How Enzo Ferrari almost killed off his own brand because of his wife.

Introduction

Ahh, etiquette. The standard that keeps you in line, the standard that keeps you from being a rowdy or impolite person, and the standard that keeps you from being fired. Most people must have a sense of etiquette in the workplace, or else, well, they could be either punished or sacked. Back then, working for Ferrari is the most prestigious job an Italian man could get because of all the racing victories they got. And being a high ranking official in the company, well, of course you would want to hold it very dearly to your heart.

At that time too, and even today, men love their lovers, and would do anything or even above and beyond to defend their actions, well unless they decide not to do so. And if you talk trash about a man’s wife, well, you could either get socked in the face or receive a pretty rough beating. Talking trash about the wife of the founder and CEO of a prestigious company in the Automotive world that you work for meanwhile, oh boy, well you’re in for a really, really rough ride.

A Bit of Background

During the 1950s, Ferrari was very prestigious. They were winning Formula 1 titles here and there, with world-renowned Italian Formula 1 driver Alberto Ascari winning two Formula 1 World Driver Champion titles in 1952 and 1953. Ferrari was also winning constructor’s champions thanks to many victories Ferrari drivers at that time had achieved. They were also successful in the automotive industry, with the recently-released Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa winning 3 world sports car championship titles.

Ferrari’s revenues and profits were also skyrocketing, as the publicity of their multiple Formula-1 wins have increased sales for the company. Business was booming as usual in the Ferrari brand. Their cars were the epitome of driving joy and pleasure, and were the standard for all sports cars manufacturers to beat. It all seems well for Enzo Ferrari, until his firstborn son, Dino Ferrari, passed away.

Hard Times

Enzo Ferrari had a son, named Dino Ferrari. Sadly, Dino died in 1956 due to muscular deterioration at the age of 24. At that time, he was working on a V6 engine, which would be put in the iconic Dino sports car. Dino’s death affected Enzo a lot, and he isolated himself from both of his companies, Scuderia Ferrari and Ferrari automobiles. He was going through a million thoughts and emotions at the time, and it overwhelmed him so much that he decided to isolate himself from his own company.

The death of his son wasn’t the only problem Ferrari was facing at that time. Most of Ferrari’s best drivers were involved in crashes, and seven of Ferrari’s Formula-1 race cars were destroyed. Alberto Ascari was killed in a test session in Monza and Alfonso de Portage was involved in the tragic 1957 Mille Migilla crash, which killed him, his co-driver and 10 bystanders. Luigi Musso died on the Reims circuit, while on the same year, Peter Collins crashed at the infamous Nurburgring, or the Green Hell. Six years later, Lorenzo Bandini was involved in fatal crash in the streets of Monte Carlo.

Because of all those fatal crashes, it was too big to go unnoticed, so the Italian people thought that Enzo Ferrari did not care about the deaths of his famed racing drivers, rather he was walking over their dead bodies for fame and success. Every death of a Scuderia Ferrari driver that happened on Italian soil were to be treated as a legal case, and the specific manufacturer of the car will be accused of murder. Ferrari wasn’t only facing family and corporate issues, but legal issues too.

Laura Ferrari

While Enzo Ferrari was contemplating on himself whether to continue his business or not due to the death of his son combined with many legal issues he was facing, his wife, Laura Ferrari took over most operations for her husband. At that time, Laura would patrol the factory and workshop grounds, and would soon be involved in the management of Ferrari. She was just like her husband. An ignorant, over-achieving woman with very high standards. She would usually terrorize the workforce verbally. Employees were having none of it at all, because they were usually insulted, screamed at and even verbally abused by her, further amplified by the fact that they thought she had no experience in management or engineering, because she is a woman.

One employee in particular was having absolutely none of it. Sales Manager Girolamo Gardini was Laura Ferrari’s most picked on victim. She would scream at him and insult all of his works, and he would have to endure many verbal insults and abuse. Because of slumping sales of the company that Gardini had no control of, Laura would usually rat him off for long periods of time. Of course, he snapped and decided to confront her husband, Enzo Ferrari.

