cars in 1947. For many years, Ferrari was part of Fiat S.p.A.. It became an independent public company in 2016. Today, Ferrari makes many types of cars, including supercars and SUVs. Some older Ferraris are among the most expensive cars ever sold.

Ferrari is also famous for its racing history. Its team, Scuderia Ferrari, is the oldest and most successful in Formula One. Ferrari fans are called tifosi. They are known for their strong passion and loyalty. Ferrari is one of the world's strongest brands. It is known for its racing history, luxury, and being very exclusive.

The Story of Ferrari

How Ferrari Started

Three Scuderia Ferrari cars in 1934. These were Alfa Romeo P3s, driven by Achille Varzi, Louis Chiron, and Carlo Felice Trossi.

Enzo Ferrari was a salesman and racing driver. He started Scuderia Ferrari, a racing team, in 1929. At first, it was for amateur racers. But then, Alfa Romeo stopped racing in 1933. Scuderia Ferrari became their unofficial racing team. Alfa Romeo gave cars to Ferrari, and the team won many races.

In 1937, Scuderia Ferrari became part of Alfa Romeo. But Enzo Ferrari did not agree with the company's leaders. So, he left in 1939. He used his money to start his own car company. He called it "Auto Avio Costruzioni." He could not use the "Ferrari" name for four years.

His company made one car, the Auto Avio Costruzioni 815. It raced only once before World War II began. During the war, Enzo's company made aircraft engines. This helped the new company earn a lot of money. In 1943, the factory moved to Maranello to avoid bombings. Ferrari is still in Maranello today.

Ferrari Under Enzo Ferrari

Ferrari's factory in the early 1960s. Cars were handmade by skilled workers. Today, robots do much of this work.

In 1945, the company became "Ferrari." They started working on a new V12 engine. This engine powered the Ferrari 125 S, Ferrari's first car. It also powered many cars after that. Ferrari quickly found success in racing. The 125 S won many races in 1947. Early wins, like the 1949 24 Hours of Le Mans, made Ferrari famous.

By the early 1950s, Ferrari road cars were popular with rich people. Ferrari made many car families, like the America and 250 series. The Ferrari 250 GT Coupé was the first car made in large numbers.

In 1960, Ferrari became a public company. It looked for a partner to help with manufacturing. It talked to Ford in 1963, but the deal did not happen. Later, Fiat bought 50% of Ferrari's shares in 1969. This deal was successful.

In the late 1960s, Ferrari made two new types of cars. The 1967 Dino 206 GT was its first mass-produced car with the engine in the middle. The 1968 365 GTB/4 had a modern, sleek design. The Dino was a big change for Ferrari. It led to more cars with mid-engines and V6 or V8 engines in the 1970s and 1980s.

Modern Ferrari

Enzo Ferrari passed away in 1988. Fiat then owned 90% of the company. The last car Enzo approved was the Ferrari F40. This car continued the idea of a special supercar, like the Ferrari 288 GTO before it.

Luca Cordero di Montezemolo became chairman in 1991. Under his leadership, Ferrari grew a lot. He made Ferrari's road cars much more profitable. He did this by offering more car models and limiting how many were made. Ferrari also improved its Formula One performance. This included hiring Michael Schumacher. Three more supercars were made: the F50, the Enzo, and the LaFerrari.

After Montezemolo, new leaders took over. Sergio Marchionne helped Ferrari become a public company. Then, Louis Camilleri became CEO and John Elkann became chairman. Since 2021, Benedetto Vigna has been the CEO. He plans to develop Ferrari's first fully electric car. Ferrari has made more cars recently because more people can afford them.

Racing History

Ferrari has been involved in racing since the very beginning. Its main racing team is Scuderia Ferrari. They have competed in many types of races, like Formula One and sports car racing.

Grand Prix and Formula One Racing

A Ferrari F2004 Formula One car, driven by Michael Schumacher. He is one of the best F1 drivers ever.

Scuderia Ferrari has been in Formula One since it started. It is one of the most famous teams. Since 1952, Ferrari has had fifteen champion drivers. It has also won sixteen Constructors' Championships. Ferrari has more race wins, podium finishes, and points than any other team in F1 history.

