Enzo Ferrari: From middling racing driver to winning constructor (Part 1)
04/02/25 • 80 min
1 Listener
Ferrari is the most famous and celebrated marque in motorsport, and one of the most recognisable brands in the world - but how much do you really know about its founder, Enzo Ferrari?
If your answer to that question is 'very little' then help is at hand, because Season 3 of And Colossally That's History! is kicking off with a double header of Enzo episodes!
On this first episode, Matt Bishop and Enzo Ferrari biographer Richard Williams go back to the very beginning, to explore the events and experiences that helped shape the mindset and attitude of a man who'd build a racing empire.
They explain the mystique around his birth, the moment that a young Enzo developed a love of racing, and how his mother helped get him into the motor trade (Enzo having barely survived World War 1).
There's also detailed analysis of Enzo's own career behind the wheel, including why he gave up his career as a racing driver to become a team manager, and the key moments that led to him establishing himself as a constructor in his own right - despite him never designing so much as a hubcap in his life.
As is usual with Colossally, you can expect amusing anecdotes and amazing anorak facts in abundance, as Matt and Richard bring you right up to the point that Ferrari wins its first world championship Grand Prix at Silverstone, in 1951, before pausing to pick up the rest of the Ferrari story in Part 2.
- Matt and Richard will be bringing members an exclusive Q&A episode at the end of Season 3, where they'll answer questions on each of the topics covered. So if you'd like to ask a question about Enzo Ferrari, head to Patreon.com/therace
- Buy some Colossally merch! Visit The Race Shop
- Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook
- Check out our latest videos on YouTube
- Download our app on iOS or Android
A Race Media Production
Producer: Jonny Reynolds
With special thanks to Tim Silvey for studio support
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ferrari is the most famous and celebrated marque in motorsport, and one of the most recognisable brands in the world - but how much do you really know about its founder, Enzo Ferrari?
If your answer to that question is 'very little' then help is at hand, because Season 3 of And Colossally That's History! is kicking off with a double header of Enzo episodes!
On this first episode, Matt Bishop and Enzo Ferrari biographer Richard Williams go back to the very beginning, to explore the events and experiences that helped shape the mindset and attitude of a man who'd build a racing empire.
They explain the mystique around his birth, the moment that a young Enzo developed a love of racing, and how his mother helped get him into the motor trade (Enzo having barely survived World War 1).
There's also detailed analysis of Enzo's own career behind the wheel, including why he gave up his career as a racing driver to become a team manager, and the key moments that led to him establishing himself as a constructor in his own right - despite him never designing so much as a hubcap in his life.
As is usual with Colossally, you can expect amusing anecdotes and amazing anorak facts in abundance, as Matt and Richard bring you right up to the point that Ferrari wins its first world championship Grand Prix at Silverstone, in 1951, before pausing to pick up the rest of the Ferrari story in Part 2.
- Matt and Richard will be bringing members an exclusive Q&A episode at the end of Season 3, where they'll answer questions on each of the topics covered. So if you'd like to ask a question about Enzo Ferrari, head to Patreon.com/therace
- Buy some Colossally merch! Visit The Race Shop
- Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook
- Check out our latest videos on YouTube
- Download our app on iOS or Android
A Race Media Production
Producer: Jonny Reynolds
With special thanks to Tim Silvey for studio support
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Previous Episode
Bernie Ecclestone: His three decades as F1’s most powerful man (Part 2)
Matt and Richard round off season 2 of the pod with the second half of our mini-series on Bernie Ecclestone, the man who, as F1's long-term commercial rights holder, did more than anyone else to turn the sport into the global spectacle it is today.
Having charted his rise to power in part 1, on this episode, Matt and Richard reappraise what life was like with Bernie ruling the F1 paddock, for the most part alongside his old friend (and FIA president) Max Mosley.
They discuss how he took control of F1's commercial rights (or stole them, according to Ken Tyrrell), the tactics and methods he used to get what he wanted, how he was able to bring in huge revenue and grow the global fanbase, and the controversies that mired his tenure at the top.
Matt and Richard also reflect on Bernie's F1 legacy, and what they learned from the many times they interviewed and interacted with him over the years.
- Want to listen ad-free? Join The Race Members' Club on Patreon! Head to Patreon.com/therace
- Buy some Colossally merch! Visit The Race Shop
- Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook
- Check out our latest videos on YouTube
- Download our app on iOS or Android
A Race Media Production
Producer: Jonny Reynolds
With special thanks to Tim Silvey for studio support
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Next Episode
Enzo Ferrari: The uncompromising path to F1 immortality (Part 2)
Matt Bishop and Richard Williams return with part two of their two-part mini series on the life and legacy of one of motorsport’s most important and enduring individuals: Enzo Ferrari.
They finished the last episode at the point that Ferrari won its very first world championship Formula 1 race - the British Grand Prix in 1951. In this episode they’ll guide you through the Fifties, Sixties, Seventies and Eighties, during which time the idiosyncratic Enzo dealt with triumph and tragedy in almost equal measure, as he and his team cemented their legendary status in the sport.
Richard and Matt discuss Enzo's uncomfortable relationship with success, the way his son Dino's death shaped his identity and world view, the 'dark glamour' attached to the Ferrari brand in the Fifties, and how Enzo kept going, even when drivers perished in his machinery.
There's also chat about his unique approach to motivating his workforce through 'creative tension', the myths and mystery that surrounded him throughout his life, his surprising weakness for innovation, and how he repeatedly drove his team on to success, despite setbacks including staff walkouts, in-fighting and mediocre machinery.
Plus, find out who the only driver in Ferrari history was to call Enzo by his first name!
- Matt and Richard will be bringing members an exclusive Q&A episode at the end of Season 3, where they'll answer questions on each of the topics covered. So if you'd like to ask a question about Enzo Ferrari, head to Patreon.com/therace
- Buy some Colossally merch! Visit The Race Shop
- Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook
- Check out our latest videos on YouTube
- Download our app on iOS or Android
A Race Media Production
Producer: Jonny Reynolds
With special thanks to Tim Silvey for studio support
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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