The Great Walkout

Gardini went to Enzo Ferrari and told him that if Laura Ferrari isn’t removed from the company management to stop her verbal abuse to employees, he would go out the back door. Unsurprisingly, Enzo fired Gardini, because Enzo kept his wife dear to him. This caused a major backlash in Ferrari’s management, and many key people of Ferrari stood up for the injustice and prejudice that Gardini had faced before.

After hearing the news, Chiti, Bizzarrini, Scuderia Ferrari team manager Tavoni, and five others called in the help of a lawyer with whom they formulated a letter in which they opposed Enzo’s decision to fire Gardini. All the employees at that time were amazed at the bravery of the eight people who stood up for their colleague, as no one had dared to oppose the company’s boss, Enzo Ferrari. Employees called this moment “The Great Walkout” as eight of Ferrari’s key officials walked out the company doors.

Some say that Enzo Ferrari fired them, while others say they decided to take to the streets themselves. Either way, they quit Ferrari, and it was a massive loss for the company.

Automobili Turismo E-Sport

After the Great Walkout, and eight of Ferrari’s key people walking out the company doors, they decided to establish their own sports car brand to compete with Ferrari, and thus, Automobili Turismo E-Sport was born. ATS was founded by Ferrari management official, Carlo Chitti, along with ex-Ferrari sales manager, Girolamo Gardini. They intended their cars to be a threat to Ferrari, as revenge for what Enzo had done to them.

After years of development, along with sponsorship the Scuderia Serenissima’s Count Giovanni Volpi, a road-going sports car and a Formula One racing car. It was presented in April 1963 at the Geneva Motor Show. They unveiled the ATS 2500 GT, which was developed by ex-Ferrari employees Chiti and Bizzarini. It featured a bodywork deisnged by coachbuilder Franco Scaglione and was built by Allemano. The car was powered by a 2.5-liter V8 engine making 245 horsepower. Only 12 were built.

Their Formula-1 car, the ATS Tipo 100 was built in Bologna, Italy. It had a thin bodywork, powered by a 1,500cc V8 engine. It had an advanced suspension, with rockers and inboard coils on the front, paired to a wishbone suspension system in the rear. The car’s total weight was just over 1,000 pounds The cars were to be driven by Phil Hill and Giancarlo Baghetti, who had both left Ferrari after a disappointing 1962 season.

Sadly, the company didn’t last long. The 2500 GT had low sales, and the Tiop 100 Formula-1 car had run into a lot of problems such as greasy bodywork, unfit panels, and engine issues. One of the founding fathers of the company, Bizzarini, moved to Lamborghini, and Chiti founded Autodelta along with former Ferrari engineer Lodovico Chizolla, which would work together with Alfa Romeo.

Surprisingly, ATS made a return in 2017, with the unveil of the ATS GT supercar at the 2017 Salon Prive automotive festival, intended to become a rival to Ferrari, just like what the original was meant to do.

Recovery

Meanwhile at Ferrari after the great walkout, Enzo Ferrari decided that his management team needed a makeover. He decided to start fresh and hired many young Italian engineers and managers. After years of development, Enzo Ferrari’s new team unveiled a brand new car, the ultra-valuable Ferrari 250 GTO, worth approximately a whopping 38 million dollars. The 250 GTO would signal Ferrari’s return to motor racing. It proceeded to win three sports car championships in a row.

Ferrari Today

Today, Ferrari remains as one of the most prestigious brand names in the entire automotive industry. Their cars are still the standard for most auto manufacturers to beat. Ferrari’s sports cars and supercars sold today are still full of passion and driving spirit powered by high-revving and beautifully sounding V8 and V12 engines just like their predecessors, and are now one of the most successful sports car manufacturers today.

Ferrari is also doing successful in Formula 1, with drivers such as Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikonnen behind the wheel of today’s Ferrari Formula 1 cars. Currently, Vettel has the 3rd most points, after Hamilton and Verstappen, and Raikonnen is ranked 7th in the 2017 Formula 1 season. And right now, Ferrari holds the record for the most constructor wins of all time, with 229 of them under their (seat) belt.