The first Ferrari racing team, Scuderia Ferrari, started in 1929. This was ten years before the car company itself. It was linked to Alfa Romeo. Alfa Romeo gave racing cars to Ferrari, and the team made them even better. Scuderia Ferrari was very successful in the 1930s. They won 144 out of 225 races.

Ferrari returned to Grand Prix racing in 1947. This was when it was changing into modern Formula One. Ferrari's first Grand Prix car, the Ferrari 125 F1, raced in 1948. Its good performance made Enzo continue the racing program. Ferrari's first F1 win was in 1951. The team did very well in the 1950s and early 1960s. They won six World Drivers' Championships and one Constructors' Championship. Famous drivers from this time include Alberto Ascari and Juan Manuel Fangio.

After 1964, Ferrari's success in F1 became less steady. They struggled in the late 1960s. But in the mid-1970s, Niki Lauda helped Ferrari win drivers' titles in 1975 and 1977. The team also won the Constructors' Championship in 1982 and 1983.

Ferrari had another winning streak in the 2000s, thanks to Michael Schumacher. He joined the team in 1996. Schumacher won five drivers' titles in a row from 2000 to 2004. Ferrari also won six constructors' titles starting in 1999. Ferrari was very strong in the 2004 Formula One season. After Schumacher left, Ferrari won one more drivers' title with Kimi Räikkönen in 2007. They also won two more constructors' titles in 2007 and 2008. Recently, teams like Red Bull and Mercedes-Benz have been stronger.

Ferrari Driver Academy

The Ferrari Driver Academy is a program for young drivers. It started in 2009. Drivers in the Academy learn about racing. Ferrari supports them as they compete in lower racing classes. As of 2019, 5 out of 18 drivers from the program became F1 drivers. One of them, Charles Leclerc, now races for Scuderia Ferrari.

Sports Car Racing

A 312 P, driven by Jacky Ickx. This was Ferrari's last year in the World Sportscar Championship.

Ferrari started racing sports cars in 1947. The Ferrari 125 S won six of its ten races. Ferrari continued to win many races. By 1957, they had won three World Sportscar Championships. They also won seven Mille Miglia races and two 24 Hours of Le Mans races. These races helped Ferrari develop and promote its road cars.

Ferrari kept winning in the early 1960s. They won at Le Mans for six years in a row. But Ford broke their winning streak in 1966. Ferrari won two more WSC titles in 1967 and 1972. However, due to money problems and F1 struggles, Ferrari stopped competing in sports car events in 1973. After that, Ferrari helped private teams prepare racing cars, but did not race them itself.

Since 1993, Ferrari has supported the Ferrari Challenge. This is a racing series where everyone uses the same type of Ferrari road car.

Ferrari 499P No. 51 at the 2023 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.

In 2023, Ferrari returned to prototype sports car racing. They teamed up with AF Corse for the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship. They raced two 499P sports prototypes. One car was numbered "50" to mark 50 years since Ferrari last raced in endurance events. The 499P won the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans. This ended Toyota Gazoo Racing's winning streak. It was Ferrari's first win there in 58 years. Ferrari won again at the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans, making it their first back-to-back win since 1965.

Other Racing Types

From 1932 to 1935, Scuderia Ferrari had a motorcycle racing team. They used British motorcycles. Ferrari won three national titles and 44 races. But they stopped due to older engine types and economic problems.

Ferrari also raced in other open-wheel series like Formula Two. The Dino engine was developed from their F2 program.

Some water speed record boats have used Ferrari engines. One boat, Arno XI, still holds the top speed record for its class. Since 2019, Scuderia Ferrari has also been involved in sim racing, which is racing in video games.

Supplying Cars to Other Teams

Ferrari has also provided racing cars to other teams. In the 1950s and 1960s, they supplied Formula One cars to private teams. Ferrari also supplied V8 engines for the A1 Grand Prix series from 2008 to 2009. Today, Ferrari has a program for customer GT racing. Teams like Risi Competizione and AF Corse have been very successful with Ferrari GT racers.

