The Three Eras Of Ferrari - A short Film
Channel: Alastair Majury
Date: 2020-05-21

As short film which assesses and dissects the influence of Ferraris most notorious eras.
An ethereal dream-like composition to capture the nostalgia of the eras that Ferrari are known for, topped with a gripping tense sequence for the drag race!

Some comments - I especially liked the low level roadway shot with the sweeping lane lines, and the ariel shots.

The Enzo era began modestly enough in 1947 with a pair of 125 Barchettas, s/ns 01C and 02C. Powered by a diminutive 1,497 cc V12, putting out a very modest 72 hp, the 125 was a success from its first race, winning at Rome’s Caracalla Circuit on May 25, 1947. At the first rebuild, the 125’s engine went to 159 spec, with 1,903 cc and 125 hp, and the evolutionary race was on. Within five years, Ferrari racers leapt from the diminutive 125 Barchetta to the tire-shredding, 340-hp, 4,522-cc 375 MM sports racers of 1953–54.

Two decades of accelerated evolution
Enzo was first a racer, only building street cars to help subsidize his increasingly expensive racing habits and offering his sporting clients de-tuned race cars for road use. The jump from the 125s to the 250 Europa GTs took only five years, and within another five years, the Europa GT had evolved into the dual-purpose 250 TdF, and the split between racer and street car started to widen. In yet another five years, the TdF evolved into the full-race 250 GTO for the hardcore racers and into the much higher-volume 250 Lusso street cars to pay the bills.

Another five years, and the 275 GTB and GTS followed, then morphed into the 365 GTB/4 Daytona. Through the 1950s and ’60s, the race department was also subsidized by the building of a series of ultra-exclusive, one-off coachbuilt cars for the mega-rich. Starting as a race and machine shop, Ferrari had grown rapidly from three cars built in 1947 to 619 cars built in 1969, thus making the transition to small manufacturer.

In the racing world, the cars of Enzo Ferrari often dominated on many levels, from F1 to GT racing and a multi-year string at Le Mans. The Enzo era was one of rapid, cutting-edge stylistic evolution and mechanical innovation, defining Ferrari as the world’s standard for ultra-exclusive, ultra-rapid autos.

All good things come to an end
Beginning in 1966, Ferrari, and all of Italy, were crippled by labor unrest. Ferrari was also financially hammered by Ford as the costs of sports-prototype endurance racing spiraled. By 1969, Ferrari teetered on the verge of bankruptcy. Enzo’s racing habits and low production required a bail-out from Fiat, with Fiat taking control of production cars while Enzo ran the racing. Finances also forced Ferrari to concede all sports racing programs to privateers after 1973, allowing Enzo to focus on Formula One.

Fiat production engineers shifted the emphasis from racing to street cars, and by 1971, road car production jumped from 619 to 1,246. New emission standards and bumper and headlight regulations, combined with pressure from upstart Lamborghini, forced Fiat to develop an all-new, mid-engined 365 BB as the flagship 12-cylinder. Fiat also realized the 246 Dinos would be killed off by looming regulations, so it introduced an all-new V8—the Bertone-styled 308 GT4. Almost simultaneously with Fiat’s takeover in 1969, the exclusive and glamorous era of the coach built cars for the super-wealthy disappeared.

While the Fiat era is defined by the nondescript styling of the 308 GT4 and the 400/412 GT series, all auto manufacturers suffered bumper, headlight, and emission requirements, a 300% jump in gas prices, and worldwide economic crises. To top it off, Italy battled the Red Brigade terrorists, and bland cars were an attempt to avoid being kidnapped. Supercars and wretched excess went out of fashion.

Fiat responds to the new order
By 1976, Fiat responded to the new socio-economic order with the introduction of the highly successful 308 GTB, masterfully integrating safety bumpers and headlights while overcoming emissions through the torque of a 4-cam, 3-liter V8. The V8s soon became Ferrari’s standard-bearers, and V8 production eventually tripled that of V12s.

Fiat expanded the number of Ferrari dealerships and gave dealers a high-volume model to sell, reaching down from the ultra-rich to the merely wealthy. Through the 1970s and 1980s, Fiat built the 308/328 as the junior supercar, the 400/412 as a businessman’s express, and the 512 BB and Testarossa as the flagship V12s. Fiat built a few true supercars: the limited-production 288 GTO—a 308 on serious steroids—and the F40. Each set new benchmarks as the world’s most exotic and then-fastest production car. Although racing successes were rare, Fiat increased Ferrari production to over 4,487 cars in 1991.

Original Title: “The Three Eras Of Ferrari”
Author: “Kashman Harris“
Source: “The Three Eras Of Ferrari“—Available https://vimeo.com/196047733
License: “CC BY 3.0”—https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/