Long a symbol of style as well as grace and having "made it" in life
Ferrari cars are still made with racing and success in mind. When
founder Enzo Ferrari first began making cars in 1929 in Maranello Italy
he had Formula One racing in mind instead of the more common street
legal machines we can see on the highways and roadways around the
world today. Not that there is anything "common" about a Ferrari! But
in order to boost sales and attract more buyers the road car began to
appear in 1947, opening up a whole new market for classy automobiles
that many could afford. That road car, the 125 S had a powerful 1.5
litre V-12 engine and it could hold its own against anything else that
was "street legal" at the time.
From 2002 until 2004 the fastest model of Ferrari available was the
Enzo. Named after the founder of Ferrari, the Enzo was definitely aimed
toward the wealthiest of auto enthusiasts because of its high cost
(nearly two million dollars). Availability was somewhat limited as well
because they were special ordered only and difficult to get. Always a
pace setting automobile, the Ferrari continues to dominate on the Le
Mans and Formula One race courses as well as impressing many on the
streets around cities around the globe.
As the world must decide between fast cars and gas consumption versus
practicality and gasoline economy Ferrari has been working on producing
more practical vehicles including those which operate efficiently on
some form of bio-fuel or ethanol. The 599 Fiorano model, which normally
has 612 horsepower gets a boost of more than 100 more horsed thanks to
the Ferrari hybrid system. They even gave it a new name, HY-KERS Concept car. And concept cars
are nothing new for Ferrari as they have had many over the years
including the Ferrari Modulo (a radical model never meant to see
production lines). Some concept based cars like the Ferrari P4/5 were
made to order for wealthy owners who could afford to pay for specially
built "toys". Most recently the Ferrari Millechili came about in 2010,
made by Ferrari itself and boasting an aluminium frame resulting in a
much lighter vehicle with racing in mind.
