Ferrari's 70th Birthday Party has Officially Begun

Ferrari has begun celebrating its 70th anniversary.

Officially, Enzo Ferrari fired up the 125 S on March 12, 1947 and 70 years later, the Italian automaker has launched its official celebrations for the milestone anniversary.

On that famous day 70 years ago, Ferrari test drove the first car to bear his name on the streets of Maranello, and to coincide with the official start of the celebrations, the automaker has released a special video featuring a re-enactment of the 125 S driving through the factory gates on Via Abetone Inferiore. There’s a symbolic gesture with the act, portraying the 125 S passing the baton of the Ferrari legacy to the LaFerrari Aperta.

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The first Ferrari made its track debut on May 11, 1947 at the Piacenza Circuit with Franco Cortese at the wheel. Enzo Ferrari dubbed the maiden voyage “a promising failure” after the car was forced to pull up with a fuel pump issue while leading the race. But failure was short lived however, as nine days later on May 20, the Ferrari 125 S claimed a victory in the Rome Grand Prix with Cortese piloting and it was just the first of six victories that year for the car.

Over the course of the year, over 60 nations will host events to celebrate Ferrari’s anniversary. The celebrations will culminate in Maranello on the weekend of September 9 and 10, but will be flanked by other initiatives that pays homage to Ferrari’s history, including the first “Cavalcade Classiche.”