Road Cars

For a complete list, including future and concept car models, see List of Ferrari road cars.

The Ferrari 166 Inter Touring Berlinetta.

The first car with the Ferrari name was the Ferrari 125 S. Only two of these small V12 sports cars were made. In 1949, the Ferrari 166 Inter was introduced. This marked Ferrari's move into making grand touring road cars. The first 166 Inter was a four-seat coupe. Road cars quickly became most of Ferrari's sales. Early Ferrari road cars often had custom bodies designed by other companies like Pininfarina.

Original Ferrari road cars usually had two seats and a V12 engine in the front. This design worked well through the 1950s and 1960s. In 1967, the V6-powered Dino 206 GT was released. It was Ferrari's first production car with the engine in the middle. The Dino was sold under a separate, lower-cost brand named after Enzo Ferrari's son. It sold more than any previous Ferrari model.

The first mid-engine car sold under the Ferrari name was the Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer in 1973. This mid-engine design is still used in many Ferraris today. Current Ferrari road cars often use V8 or V12 engines. V8 models make up more than half of Ferrari's total production.

Ferrari also made 2+2 versions of its mid-engine V8 cars, like the GT4 and Mondial. These cars had back seats. The company has also made front-engined 2+2 cars, like the Lusso and Roma.

Starting in the early 2010s, Ferrari began designing all its road cars in-house. The Ferrari F12 was the last production model designed by Pininfarina. Ferrari still works with Pininfarina on special projects.

The Ferrari SF90 Stradale is Ferrari's first plug-in hybrid car. It combines a gasoline engine with three electric motors. Ferrari announced in February 2025 that its first fully electric car would be shown in October.

Current Models

	Calendar year introduced	Vehicle description
SF90 Stradale	2019	A sports car with a mid-engine and a plug-in hybrid V8 system.
Roma	2020	A grand tourer with a front-mid engine and a V8.
296	2022	A sports car with a mid-engine and a plug-in hybrid V6 system.
Daytona SP3	2022	A limited-production mid-engine V12 sports car, part of the Icona series.
Purosangue	2022	Ferrari's first SUV, with a front-mid engine and a V12. It has 4 doors.
12Cilindri	2024	A grand tourer with a front-mid engine and a V12. It replaced the 812.
F80	2024	A hybrid V6 sports car. It is the successor to the LaFerrari.

Customization Options

In the past, Ferrari clients often customized their cars right from the factory. This made each car unique. Ferrari now has a "Tailor Made" program. This program lets clients work with designers to choose almost any color, material, or special feature. This continues the tradition of making each Ferrari special.

Ferrari Supercars

The Enzo Ferrari supercar.

Many people consider the 1984 Ferrari 288 GTO to be the first of Ferrari's special supercars. This line of supercars includes the F40, F50, Enzo, LaFerrari, and the F80. Before the F80, these cars were often called the "Big Five."

Concept Cars and Special Models

The Ferrari Pinin concept car.

Ferrari has made several concept cars, like the Modulo and Pinin. Some were very unusual and not meant for production. Others showed design ideas that were later used in regular cars. Most of Ferrari's concept cars were made with design studio Pininfarina.

Ferrari also makes special, one-of-a-kind versions of its road cars for wealthy owners. These are called "Special Projects" cars. Clients work with Ferrari to create unique cars based on modern Ferrari models. The first car made under this program was the Ferrari SP1 in 2008.

Hybrid Cars

Ferrari has explored cars that use less fuel. An F430 Spider that ran on ethanol was shown in 2008. In 2010, Ferrari showed a hybrid version of its 599. This "HY-KERS Concept" added more power. The LaFerrari supercar, produced in 2014, also featured a hybrid system. Ferrari's first plug-in hybrid (PHEV) model was the Ferrari SF90 Stradale in 2019, followed by the 296 in 2021.

Ferrari's Identity

The "Prancing Horse" Symbol

Tifosi fans with Prancing Horse flags at the 2003 Italian Grand Prix.

