01 April 2022
When you think of Ferrari, the glamour, the style, it is a little disarming to see, amongst the racers, engines, and technical drawings, one of the Ferrari Museum’s most telling exhibits is a modest pair of black Persol 2762 sunglasses in a Perspex case. These, along with an immaculate trenchcoat, became Enzo Ferrari’s style staples as he built his world-beating brand.
In 1956, his son, Dino, aged 24, died of muscular dystrophy. From that day forward, Enzo was never without his Persol sunglasses.
But this look added to the enigmatic Enzo, whose style was in direct contrast with the vivacity of his cars and the halo that surrounded them.
In a previous article, I mentioned that he shunned the spotlight was cold and calculating and had no genuine interest in life outside of his motor cars, more importantly, his engines.
Ferruccio Lamborghini made the fatal mistake of having the audacity to point out some minor potential faults with Enzo’s Ferrari. Enzo immediately told Lamborghini to ‘go soke his head’ and never spoke with Lamborghini again.
Luca Dal Monte, the author of Enzo’s biography: Power, Politics and the making of an Automotive Empire, said, ‘In Italy, there was the Pope and Enzo.’
He went on to say, ‘By the mid-seventies, Enzo had reached a demigod dimension. He was the Grand Old Man, not just of motor racing, but of the country.’