Throughout its history, the company has been noted for its continued participation in racing, especially in Formula One, where its team, Scuderia Ferrari, is the series' single oldest and most successful.

Originally intended to service gentleman drivers and other amateur racers, Alfa Romeo's withdrawal from racing in 1933, combined with Enzo's connections within the company, turned Scuderia Ferrari into its unofficial representative on the track.

[8][9]: 43 Late in 1937, Scuderia Ferrari was liquidated and absorbed into Alfa Romeo,[8] but Enzo's disagreements with upper management caused him to leave in 1939.

The company produced a single car, the Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, which participated in only one race before the outbreak of World War II.

It soon began searching for a business partner to handle its manufacturing operations: it first approached Ford in 1963, though negotiations fell through; later talks with Fiat, who bought 50% of Ferrari's shares in 1969, were more successful.

Montezemolo's chairmanship also saw an expansion in licensing deals, a drastic improvement in Ferrari's Formula One performance (not least through the hiring of Michael Schumacher and Jean Todt), and the production of three more flagship cars: the F50, the Enzo, and the LaFerrari.

He was succeeded first by Sergio Marchionne,[29] who would oversee Ferrari's initial public offering and subsequent spin-off from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles,[30][31] and then by Louis Camilleri as CEO and John Elkann as chairman.

[32] Beginning in 2021, Camilleri was replaced as CEO by Benedetto Vigna, who has announced plans to develop Ferrari's first fully electric model.

Scuderia Ferrari was highly successful in the 1930s: between 1929 and 1937 the team fielded such top drivers as Antonio Ascari, Giuseppe Campari, and Tazio Nuvolari, and won 144 out of its 225 races.

Notable Ferrari drivers from this era include Alberto Ascari, Juan Manuel Fangio, Phil Hill, and John Surtees.

[38][39] The team's performance improved markedly in the mid-1970s thanks to Niki Lauda, whose skill behind the wheel granted Ferrari a drivers' title in 1975 and 1977; similar success was accomplished in following years by the likes of Jody Scheckter and Gilles Villeneuve.

To commemorate the company's return to the discipline, one of the cars was numbered "50", referencing the fifty years that had elapsed since a works Ferrari competed in an endurance race.

[54][55] From 1932 to 1935 Scuderia Ferrari operated a motorcycle racing division, which was conceived as a way to scout and train future Grand Prix drivers.

Though Ferrari was successful on two wheels, winning three national titles and 44 overall victories, it was eventually pushed out of the discipline both by the obsolescence of pushrod motorcycle engines and broader economic troubles stemming from the Great Depression.

[25] The final non-F1 formula in which Ferrari competed was the Tasman Series, wherein Chris Amon won the 1969 championship in a Dino 246 Tasmania.

One famous example was Tony Vandervell's team, which raced the Thinwall Special modified Ferraris before building their own Vanwall cars.

The early Ferrari road cars typically featured bodywork designed and customised by independent coachbuilders such as Vignale, Touring, Ghia, Pininfarina, Scaglietti and Bertone.

[67] In February 2025, Ferrari announced that they would be unveiling their first-ever fully electric car in October, "in a unique and innovative way", according to CEO Benedetto Vigna.

[74] The following is a list of Special Projects cars that have been made public: An F430 Spider that runs on ethanol was displayed at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show.

[101] From the beginning, the Ferrari naming convention consisted of a three-digit unitary displacement of an engine cylinder with an additional suffix representing the purpose of a vehicle.

In his story, after a 1923 victory in Ravenna, the family of Francesco Baracca, a deceased flying ace who painted the emblem on his airplane, paid him a visit.

[111][112] By the early 2010s, red had also become less common on Ferrari's road cars, fighting with newly popular colours such as yellow, silver, and white.

"[105] Described by the Wall Street Journal as "synonymous with opulence, meticulous craftsmanship and ridiculously fast cars for nearly a century",[113] Ferrari possesses a robust and powerful brand image.

[114] Ferrari meticulously manages its brand image and public perception: it goes to great lengths to protect its trademarks, and its customers are expected to honour its rules and guidelines when caring for their cars.

The company is noted for its frequent and diverse lawsuits, which have centred around such subjects as the shape of the Ferrari 250 GTO's bodywork,[115] exclusive rights to model names (including "Testarossa" and "Purosangue"),[116][117] replica vehicles, and several unsanctioned owner modifications.

To facilitate this, vehicle production is deliberately limited to below customer demand, and purchasers are internally ranked based on their desirability and loyalty.

In one case, the company sued the fashion designer Philipp Plein over "distasteful" Instagram posts featuring his personal 812 Superfast.

[118][126] Ferrari does encourage its buyers to personalise their cars, but only through official channels, which include its Tailor Made programme for bespoke trim packages and special coachbuilding initiatives for more demanding commissions.

[130][131] In 1997, Ferrari launched a long term master planned effort to improve overall corporate efficiency, production and employee happiness.

[174][175] According to an NHTSA recall filing, 23,555 Ferrari models sold in America are fitted with a potentially faulty brake fluid reservoir cap that may not vent pressure adequately.