60 Years and Three Ages of Ferrari |
| Sheehan Speaks |
| Written by Michael Sheehan |
| Wednesday, 31 December 2008 16:00 |
Enzo was first and foremost a racer, and Ferrari has always built street cars to help subsidize increasingly expensive racing habits Over the last 60 years, Ferraris have evolved through three distinctive eras: the Enzo Ferrari era, the mass-market Fiat years, and the present high-volume exotics from Luca di Montezemolo. The Enzo era began modestly enough in 1947 with a pair of 125 Barchettas, s/ns 01C and 02C. Powered by a diminutive 1,497-cc V12, putting out a very modest 72 hp, the 125 was a success from its first race, winning at Rome's Caracalla Circuit on May 25, 1947. At the first rebuild, the 125's engine went to 159 spec, with 1,903 cc and 125 hp, and the evolutionary race was on. Within five years, Ferrari racers leapt from the diminutive 125 Barchetta to the tire-shredding, 340-hp, 4,522-cc 375 MM sports racers of 1953-54. |
