In the heart of Maranello, a small town in northern Italy, a legend was born from the embers of war and the unwavering ambition of one man.

Enzo Ferrari, a former driver with a fiery passion for motorsport, dared to dream of a machine that would not just compete, but dominate. This dream, forged in steel and fueled by an unquenchable thirst for victory, gave birth to Scuderia Ferrari, a name that would become synonymous with speed, prestige, and the very soul of Formula 1.

For over 75 years, the blood-red cars of the Prancing Horse have thundered down the world’s most iconic circuits, creating a legacy rich with legendary triumphs, heartbreaking tragedies, and relentless innovation.

This is the exhaustive story of every car that has carried that legacy, a chronological journey through the engineering marvels and the racing titans who piloted them.

Our story begins in 1947, a time of rebuilding and renewal. It was then that Enzo Ferrari unveiled his first single-seater, the 125 F1. Powered by a modest 1.5-liter supercharged V12 engine, this pioneering machine was a statement of intent. Though its initial outings were fraught with the reliability issues that plague any new design, it laid the critical groundwork. The world truly took notice with the arrival of the 375 F1 in 1951. This beast, equipped with a much larger 4.5-liter naturally aspirated engine, was the weapon Ferrari needed. At the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Argentine driver José Froilán González drove the 375 F1 to a historic victory, marking the first-ever World Championship race win for Scuderia Ferrari. It was a monumental moment, a changing of the guard, as Ferrari had finally defeated the dominant Alfa Romeo team. This victory was just the beginning. The following years saw the rise of the legendary Alberto Ascari and the incredibly dominant 500 F2. With its simple yet effective four-cylinder engine, the 500 F2 was a masterpiece of balance and handling. Ascari, a driver of immense talent and precision, piloted this car to back-to-back World Championships in 1952 and 1953. The 500 F2 remains, by winning percentage, the most successful Formula 1 car in the sport’s history, a testament to Ferrari’s early engineering prowess.

As the 1950s transitioned into the 1960s, Formula 1 underwent a radical transformation, and Ferrari was at the forefront of this evolution. The era of front-engined behemoths was drawing to a close, and a new design philosophy was emerging. The British teams, led by Cooper, had introduced the revolutionary concept of placing the engine behind the driver. Ferrari, initially resistant to this change, had to adapt or be left behind. Their answer was the stunning 156 F1, affectionately nicknamed the “sharknose” for its distinctive twin-nostril air intake. This car was not just a response; it was a masterpiece. In 1961, American driver Phil Hill raced the 156 F1 to the World Championship, securing Ferrari’s place in the new mid-engined era. However, this period of success was marred by tragedy, a recurring theme in the perilous world of high-speed racing. The decade also saw the introduction of another legendary driver, John Surtees, the only man in history to win World Championships on both two and four wheels, who claimed the 1964 title in the Ferrari 158. The late 60s and early 70s brought another significant technological shift: the rise of the mighty flat-12 engine. The Ferrari 312B series, with its low center of gravity and immense power, became an icon of its time, its engine producing a symphony of mechanical fury that captivated fans around the globe.

This era of raw power gave way to one of the most compelling rivalries and comeback stories in sports history, centered around the Austrian driver Niki Lauda. In the mid-1970s, Lauda, a calculated and intelligent driver, teamed up with Ferrari to pilot the 312T. This car, an evolution of the 312B, featured a transverse gearbox that significantly improved its handling and balance. Lauda’s meticulous approach and the car’s superior design proved to be a championship-winning combination in 1975. The 1976 season, however, would become the stuff of legend. After a near-fatal, fiery crash at the Nürburgring that left him with severe burns and life-threatening injuries, Lauda made a miraculous return to the cockpit just six weeks later, narrowly losing the championship to his rival James Hunt. His courage was undeniable, and he roared back in 1977 to reclaim the World Championship title with Ferrari, cementing his status as a legend. The decade closed with South African Jody Scheckter clinching the 1979 championship in the 312T4, marking the end of an era for Ferrari before the team entered a challenging period dominated by the rise of turbocharged engines. The 126 CK was Ferrari’s first foray into turbo power, a brutally powerful but often unreliable machine that nonetheless showcased the immense potential of the new technology, tragically claiming the life of the beloved Gilles Villeneuve in 1982.

After a long and often frustrating championship drought, the 1990s heralded the beginning of a new chapter for Scuderia Ferrari—an era that would redefine dominance in Formula 1. The catalyst for this transformation was the arrival of Michael Schumacher in 1996. The German driver, already a two-time World Champion, brought with him an unparalleled work ethic, a fierce competitive spirit, and an extraordinary talent for car development. Working alongside a “dream team” of technical director Ross Brawn and designer Rory Byrne, Schumacher began the arduous task of rebuilding the team. The F310 and its successor, the F310B, were the first cars of this new era, featuring the team’s first V10 engine. While they were not immediate world-beaters, they laid the foundation for what was to come.

The turn of the millennium unleashed the full force of the Schumacher-Ferrari partnership. The F1-2000 was the car that finally broke the 21-year drivers’ championship drought, delivering a title that sent shockwaves of jubilation through Italy and the global Ferrari fanbase, the Tifosi. This victory was not a one-off; it was the beginning of an unprecedented dynasty. From 2000 to 2004, Ferrari was untouchable. The F2001, F2002, and F2004 were masterpieces of engineering, each one an evolution of its predecessor, pushing the boundaries of performance, aerodynamics, and reliability. The F2002 was so dominant that it won 15 of the 17 races in the 2002 season. The F2004 is widely regarded by many as the ultimate Formula 1 car, a perfect synthesis of power, agility, and aerodynamic efficiency. During this golden age, Michael Schumacher secured five consecutive World Drivers’ Championships, bringing his total to a record-breaking seven. It was a period of absolute supremacy that etched the names of Schumacher, Brawn, Byrne, and Ferrari into the annals of motorsport history forever.

The end of the V10 era and sweeping regulation changes brought an end to Ferrari’s streak of dominance, ushering in a new period of challenges and adaptation. The shift to V8 engines in 2006 with the 248 F1 saw the team remain competitive, and in 2007, Kimi Räikkönen clinched a dramatic, down-to-the-wire World Championship in the F2007. The late 2000s saw the introduction of complex new technologies like the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS), first implemented in the 2009 F60. This new technology, which harvested energy under braking to provide a temporary power boost, marked the beginning of F1’s hybrid future. The 2014 season brought the most significant regulation change in decades with the introduction of the 1.6-liter V6 hybrid turbo power units. This incredibly complex technology proved to be a massive challenge, and Ferrari’s F14 T struggled to match the performance of its rivals. However, the team persevered. The SF15-T brought a return to race-winning form, and in the years that followed, Ferrari consistently battled at the front, engaging in fierce championship fights. The modern era has been defined by a relentless pursuit of aerodynamic efficiency, tire management, and power unit optimization. Cars like the SF71H and the F1-75, the latter designed for the new ground-effect regulations, have showcased flashes of brilliance and secured memorable victories. Today, with cars like the SF24, Ferrari continues its 75-year quest. The challenge is as fierce as ever, but the spirit of Enzo Ferrari—the passion, the pride, and the relentless will to win—endures in every scarlet machine that roars to life in the garages of Maranello. It is a legacy written on the asphalt of every Grand Prix circuit, a saga of man and machine that continues to captivate the world.