"A detailed account of the extraordinary life of the godfather of motor-racing"
On picking up Enzo Ferrari: The Definitive Biography of an Icon you can't help but notice two things - first of all its vibrant red cover, and secondly the precision of the contents. Both of these things of course are hallmarks of Ferrari's racing cars, so I immediately knew the book was on brand and I was in for a good ride. Luca Dal Monte has done an impressive job in bringing this story to print in such detail, so much so you wonder how he has acquired all this knowledge, even as an automotive journalist who has worked within car companies including Ferrari itself. It is forensic, and the translation from Italian is very meticulous which only adds to the tangible presence of authenticity.
Having recently watched the film Ford v Ferrari which focuses on the Le Mans race of 1966 in which Ford succeeds in over-throwing the long-term dominance of Ferrari, I was very much looking forward to this moment of the book. But when it came it was afforded barely five pages in a book of 500. By this stage though I was not disappointed because I realised that in the context of this epic lifetime, the 1966 encounter with Ford was a footnote for the Italian. It was a much bigger deal for the Americans, and the film very much plays down the contractual trickery used by Ford when trying to buy the company and plays up Ferrari's reaction, and to an extent misrepresents passion as anger. The account in this book is far more credible and points out that the Ferrari team were never going to win at Le Mans for all sorts of reasons and were behind Porsche as well as Ford. The wheels had quite literally come off.
Up to this moment though it is true that Ferrari was leading the sport and by then Enzo had changed the motor-racing world forever. His love for the sport and his personal experience as a racing driver were his weapons in a war that no one else seemed properly armed for. His driver and business collaboration with Alfa Romeo was key to knowing his enemy inside and out. Essentially, his focus was always on winning races and less on selling cars, and even today that ethos has prevailed and Ferrari only makes eight thousand cars a year, all to order with a two year waiting list. Mass production was never Enzo's game, in fact he seems almost anti-globalist.
His personal life and family history weaves its way through the book, and it is clear from the start that in his youth the death of his father and brother so close together is going to influence events and explains why Ferrari had such a complex relationship with risk and loss.
Enzo Ferrari: The Definitive Biography of an Icon is without doubt a must for anyone with an interest in the history of motor-racing (the story spans two world wars and beyond) and an almost mythical case study on how to build an empire on an obsession.
| Primary Genre | Sports |
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