Ah, Ferrari, that classic case study of mythology’s role in capitalism. A company that has managed its image and legacy with a bravura and unrivalled combination of arrogance and accomplishment, Ferrari has both a rich racing history and enviable commercial success. Not only that, Ferrari has become shorthand for the traditional, if clichéd, glories of Italian culture – vivid, sensual, life-loving, mercurial and passionate.
Taschen’s updated and enhanced Ferrari monograph brings the marque’s story more up to date and gives more than a little justification to this myth-making. Overseen by author Pino Alleivi and with full cooperation and access to the Maranello archives, Ferrari is a mighty homage to a name that continues to make its mark on the world of motorsport, performance, innovation and luxury branding.
A spread from Ferrari: left, the Ferrari 125 S at the entrance of the Maranello factory, 1947. On the right, Enzo Ferrari driving a CMN racing car in the 1919 Targa Florio
Ferrari is something akin to a swan, graceful, smooth and powerful above the surface, but out of sight it is paddling like hell. How else to explain the legendary Italian manufacturer’s ability to spring new models on an unsuspecting public with surprising regularity? How else to explain the merchandising machine that embraces everything from rollercoasters to teddy bears, and high-end audio to Montblanc pens? There’s even a roaring trade in relic-like components once used in F1.
A spread from Ferrari: 'At the end of September 1936, the Alfa Romeo vehicles from Scuderia Ferrari are shipped at the port of Genoa on the Rex, the fastest transatlantic liner in the world at the time, heading for New York to participate in the Vanderbilt Cup. Four cars were sent to the United States.'
Inside you'll find a historical overview of Enzo Ferrari's life and achievements before the founding of his eponymous company, with a wealth of archive imagery and new photography. The book also includes a comprehensive graphical guide to all Ferrari models – road and track – made from 1940 to 2024. Every book has to end somewhere, and since going to print the relentless Maranello machine has announced both the Amalfi and the 849 Testarossa.
A spread from Ferrari: 'Torrential rain at the start of the 1968 Le Mans 24 Hours, when the Ferrari 275 LM of Masten Gregory–Charlie Kolb sprints ahead, followed by the Ford GT40 of Jackie Oliver–Brian Muir and the Alpine 220 of Henri Grandsire–Gérard Larrousse.'
Such is the brand’s strength and reach that you can be sure that this monograph – originally released in a unique and elaborate Marc Newson-designed edition – will be revised and revisited in the years to come. More models, more victories (hopefully) and yet more appealing machines – including the introduction of its first ever all-electric car – are practically guaranteed.
A spread from Ferrari featuring part of the marque's extensive output
A spread from Ferrari: at left, the Bertone-designed Dino 308 GT4 of 1973. At right, 'Enzo Ferrari with the blue 330 GT 2+2, which he often drove when he traveled'
Iconic images from Ferrari's history on road and track
From Ferrari, Taschen: 'The concentrated expression of Mexican driver Ricardo Rodríguez driving the rear-engine Ferrari 246 Sport in 1961'
From Ferrari, Taschen: 'The Ferrari 158 of John Surtees appears to be floating on water at the British Grand Prix of 1963, where the English driver came second, preceded by Jim Clark with the Lotus-Climax'
From Ferrari, Taschen: 'Jacky Ickx, the son of a journalist, began his racing career in motocross competitions. Twice he won second place in the F1 World Championship, in 1969 and 1970. Enzo Ferrari called him “Pierino la peste” (Peter the rascal).'
From Ferrari, Taschen: 'Great professional racing drivers, but also passionate local drivers who took on the challenge of the Targa Florio, standing against the giants, like private drivers Salvatore Calascibetta and Pietro Lo Piccolo, who came in eleventh place in 1970 with the Dino 206 S'
From Ferrari, Taschen: 'An imposing-looking Enzo Ferrari watches work being done on a 12-cylinder engine'
Ferrari, Pino Alleivi, Taschen, £125, Taschen.com, @Taschen
-
Vienna Design Week 2025 is a pit stop for the futureVienna Design Week (until 5 October 2025) continues its nomadic journey – revisiting forgotten spaces, rethinking ageing and tradition, and exploring what design means in a world defined by movement and change
-
Six films to see at the BFI London Film Festival 2025The BFI London Film Festival 2025 runs 8-19 October. What promises to be extra special? Here are our tips, from Kristen Stewart's directorial debut to an urgent docudrama set in Gaza
-
Six decades of sonic style are celebrated in this limited-edition Brionvega RadiofonografoBrionvega has lovingly kept the Castiglionis’ 1965 classic Radiofonografo in production. Now it’s marking the ultimate piece of sculptural hi-fi’s 60th anniversary with a limited edition
-
How will future car interiors take shape? London studio NewTerritory has a vision for automotive designDesign studio NewTerritory has set up a new automotive division to explore the future of car interiors. We interrogate the team
-
Formula 1 in photos: 100 memorable momentsA new book, ‘Formula 1: The Impossible Collection’, marks 75 years of the motor-racing championship – a history full of tenacity, triumph and tragedy
-
Ferrari drops the top on its mighty 12Cilindri super coupe to create the elegant SpiderWe drive the new Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider, a last and glorious hurrah for the sound of the V12
-
The Ferrari 12Cilindri is the ultimate expression of the marque’s greatest engineWe sample Ferrari's latest, the mighty front-engined grand tourer that bears a simple descriptive name, 12Cilindri
-
The Ferrari F80 continues the company's tradition of using supercars to showcase techJust 799 examples of Ferrari’s ferociously complex and high-tech styled F80 will be made, helping give shape to the sports cars of tomorrow
-
Two new books celebrate the art of automotive photography from very different angles‘Macchina’ collates photographer Jon Nicholson’s portfolio of modern motorsport imagery, while ‘Automotive Type D’ is INK studio’s fourth volume of car-focused creative briefs
-
A 90s icon of Italian sports car design is reborn as the Veloce12 by Touring SuperleggeraCarrozzeria Touring Superleggera have transformed the Ferrari 550 Maranello into an all-analogue, carbon-bodied GT for the modern era
-
Meet two new Maserati MC20 supercars, the Leggenda and the IconaThese Maserati MC20 special editions honour the company’s racing heritage and the 20th anniversary of the Maserati MC12 hypercar
