9 replies to this topic

[Fred.R]

Why did Enzo use the manufacture of road cars to fund his racing cars, during the war he built Ball bearing grinding machines. I would have thought that machinery manufacture would have been more profitable in the post war world. Did Masarati build road cars before the war? Has any one an image of the infamous Milling machines that were sold to Argentina? Or any other maserati machinery (lathes etc)

What I am getting to is did the post war Italian government subsidize road car manufacture, Masarati, Ferrari, Bizzarini, Siata, Stagulini, DeTomaso etc some of these company had quite small markets so I am assuming these were intended to be profitable with low volumes

[TrackDog]

I don't know too many specifics, but when Ford wanted to purchase Ferrari in the early 1960's, a check of the books proved that the company was profitable. It was a prime factor in the decision for Ford to try to woo Enzo, along with the cachet of the racing image. Ferraris have consistently cost about half as much to manufacture as they sell for, at least they used to.

However the decision was made to manufacture road cars to finance the racing division, it certainly was a wise one.


Dan

[KWSN - DSM]

Without reading up on it.

I think that wartime production can not really be used as a template for what any given manufacturer is best at, a lot if not all industry during World War 2 was told by the governments what to produce, and since Ferrari's specialty of producing fast versions of Alfa Romero's were not really anything which the Italian war economy could use for anything, I would suggest that the nuts and bolts were just what they were told to.

It would make sense to make your product what you were actually the best at, so for Ferrari producing cars would make the most sense, and looking back I would say also the right call.

Not sure when the 'F1 team part of the the Ferrari price' ceased to exist, think I read somewhere on Atlas that it did, my guess would be when FIAT bought in.

[D-Type]

There was also the question that Ferrari was infringing various patents when producing his machine tools. In wartime this could be tolerated on the grounds of expediency but in peacetime...

[Gerr]

Originally posted by Fred.R
Why did Enzo use the manufacture of road cars to fund his racing cars, during the war he built Ball bearing grinding machines. I would have thought that machinery manufacture would have been more profitable in the post war world.

I don't think that it would be profitable. After the war there was so many cheap, surplus machine tools available.

[Doug Nye]

To pay some of the bills while he indulged in racing.

DCN

[Vitesse2]

Originally posted by Fred.R
Did Masarati build road cars before the war? Has any one an image of the infamous Milling machines that were sold to Argentina? Or any other maserati machinery (lathes etc)

Maserati didn't build road cars as a matter of course until after the war, but there was at least one 1930s factory-built (or factory-blessed?) "one-off" saloon IIRC. There is a picture of a Maserati machine tool of some sort in Crump/Box, but it dates to 1957. They started out in sparkplug manufacture of course and there were also Maserati batteries, but I've no idea when they started the latter, or finished either!

[mdecarle]

Did he decide to produce road cars?

I think he started building race cars and prepared some of them for road use and sold those? Gradually (but pretty quickly) it became a business to make road cars? That and I think in 1947, making a road car will have been significantly simpler than it is today?

Well, I don't know. I thought he made the 125 and 166 for racing.

[Arjan de Roos]

Enzo Ferrari set up Ferrari already during the war. He of course did manufacture a car, the 815, in 1940 when he was obliged not to use the name of Scuderia Ferrari or enter in any racing activities. However he did want to satisfy his customers he had at the time (Rangoni and Ascari) with cars to compete, a decision made on Christmas eve 1939. He build them in the old SF works in Modena (8 cylinders, 1.500cc hence 815, Enzo had fun in numbering/naming).

After the MM of 1940, when Italy also entered the war Enzo Ferrari did not just start with producing the machines mentioned. As he could do nothing with (racing) cars he had to look in an other direction. He first applied for a job in Rome at Compagnia Nazionale Aeronautica, a company that made engines for trainers for future pilots.

Ferrari was around that time introduced by Enrico Nardi, racing driver, his collaborator as well as producer of Nardi (cars, parts and later the famous steering wheels) to Corrado Gatti. Gatti (a business man) suggested Ferrari to set up a maching firm making various hydraulic milling/grinding machines. He asked the original makers, a German firm for a licence. However this was declined as it was thought Ferrari could not make them with the desired precision. Italian law however came into help as those machines were unique in Italy and there was nothing illegal then to make them. Ferrari in fact later proudly explained that customers said his machines were as good as the originals and in 1944 when the occupying forces were heading home all was confiscated as he never got the licence (and thus producing illegally) but still the quality had been noticed in order to take them along.
The machines also sported the cavallino rampante!! Where are they now???


Why did Ferrari not continue?

-1- He was not interested in maching tools, but in racing cars (you know) *);
-2- His works had been bombed, all had been confiscated;
-3- Also he had been forced to move out of Modena and set up the Maranello firm (his wife's family owned a piece of land there. In fact the front of the famous factory was an old farm (!).

In 1946 the Maranello works was rebuild and a start was made with the first post war car: the 125.

One could say that Ferrari never really made a choice to do luxury street cars to finance his racing. In 1947 a Ferrari was a car to go racing. But could be used on the road as well (at that time racing, development and street cars were so close, at times even one). He just naturally grew into this situation. With the expanding racing car business he also had more responsibility for all the new workers and families he had to feed. He made the 125, then 166 from which he sold several versions. I think the 166 Barchetta Lusso was the first luxury Ferrari so to speak.
What Ferrari wanted to do from the beginning is to become a producer of high quality cars. With an ever developing model. Possibly applying design changes every day. Already at Alfa he had the ambition to develop as a car manufacturer, just like his 'mother' Alfa Romeo. He never wanted to become a large manufacturer nor a very small one. Just in between.

Italian government did not steer Ferrari, it was his italian heart full of racing that did it.

*) In 1943 Ferrari made a leaflet for these milling machines. On the cover one sees: one machine, two racing 815's and the name Scuderia Ferrari (sub title AAC).

[TrackDog]

Originally posted by Vitesse2

Maserati didn't build road cars as a matter of course until after the war, but there was at least one 1930s factory-built (or factory-blessed?) "one-off" saloon IIRC. There is a picture of a Maserati machine tool of some sort in Crump/Box, but it dates to 1957. They started out in sparkplug manufacture of course and there were also Maserati batteries, but I've no idea when they started the latter, or finished either!

Didn't Maserati also build bicycles? I seem to remember a test of one in R&T.


Dan