The Beginnings of Ferrari

An important figure in the initiatory retail of Ferrari was Luigi Chinetti.

Meanwhile sport and racing automobiles were equipped with different types of engines, most of the cars of that time used V12 engines, both with the short type of construction by Gioacchino Colombo and the longer one by Aurelius Lempredi. Both these two engines were used until the sixties. Most of the first automobile bodies were made according to the personal wishes of costumers and automobile body builders. An important figure in the initiatory retail of Ferrari was Luigi Chinetti. Before the war, the once famous racer under Scuderie Ferrari settled in New York to start selling cars. In the year 1948 he made a deal with Ferrari to represent the brand in the United States. Initially, he sold a car with which he won the race in Le Mans in 1949 to Lord Selsdon, and after that he started to sell European winnig racing cars to rich Americans. Paradoxically, his endeavor clashed with Enzo Ferrari's negative opinion on the American market. But Chinetti kept selling Ferrari despite this, and by the year 1951 he had 14 auto salons all over the world. Ferrari's good reputation made many famous and influential people of that time put their trust into this brand. Among Ferrari's customers were King Leopold of Belgia, Emperor Bao Dai of Indo-China, Shah  Reza of Persia, president of Argentina Juan Peron, Crown Prince Faisal of Saudi Arabia, and many famous film actors and businessmen of that time as well. Ferrari became overloaded with manufacturing orders. At the same time, Enzo Ferrari rather tended to overlook his costumers, sometimes even haughtily disregarding them. Enzo Ferrari was likely to sell an already booked car to another costumer who showed their interest while visiting his salon in Maranello. Chinetti was frequently stressed of explaining to his costumers that they would need to wait for their car for several months. Indeed, it was a part of Ferrari's professional image and selling strategy as well. At the same time, the automobiles of this brand were not intended for everyday common use. The ignition system of their engines was sensitive to cold weather, there was higher consumption of oil while driving slow, and the spark plugs got often choked. The orthodox construction with a rigid back axle and not very powerful brakes did not provide good driving experience to less skilled drivers.