Ferrari fans will be thrilled to learn that actor Robert De Niro will be tackling the role of Enzo Ferrari in a new film about his life. Robert De Niro has starred in such classics as The Godfather, Goodfellas and Taxi Driver.
Enzo Anselmo Ferrari was an Italian motor racer and entrepreneur who founded the Scuderia Ferrari Grand Prix team and following this, the Ferrari automobiles.
Enzo lived a complicated and compelling life filled with misfortunes, lucky breaks, successes and criticisms. At just ten years old, his passion for automobiles was sparked by his visit to a race in Bologna.
Tragically, both his brother and his father died in 1916 as a result of the Italian flu outbreak, however Enzo survived and was discharged from the Italian service. After the family’s carpentry business dwindled, Enzo began working in the automobile industry, flirting between Fiat and C.M.N, finally settling to race with Alfa Romeo. In 1932 he founded his own racing team using a Prancing Horse badge that had been recovered from the wreckage of a plane crash, as a logo.
Ferrari’s talent enabled him to compete in prestigious races and achieve a notable victory in 1935, where his team beat Rudolf Caracciola and Bernd Rosemeyer on their home turf at the German Grand Prix. Unfortunately, racing at this time carried huge risks. Enzo and his tyre manufacturer were charged with manslaughter following the 1957 Mille Miglia when a vehicle blew a tyre and crashed into the crowd killing nine spectators and the driver.
Enzo’s autocratic managing style was frequently criticised as he was accused of pitting drivers against one another and putting psychological pressure on them in a bid to improve performance. One of his oldest friends said that in public he would praise the driver and the car equally but in private he would only ever attribute the race victory to the vehicle.
In his personal life, he was known to be reserved and rarely granted interviews, preferring to live quietly with his wife. His first son died of muscular dystrophy, and he had a second son with his mistress Lina. Piero, the second son, is currently vice president of Ferrari and holds a 10% share ownership in the company. Enzo passed away aged 90 on the 14th August 1988.
The film Ferrari looks set to be released in 2016. We’ll keep you posted!