Ferrari: The Monopostos of 1948-52

Ferrari have the distinction of being the only manufacturer to have competed throughout the history of Formula 1. The company’s early Formula 1 and Formula 2 cars first appeared at the Italian Grand Prix in September 1948. It was these cars, particularly in 1950 and 1951, that really brought the name Ferrari to the attention of the general public by competing at the very pinnacle of motor racing, the Formula 1 World Championship. During the Second World War, Enzo Ferrari had a factory in Maranello making grinding machines, but he had a burning ambition – to dominate international motor racing. Within two years, his workforce had produced the company’s first sports car and in 1948 Ferrari presented his first single-seater F1 cars to the world. By 1951, his new 4.5-litre F1 cars were beating his old nemesis, Alfa Romeo, on their way to winning the World Championship in 1952 and 1953.

John Starkey tells the story of those early years as Ferrari struggled to overcome many obstacles to win the new World Championship. Featuring rare archive photographs, this is a guide to Ferrari’s first racing cars.