Passion
Enzo's Legacy
If we’re talking in ratios, we could say 3:13,221=20,000:860,000.
So what does that mean? Well, in 1947 the newly established Ferrari had a 20,000 square metre production space and made three cars: two 125 Ss – Ferrari’s first-born – and a 159 S Prototype.
Today, the factory is over 40 times bigger, about 860,000 square metres, and last year the company delivered 13,221 cars.
Sure, we're just messing about with numbers, but the truth is Ferrari has expanded in all areas, including staff: from an initial 140, it now employs about 5,000 people.
This exclusive video charts the extraordinary expansion of Ferrari following Enzo Ferrari's death in 1988, in line with the founder's will
Enzo Ferrari submitted his first building application in 1942 and started construction on the initial sheds behind the historic entrance on Via Abetone during the war. By 1947, these spaces, originally meant for machine-tool manufacturing, had been turned into car factories.
Then came the need to grow and create new areas. Year after year, they built a foundry, production lines, engine assembly, logistics, test rooms, the chassis model workshop, offices and everything else that would go in to making Ferrari one of the most cutting-edge companies.
In 1972, the Fiorano circuit opened. In 1978, the first on-site paint shop was established, and in 1983, the Gestione Sportiva moved to the track in specially built facilities.
From left to right: The main entrance arch at Ferrari in 1953; an aerial view of the factory in 1972; the mechanical machining department, 1950; buildings at the Fiorano circuit, 1974
When Enzo Ferrari died on 14 August 1988, his words from his last birthday at the company on 18 February that year seemed even more prophetic. On his 90th birthday, he had encouraged his team to trust in those who would come after him.
Indeed, Ferrari began a significant expansion in the 1990s. In 1993, they built the new foundry, Ges Composites and Mechanical Machining departments.
Then, from 1997, buildings designed by famous architects sprouted for about ten years: from Renzo Piano's Wind Tunnel to Marco Visconti's Mechanical Machining department, and from Massimiliano Fuksas' Product Development Centre to Jean Nouvel's new production lines.
From left to right: The Ferrari Assembly Lines seen in 2008; the Wind Tunnel built by Renzo Piano in 1997; the Massimiliano Fuksas-designed Product Development Centre, built in 2004; the Design Centre, inaugurated in 2018; the Attività Sportive GT building, completed in 2021
Another big burst of creativity came in 2015, with the opening of the new GeS HQ, followed by the new Design Centre (2018), the Technical Centre (2019), the Simulator (2020) and the new Attività Sportive GT base at the Fiorano track (2021).
And now, the most awaited event is the launch of the e-building in about a year, where we'll make our unique electric engines – exclusively available in Ferraris.
The new space will include vital buildings for production, like a Paint Shop, allowing us to provide greater personalization, a key trend in the luxury market.