Collectors & Aficionados
World Champion
This article discusses Enzo Ferrari's efforts to win the Formula 1 World Championship in the 1950s, including his investment in a normally-aspirated engine and his decision to modify the 375 F1 for the Indianapolis race.
It’s worth remembering something that tends to be forgotten: In order to defeat Alfa Romeo in Formula 1, Enzo Ferrari hadn’t hesitated to make a major investment by betting on a normally-aspirated engine rather than a supercharged one. An investment that would have been justified if the World Championship Formula had lasted more than two years, which is exactly what happened. In 1954, a new regulation limiting engine capacity to 2,500cc had already been planned for, while in 1952 and 1953 they would have raced with their Formula 2 single-seaters, sending the mighty 375 powered by the large V12 engine designed by engineer Lampredi into retirement.
Victory finally came at Silverstone, but there were of course others, Including Monza. There had also been that immense emotional turning point that caused Enzo to declare that he had “[killed his Mother](https://tcct.com/news/2021/03/1951-enzo-i-killed-my-mother/)”. But the most important achievement had eluded him: the World Championship victory that was within reach. Fangio, cunning and methodical, had managed to take advantage of every opportunity to accumulate points with his Alfa and took advantage of Enzo’s unequivocal error at the final race, in Spain. The circuit, according to Pirelli, would have required the new 18-inch tires but Enzo, incorrectly, chose not to modify the winning car, and lost. Ferrari, however, always had a plan: to bring a suitably modified 375 to Indianapolis. The American race was valid for world championship points. Why not give it a try?
