Ferrari – A word capable enough to evoke dreams of splendor, adrenaline and a rush of blood to the head.

All car enthusiasts wish to drive a Ferrari at least once in their lives, if not buying one. Bet you think of yourself as the biggest Ferrari fan and boast of knowing everything about it! Here are seven mind-blowing facts that will leave you spellbound:

1. Fiat Owned Ferrari

Yes, you read it right! For most part of the second half of the 20th century, Ferrari’s majority stakeholder was Fiat! Fiat bought 50% stake in Ferrari in 1969 and by the early 21st century owned a mind-boggling 90% stake in the company. However in 2016, Ferrari got completely separated from FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) and become a fully independent business known as Ferrari N.V.

2. Ferrari Trades On NYSE with the ticker RACE

Typical of its origins, the Ferrari brand trades on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) with a ticker symbol RACE! Racing is in their genes through and through. Not only that, Ferrari stock has a market capitalization of $12.53 billion as on November 4th, 2016. Style and monies to win it!

3. Ferrari Partnered with Alfa Romeo

Enzo Ferrari founded Scuderia Ferrari in 1929 with a sole wish to work on developing racing cars. Scuderia used to prepare, maintain and field cars for Alfa Romeo and eventually became the official racing department of Alfa Romeo in 1933.

4. First Ferrari Came in 1947

The first officially branded Ferrari came on the scene in 1947, same year as India’s independence. This car was known as Ferrari 125 S and was powered by 1.5L V12 engine. Only 2 were made and even they were reportedly dismantled to produce the next Ferrari’s cars.

Source:https://www.cleanmachinelongview.com/

5. Enzo Ferrari’s Son is worth $1.2 billion

Piero Ferrari is the only living heir of Enzo Ferrari’s empire. He was born out of wedlock to Enzo’s mistress Lina Lardi and reportedly owns 10% stake in Ferrari which is worth over a billion dollars! He serves as the vice chairman of Ferrari and still lives in his father’s old mansion in Modena.

6. Ferrari is World’s Most Powerful Brand

In a recent list by Brand Finance, Ferrari has topped the list as the most powerful brand in the world ahead of companies like Google and Coke. In terms of revenue Ferrari lags behind when compared to other companies but in terms of brand loyalty, brand recall value etc. it apparently raced ahead to become the most powerful brand in the world.

7. Ford almost bought 50% stake in Ferrari

Ford almost bought 50% stake in Ferrari back in 1960’s. As luck would have it, Enzo couldn’t commit to the deal and that dropped deal led the fuming Ford to develop the legendary Ford GT40 that ended up winning four consecutive races.