35 years after the death of ‘Il Commendatore’: the man behind Ferrari

Today marks the 35th anniversary of the death of Enzo Ferrari founder of the scuderia and the brand of cars that bear his name. So it’s a good time to learn a little more about this man who has become a myth, especially as the premiere of “Ferrari” is approaching, the film that will bring him back to life.

Enzo Anselmo Giuseppe Maria Ferrari, better known as “Il Comendatore”, He was born on February 18, 1898 in Modena, in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, and died peacefully at the age of 90 in his hometown, August 14, 1988.

From an early age, Enzo showed an unbridled passion for cars. After going to watch a car race with his father and brother in Bologna, about 50 km from his city, at the age of 10, he decided he wanted to become a driver. An early vocation that did not abandon him throughout his life.

However, his childhood and part of his youth were difficult. Not liking to study, he flirts with different jobs. From writing a chronicle of a football match in The Gazzetta dello Sport in 1914 to work with the fire brigade of Modena. The First World War and the death of his father and brother in 1916, on the other hand, made him the head of the family and enlisted for the war. Severe pneumonia in 1918 was about to end his life, but he overcame it, thus returning to civilian life.

Then, and after unsuccessfully trying to get into Fiat, he started working with cars in the same way, turning war surpluses into vehicles. That’s how he learned to drive and drive fast. In 1919 he began to compete. A remarkable performance in the Targa Florio with a used Alfa Romeo caught the attention of those responsible for the Milanese brand, inviting him to work as an official driver.

No noticeable results Enzo Ferrari founded Scuderia Ferrari in 1929 , leaving the circuits as a driver in 1931. Initially the team supported Alfa drivers, eventually becoming the competition division of the firm. His first creation was the Alfa Romeo 158 “Alfetta”.

In 1939, with the imminent start of World War II, he left Alfa Romeo’s racing department, founding Auto Avio Construzioni Ferrari, company with which he will collaborate with fascism, thus surviving these troubled years.

During the war itself and to avoid bombardments, Enzo Ferrari’s business moved from Modena to Maranello, where the Italian spent his summers as a child. Despite efforts, it was still attacked in 1944 and rebuilt in 1946.

It was during this stalemate that “Il Comendatore” began work on the first Ferrari that he fitted with a V12 engine. This model was presented to the press in 1946 and it took a little over a year to become a reality. His name: Ferrari S 125, a manifesto of technological innovation and that laid the foundation for a history of victories.

Ferrari arrives in Formula 1 and after winning its first race, in 1952, he became world champion thanks to Alberto Ascari . A success eclipsed in the following years by the physical problems of his son Dino Ferrari, who died at the age of 24 following a genetic disease.

Enzo was married in 1923 to Laura Garello , whom he had met at his dealership. As a result of this relationship, on January 19, 1932, their first child was born, Alfredo “Dino” Ferrari . A joy that did not last long, since he was quickly diagnosed with muscular dystrophy.

He was his only legitimate son and, like his father, passionate about motors and speed. Since his death, “The Comendatore” He always wore sunglasses with smoked lenses. Moreover, every day, before going to work, he went to his son’s grave.

Long before this tragic event, Enzo Ferrari met Lina Lardy a secretary with whom he fell in love and with whom in 1944 he had his second son, Piero Ferrari , vice-president of the company since 1988 and owner of 10% of the capital. Enzo never divorced his wife and did not marry Lina until Laura’s death in 1978. Despite this, she was his discreet, but always present companion both at work and in his personal life.

Not only the death of Dino marked the history of Enzo Ferrari, but also Alfonso de Portago’s tragic accident with a Ferrari 335 at the 1957 Mille Miglia which resulted in the death of the pilot, co-pilot and 15 other spectators.

Precisely, the movie “Ferrari” It will take place in the summer of 1957, the year the Italian car manufacturer – now owned by the Stellantis group – nearly went bankrupt.

The film starring Adam Driver it will also explore Enzo Ferrari’s tumultuous marriage to Laura Ferrari, played for the occasion by Penelope Cruz. Shailene Woodley, meanwhile, will find herself in the role of her “lover”, Lina Lardi.

And we won’t have to wait long to see it, because its The first is scheduled for the end of this year 2023.

Before dying, Enzo Ferrari was able to attend the visit of the Pope Juan Pablo II at the headquarters of his company in Maranello and at the mass he celebrated at the Misano circuit. To get around he used as a “popemobile” a Ferrari Mondial 8 a convertible supercar, how could it be otherwise.

Enzo Ferrari’s death has occurred Sunday, August 14, 1988 in Modena, at the age of 90, following multiple renal complications. The news of his death, as he himself requested, did not come out until two days later.

He was buried in the Municipal Cemetery of San Cataldo, Modena, in a strictly private funeral service. Barely ten people accompanied Ferrari on its last trip.

Enzo Ferrari was one of those men obsessed with work. They said he was bossy, brooding, cynical, introverted and direct. Under his direction (1947-88) Ferrari has won more than 5,000 races in all categories and won 25 world championship titles .

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