Acquired · Ferrari · History
History
Ferrari was founded in 1947 (Maranello, Italy). The timeline below traces every inflection point Acquired identified — founding, leadership changes, strategic pivots, crises, cultural moments.
The story
Enzo Ferrari ran Alfa Romeo's factory racing team in the 1930s before spinning out. The first Ferrari road car, the 125 S in 1947, existed to bankroll Scuderia Ferrari's Grand Prix campaign. Every commercial decision since has been measured against the racing programme — including the choices to leave revenue on the table by capping production.
Inflection points · grouped by decade
1920s
- 1929founding
Scuderia Ferrari racing team founded
Enzo Ferrari forms the racing team while still at Alfa Romeo.
[Acquired episode Ferrari, ch. Scuderia Ferrari: Enzo's Racing Dream]
1940s
- 1947founding
First Ferrari road car: the 125 S
Built to fund the racing programme. The 125 S debuts at the Piacenza circuit on May 11, 1947.
[Acquired episode Ferrari, ch. First Ferrari Road Cars & Le Mans Victory]
1960s
- 1969acquired by
50% stake sold to Fiat
Enzo sells half the company to Fiat to secure capital while keeping operational control of the racing team.
[Acquired episode Ferrari, ch. Enzo Sells 50% to Fiat]
1980s
- 1988leadership change
Enzo Ferrari dies
Fiat takes full operational control; the brand continues under a Ferrari-family stewardship principle.
[Acquired episode Ferrari]
1990s
- 1996strategic shift
Schumacher era begins
Michael Schumacher signs with Ferrari, kicking off six constructors' championships in a row (1999–2004) and re-anchoring the brand to racing dominance.
2010s
- 2015ipo
Ferrari NV lists on NYSE
Spins out of Fiat Chrysler at a ~$10B valuation; explicitly markets itself as a luxury company, not a car company.
[Acquired episode Ferrari, ch. Post-IPO Ferrari: New Models & Growth]
2020s
- 2024product launch
F80 — V6 PHEV halo car launches
Unveiled Oct 17, 2024 in Maranello. 1,200 PS V6 plug-in hybrid (888 hp ICE + 296 hp electric) — Ferrari's first V6 halo car, in the Enzo/LaFerrari lineage. Base price €3.6M (≈$3.9M at Oct 2024 EUR/USD). 799-unit lifetime cap across 2025–2027 production window — the largest run in the halo series (Enzo ~400, LaFerrari 499, Daytona SP3 599). All units allocated to clients before the public reveal; Ferrari CMO Enrico Galliera publicly said demand was ~3× supply.
[Ferrari press + multiple confirming sources]
- 2026-04episode release
Acquired covers Ferrari
Ben and David's full episode on the company; the scarcity-economics framing crystallises.
[https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/ferrari]
Major events · 1929–2026