'Ferrari' Tells the Story of a Man with Many Secrets
Even if you don't know a single thing about cars, you've most likely heard the name Ferrari. The Italian luxury sports car company is one of the most celebrated automobile manufacturers of all time, with the highest victory total in Formula 1 history. The man behind it all was Enzo Ferrari. He was a former racer who went on to build some of the most sought-after racing cars in the sport. Although the latest movie about his life, Michael Mann's Ferrari (out this weekend) does features some racing, the majority of the film focuses on the founder's double life.
At the time, it was a bit of an open secret that Enzo Ferrari (played by Adam Driver in the film) was a man with two families. Married to Laura Dominica Garello (Penélope Cruz) in 1923, they had one son, Afredo "Dino" Ferrari. Raised as Ferrari's successor, Dino died at 24 years old following a battle with muscular dystrophy. Ferrari secretly had a second son, Piero, with his mistress, Lina Lardi (Shailene Woodley).
At this time, the company's impending bankruptcy also led Ferrari to sell to Fiat S.p.A. These business dealings—and his potential sale to Ford in America—are only briefly touched upon in the film. Much of this material was already covered in 2019's Ford v. Ferrari, with Michael Mann's biopic mostly focusing on his Garello's refusal to give up her shares of the company so that Ferrari could sell.
Ferrari also tackles the fact that multiple drivers died under the sports car manufacturer's watch, which is completely true. A particularly terrible crash at the 1967 Mille Miglia ended in the loss of one of his own drivers and nine spectators. There's a scene in the film that even depicts Ferrari sternly urging his drivers to give up their lives to win—and not hit the brakes if they're worried about a collision.
In 1961, before the events of the film, many key figures and engineers left Ferrari in what's known as "The Great Walkout." Upset by the founder's management style, they simply walked out one day and started their own company. Years later, manager Romolo Tavoni stated that he actually felt ousted due to Garello's role in the company. "We knew that his wife wasn't well," he told Motor Emotion. "We should have been able to deal with it in a different way. When he called the meeting to fire us, he had already nominated our successors."
Ferrari eventually sells the company to Fiat S.p.A., even though it isn't depicted in the film. The movie greatly dramatizes his wife's control of the company's finances, which was interlocked with her discovery of Ferrari's other family. She tells Ferrari that her one condition is that Piero is not named his heir until after she dies, but it remains uncertain if there's any record of this bargain actually happening. According to most sources, Ferrari was not able to claim Piero due to Italy's anti-divorce laws. Legally, Ferrari couldn't name Piero as his successor until his wife died. She fell ill and passed away in 1978. Ferrari died a decade later of leukemia at 90 years old. Today, Piero serves as the vice chairman of Ferrari.
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