Let's start this section out with a little joke. Ronald Reagan was visiting the Pope. Reagan noticed that the popes holiness had a golden telephone in his aura. Reagan promptly asks about it and what its purpose is, and the pope nods and points to heaven. Curiously, Reagan says, "I really would love to make a call". You're welcome to, says the Pope, "but i'm afraid it will cost you a large sum: 31 million, in cash." Astounded, Reagan replies "Dang, we don't carry that kind of cash with us at any given time." "Sorry, there is nothing I can do to grant your wish, then," says the Pope.

The very next day, Reagan is in Mr. Enzo Ferrari's office in at the Fiorano test track when he is flattened that Enzo too has a golden telephone. "I see you have one of those too," Reagan says. "I sure would love to make that call, too bad it's so expensive," Reagan says. "Expensive?" asks a confused Mr. Enzo." "Yeah. The pope said that a call was 35 million, in cash," says Reagan. "Haha, here its only 50 dollars cash," Enzo Ferrari says. "Really, the pope must have been trying to sell me snake oil. Sheesh. Glad I found yours!" says Reagan, now relieved. "Not really," says Mr. Enzo Ferrari. "You see, here, it's a local call."

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1940

It was shortly after World War II. The Ferrari factory had been severely damaged during the ferocious war, and as a result, had been rendered incapable of producing cars. It all started with Mr. Enzo's fascination with the packard V-12 engines. He loved the sound, the power, and the elegance of such an automotive masterpiece in front of him. All 12 cylinders working together to produce outstanding performance. It was for this reason precisely that Enzo Ferrari went to none other than Gioacchino Colombo to design one.

Development had began on the V12, and what was about to be unearthed was quite possibly the best car manufacturing make known to man: Ferrari. Development continued thanks to Luigi Bazzi, whos passion for Ferrari even at the founding grounds was immense. On March, 12, 1947, the first Ferrari automobile--actually a chassis without a body--was driven from the Factory by Enzo Ferrari. Come May 11, the Ferrari was ready to race in the city of Piacenza, an event that racer Franco Cortese led nearly to the finish line when something terrible happened: the fuel pump broke. Shaking it off, the team prepared for another race that was going to be held in two weeks.

Two weeks later, as if it was almost expected, Cortese behind the wheel of the roaring V12 scored Ferrari's first win in Rome driving the car that was later called the Ferrari 125. As with Ferrari V-12's, for many years the name came from the displacement of one cylinder. Twelve times 125 equals a mere 1.5 liters, but the engine needed to race in the 2.0-liter class. By August, the engine was revamped and opened up to 1902CC at 159/cylinder, hence the type 159 engine. This was followed by the famous 166, whose V-12 Displaced 1995cc, bringing Ferrari even closer to 2.0 liters.

There were immediately lots of enthusiasm circulating around Ferrari and its victory car. Thankfully for Ferrari, Modena enabled the transition to even stronger and faster cars easier. Modena was famous for its artisans. There were many hardworking artisans in Modena, so ordering a gear late at night and picking it up the following morning was not uncommon.

Many of the Ferraris built throughout the 1940s were meant to race, some as sports cars such as the initial 125, the 166, or the classic Touring Barchettas. Others were the Spider Corsas, which had rectunagular-shaped machines with cycle fenders that were believed to actually slow the Ferrari down. Taking a touring car and making it a racing car was simple: Remove the lights and fenders. That's all there was to it, and Enzo Ferrari was infact open about the matter. Some people initially thought it was a secret, until everyone knew. In addition, there was the Grand Prix racing edition of the 125. This bat out of hell was a supercharged V-12 and was reported to have had 230 horsepower.

As time went on, racing victories for Enzo Ferrari were becoming more and more important. Racing was dynamically changing everywhere, as rules and regulations were put into place to bring about a fair competition in which the best crafted car would win. Winning was crucial to Enzo, as it established credibility behind the early Ferraris.

The most important race came in 1949, when Luigi Chinetti and Lord Selsdon won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the 166 Barchetta. Chinetti drove more than 23 hours of the race, and further proved Ferraris emerging credibility. The race showed that Ferrari had an equilibrium of performance, durability, and endurance. The car fought like a bulldog, proving to be as tenacious as the driver himself. Le Mans was the most important racing event in European culture, and equally important in the U.S. market. The 166 Barchetta used was dressed in Carlo Felice Bianchi Anderloni's Barchetta bodywork by touring, which was one of the most aesthetically appealing cars of the 20th century. Ferrari was ready to take yet another step, and a big one at that. Ferrari darted into the 1950s further leaving the competition behind