Founded in 1939 by a former employee of the prestigious Alfa Romeo race car company, the Scuderia Ferrari Grand Prix racing team was the brainchild of a fast car enthusiast named Enzo Ferrari. Today, the iconic Ferrari name stands for ultimate automotive excellence as well as vehicular extravagance. So, where did Ferraris come from, and where are they made today? Here’s what we know:

Etymology of the Ferrari name and logo

The Ferrari family name is quite common in Italy, where it means ironworker or blacksmith. Scuderia, as used in the name of the Alfa Romeo racing team founded by Ferrari, means something akin to a horse stable.

The prancing horse image emblazoned on every Ferrari was originally used on the uniforms of the Royal Piedmont Regiment as per the instructions of the Duke of Savoy, Vittorio Amadeo, in the late 17th century.

During WWI, ace fighter pilot Francesco Baracca painted the now-iconic horse logo on his biplane. Ultimately, the use of the image was awarded to Ferrari, explains Continental Auto Sports.

An automotive legend is born

Born in Modena, Italy, on February 18, 1898, Enzo Anselmo Ferrari became enamored with fast cars upon witnessing several races at the Circuit di Bologna when he was 10 years old. He received very little in the way of formal education and barely survived the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic that killed both his father and brother.

Young Ferrari’s fierce dedication to racing landed him a position as a test driver with the Milan-based automaker, Costruzioni Meccaniche Nazionali, in 1919. Later that year, Ferrari was promoted to the role of a race car driver and came in fourth place at the grueling uphill Parma-Poggio di Berceto competition and took ninth place at the Targa Florio. A year later, Ferrari’s friend, Ugo Sivocci, helped the budding race driver get a job with Alfa Romeo, according to IMDb. Ferrari continued to race in and around Italy until 1931, says TheFamousPeople.

In 1945, Ferrari moved to the town of Maranello, where he began to build the first 12-cylinder, 118 horsepower sports car to bear his name. Modern Ferrari vehicles are still made in Maranello, Italy, according to RevToTheLimit magazine.

Where are Ferrari cars made?

Although the original Ferrari factory in Modena, Italy, was bombed to smithereens by the Allies in World War II, the car-making facility was rebuilt near Maranello, where the prestigious vehicles are hand-crafted to this very day. The Ferrari motorcar company employs 1,300 workers who build almost 8,500 cars every year. Interestingly, each Ferrari takes around three months to make, explains Wired.

The finest Ferraris ever made

In 2018, Digital Trends published a top-twenty list of notable Ferraris. Top production cars include:

• Ferrari 125 S
• Ferrari 250 GTO
• Ferrari 500 Superfast
• Ferrari Dino 206 GT
• Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona
• Ferrari 308
• Ferrari Testarossa
• Ferrari 288 GTO
• Ferrari F40
• Ferrari F50
• Ferrari Challenge Stradale
• Ferrari Enzo
• Ferrari LaFerrari
• Ferrari FXX
• Ferrari 488 GTB

Digital Trends also named the following its favorite Ferrari concept cars:

• Colani Ferrari Testa d’Oro
• Ferrari Mythos
• Ferrari Rossa
• Ferrari GG50
• Pininfarina Sergio

What’s new in 2022 for Ferrari?

Always innovative, Ferrari is doing its best to keep up with consumer demand for an electric vehicle that delivers showstopping good looks along with the cachet of the Ferrari name. The Italian car company is poised to release the 2022 Ferrari 296GTB Gran Turismo Berlinetta soon. With an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission and mid-mounted turbo V-8 engine, the latest in the prestigious line of extravagant sports cars is expected to come with a base price of $250,000, Car and Driver magazine explains.