Collectors & Aficionados
North American Racing Team, the famous NART
Luigi Chinetti, a Le Mans champion, shaped Ferrari's destiny. From a triumphant 1949 victory to founding NART, he pioneered Ferrari's success in America. The iconic blue and white NART livery, a protest move in F1, marked a pivotal era.
It’s almost as if it were a rule: those who founded important racing teams were almost always drivers. The “marketing” of such an enterprise requires a deep understanding of racing and what needs to be done to be successful. Luigi Chinetti was a master at this, having won three times at the Le Mans 24 Hours, the last one in 1949 with a privately organized Ferrari 166 MM team.
Chinetti and Ferrari crossed paths several times, even before the war when they were both drivers. Then in Maranello, when in 1949, Chinetti had requested a Ferrari for Le Mans, Enzo responded, “No, it’s too soon, we’re not ready yet.” Chinetti was undeterred and arranged for an English nobleman and wealthy gentleman driver to purchase the car, and then went on to win the toughest and most famous race in the world! At that point, the two automotive giants' paths crossed definitively. Luigi Chinetti lived in America and proposed to lead Ferrari's sales in the USA. This move yielded immediate success, leading to the creation of Ferrari North America and a long and fruitful partnership that significantly influenced the world of racing. Chinetti founded the North American Racing Team, known as __NART__, contributing to Ferrari’s prestigious list of victories.
