Author: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch, Hartmut Lehbrink, Jochen von Osterroth

Publisher/Date: Konemann, 2004

Format/Condition: Oversized (10.75” X 12.5”) oversized red hardcover with dustjacket in fine condition, yellow lettering on spine, 399 pages, profusely illustrated,

Description: From the dustjacket: They have even been given a name of their own: Ferraristi. What other automobile brand has its own fan club named for it?

However, Ferrari is not just a brand name, it is also a fascination: almost twenty years after the death of its founder Enzo Ferrari, his spirit and will live on. The life’s work of the man from Modena, the city where he was born in 1898 and where he died in 1988, is a(lmired the world over. The rich and the prominent, the aristocracy and royalty, have insisted on picking up their Ferraris in Maranello themselves. Over fifty years of photographs provide proof of this delivery practice.

Starting with the racing car, the Commendatore’s first vehicle was for Alfa Romeo. At the turn of the 21st century, racing sport is dominated by his brand in a period of unchallenged supremacy; as an integral part of Italian culture, these sports cars with their power, speed, and tradition have become a national automobile icon.

Here they have been brought together: the eight or twelve-cylinder vehicles with their wonderful bodywork by Pininfarina or Scaglietti. Automobiles which became a part of motoring history and the personification of style for a whole generation — great moments, presented here by both authors and the photographer with just as much meticulous precision as incessant passion for the vehicles.

More than 600 illustrations and impressive photography convey unforgettable insight into the fascination of Ferrari – suspended between technology, sport, and passion. In addition to the great photos, there is a 19 page appendix with a chronological listing of the models, complete with their technical specifications.

There is a persistent rumor that Rainer Schlegelmilch’s birth was initiated on the back seat of a Mercedes Benz 170V. Whether or not this is the source of his ongoing affinity to anything that has four wheels, his fascination with cars is vividly expressed in his photographs. How do you get from German and English philology to automotive journalism? Chalk it up to car racing: the appearance of the Silver Arrows (Silberpfeile) in Spa, Zandvoort and at the Nurburgring, says the Germanist and Anglicist Hartmut Lehbrink. Numerous books on automobiles and racing penned by Lehbrink testify to the long-term impact of these early experiences. Text for the new updated edition was supplied by the renowned motor journalist Jochen von Osterroth.