Ferrari's famous symbol is the "Prancing Horse" (Italian: Cavallino Rampante). It is a black horse on a yellow background. The horse is usually shown on a shield with the Italian flag colors above it. Below the horse are the letters SF for "Scuderia Ferrari". Sometimes, it's on a rectangle with the word "Ferrari" instead of "SF".

Enzo Ferrari explained where the horse came from. After a race win in 1923, the family of Francesco Baracca visited him. Baracca was a flying hero who painted the horse on his airplane. His mother suggested Enzo use the horse as a good luck charm. Enzo agreed. The Prancing Horse was first used by his racing team in 1932. It was put on their cars with a yellow background, which is the color of Enzo's hometown, Modena. The rectangular Prancing Horse has been used since 1947.

The Color Red

A Ferrari 550 painted in rosso corsa. You can see both types of the Prancing Horse logo on the car.

For many years, rosso corsa (meaning "racing red") was the required color for all Italian racing cars. This color is strongly linked to Ferrari. Even when rules changed, Scuderia Ferrari kept painting its cars bright red.

Red has always been a very popular color for Ferrari road cars. In 2012, 40% of new Ferraris were red. In the early 1990s, it was even higher, at 85%. Some Ferrari cars, like the Ferrari 288 GTO, were only made in red.

While red is famous, Ferraris have been raced in other colors too. In 1964, Ferrari protested some racing rules. They moved their racing team to the North American Racing Team in the United States. Because of this, Ferrari and driver John Surtees won the 1964 Formula One season in American colors: blue with a white racing stripe.

Enzo Ferrari once said, "Ask a child to draw a car, and he will certainly paint it red." This shows how popular red is for Ferrari.

Brand Image and Exclusivity

Ferrari is known for its strong and powerful brand image. It is seen as a symbol of luxury, careful craftsmanship, and very fast cars. In 2019, Ferrari was named the world's strongest brand.

Ferrari carefully manages its image. It works hard to protect its trademarks. Customers are expected to follow rules when caring for their cars. Ferrari limits how many cars it makes. This is done to keep the cars exclusive and special. Some cars can only be bought by customers who have already owned many Ferraris. The most exclusive supercars have long waiting lists. Only the most loyal customers are chosen to buy them. This strategy helps keep the Ferrari brand valuable.

A pink Ferrari 360. Ferrari does not offer pink paint from the factory.

Sometimes, Ferrari's desire to keep its brand image strong goes against what some owners want. Ferrari has discouraged customers from customizing their cars in ways that don't fit the brand. For example, Ferrari does not offer pink paint for its cars. The company's CEO in Australasia once said, "No pink. No Pokémon Ferraris!"

Ferrari encourages buyers to personalize their cars through official programs. These programs offer many customization options. However, they always match Ferrari's desired brand image.

Year	Sales
1947	3
1948	5
1949	21
1950	25
1951	33
1952	44
1953	57
1954	58
1955	61
1956	81
1957	113
1958	183
1959	248
1960	306
1961	441
1962	493
1963	598
1964	654
1965	619
1966	928

Year	Sales
1967	706
1968	729
1969	619
1970	928
1971	1,246
1972	1,844
1973	1,772
1974	1,436
1975	1,337
1976	1,426
1977	1,798
1978	1,939
1979	2,221
1980	2,470
1981	2,565
1982	2,209
1983	2,366
1984	2,856
1985	3,051
1986	3,663

Year	Sales
1987	3,942
1988	4,001
1989	3,821
1990	4,293
1991	4,487
1992	3,384
1993	2,345
1994	2,671
1995	3,144
1996	3,350
1997	3,581
1998	3,652
1999	3,775
2000	4,070
2001	4,289
2002	4,236
2003	4,238
2004	4,975
2005	5,409
2006	5,671

Year	Sales
2007	6,465
2008	6,587
2009	6,250
2010	6,461
2011	7,001
2012	7,318
2013	6,922
2014	7,255
2015	7,664
2016	8,014
2017	8,398
2018	9,251
2019	10,131
2020	9,119
2021	11,115
2022	13,221
2023	13,663
2024	13,752