Enzo Ferrari: the car

Ferrari is planning to build 349 copies of its “extreme sports car,” which embraces a raft of Formula One technologies.

The world's most famous Ferrari was Enzo, so it was a challenging decision to give a new Ferrari his name. Quite simply, such a car had to be exceptional-technologically, aerodynamically and stylistically. The problem, though, was that almost every Ferrari has been, and is, “exceptional.” But, undaunted, Luca di Montezemolo, the current boss of Ferrari went ahead. “I decided that this car, which represents the best our technology is capable of, should be dedicated to the founder of the company, who always thought racing should lay the foundations for our road car designs,” he said.

The aim was to create an “extreme sports car” that would embrace a raft of technologies, bringing them together to form an integrated system with a man-machine interface typical of Formula One racing. Such a statement about the product of almost any other car company in the world might be dismissed as pure marketing hyperbole, but for Ferrari it is a meaningful design and engineering goal. Engine, gearbox, suspension, aerodynamics, and the ABS/ASR system are all cross-linked. F1 experience has been applied to the Ferrari Enzo, with the performance of each system designed to enhance that of the entire car, says the company. It believes the mid-engined Enzo is the first example of the complete integration of vehicle control systems. Those systems were developed in collaboration with Ferrari Gestione Sportiva, the company's racing arm.