Ferrari: The Road from Maranello

by Dennis Adler

Book Overview

From the author of Porche comes the stunning, magnificently illustrated story of Enzo Ferrari and the matchless cars he's presented to the public for more than half a century. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1400064635
• ISBN13: 9781400064632
• Release Date: December 2006
• Publisher: Random House (NY)
• Length: 319 Pages
• Weight: 3.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 11.0" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

A beautifully illustrated and well balanced book telling the Ferrari road car story

The narrative of this book concentrate's on telling the story of Ferrari road cars as opposed to the sports and formula 1 cars within the marque's history. Not that it doesn't cover these aspects, but the story is focussed more on the cars made for the road and therefore the influence of important racing cars in Ferrari's history are highlighted in that context. The author does this very well, rarely straying from this main focus of how each succesive series of road cars were conceived and subsequently came to being. The photography and quality of images in the book are truly very good and do add enormously to the overall reading experience although there is way too much duplication in the description of the images which is then repeated in the chapter text. The only other irritation I had with this book was with some errors in the final chapter which seemed to be a bit of a rushed "history of Ferrari in F1" that although this is important for further context regarding Ferrari's history it could have been written with much greater accuracy and with more story (although as mentioned this is not the focus of the book). The author expresses a very strong view on the influence of Luigi Chinetti Snr to the creation of the marque in a manner in which I had not read before, suggesting that the "Ferrari" we know today may not have existed were it not for Chinetti. It is a compelling argument but there is insufficient detail in this book to determine its merit and Ferrari himself has never fully credited Chinetti in that way (not that he would be predisposed to do so anyway!). Overall I found this book to be a very enjoyable read with enough new information (or at least a slightly different interpretation of existing information) to be a valuable addition to any Ferraristi's collection

Superior Photgraphy Showcases the Top Examples of the Marque

One should buy this book for the photographs, which are very good to excellent, and capture a multitude of the most famous Ferrari models. Right off the back the book opens with a short chapter on Pinin Farina's (as the name was then written) Cisitalia 202, a nicely done short history with twelve color photographs showcasing a superb red example of this legendary car and epochal monument of automobile design. (There's one of these in MOMA.) This great start gets muddied up with a confusing overview previewing the upcoming chapters. I think the book would have read better without this section, or at least, without duplicating later photos. Too, better editing would have helped an ongoing and annoying discontinutiy between page and image. Writing a review is not helped by such confusion, I must say! Also, themes and topics pop up here and there without any convincing larger focus - surely this book could have been better organized and not so helter-skelter in its directions. However, despite these intellectual issues - or peccadilloes if you wish -the book does give a wonderful overview of Ferrari's greatest cars, most in pristine condition. Readers are treated to an embarrassement of riches as one section on a legendary Ferrari flows into yet an even more legendary model! The oh-so-critical colors are printed with great care - the paler yellow Luigi Chinetti demanded for the Sergio Scaglietti 275 GTB/4 Spyder (cars derivisely derided by Enzo Ferrari as taxis!) is perfectly contrasted with a richer yellow 275 GTB. (The preview chapter boasts an even brighter shade - a screaming yellow 250 GT Short Wheelbase Berlinetta!) Chapter two covers Enzo Ferrari's career with a series of historic photos, but does not add any historical revelations. Just how rich a collection of photographs is contained here might be gauged by counting the 150 plus color photos (not counting in addition many historical black and whites) all coming in the first hundred pages. Chapter 5, a touching study of Ferrari's Dino, has wonderful shots of the car Ferrari named after his beloved son, Dino, who courageously faced a terrible early death. The book includes a thorough index: overall this is an outstanding art book, with its editing issues quite overhwelmed by the majesty of the Ferrari images.

A Tifosi special

A brilliant Ferrari book.Beautifully illustrated and a mine of information. Reasonably priced too.A must for all Tifosi !!!

It's like a Ferrari - you can't wait to drive through the pages

Forget the images - although they are spectacular. Forget the archive photos - although they are revealing (and historic). Concentrate on the words, yes I mean read the story. For the first time I found myself actually interested in the man who created these incredible machines. Adler makes him come alive, 3 dimensional, in a ways I never knew about Enzo. It's a great book on all fronts, at all speeds, bravo! A real page turner - and then start all over again.

FERRARI: THE ROAD FROM MARANELLO

Probably my best book on Ferrari! The book deals expertly with the history of the marque, all significant Ferrari cars and also racing. I feel, however,that too much emphasis has been given to the role Chinetti played in the success of Ferrari. The American connection is nevertheless interesting. The book deals with some of the stories behind the story. I find the parts dealing with the famed coach designers and builders especially interesting e.g. Pininfarina, Scaglietti, etc. A well illustrated book that is a must for any serious sports and racing car lover, especially Ferraristi!