Originally housed under the Alfa Romeo brand, Enzo Ferrari broke free to establish his own company in 1939. Although every Ferrari has remained distinctly Ferrari since the day the Maranello, Italy manufacturing facility opened its doors, the company has had a range of owners over the years. As of 2020, the public owns the majority of Ferrari, but if you find yourself thinking “doesn’t FIAT own Ferrari,” you’re not alone (just a few years late). Join us as we go over the details of who currently owns Ferrari and the history of ownership.
With the public owning a majority stake in Ferrari, you can read it one of two ways: shareholders own Ferrari or Ferrari owns Ferrari. There’s not a wrong way to look at it, because either way it means that the people making the decisions about new Ferrari models, about how to register and catalog your classic Ferrari, are all doing it with one thing in mind: the future of the Ferrari brand and reputation.
After restructuring to establish Ferrari N.V. as the holding company of the Ferrari Group, FIAT Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) sold 10% of their shares and distributed their remaining 80% of shares among FCA shareholders. 10% of Ferrari was and continues to be owned by Piero Ferrari (son of Enzo). Currently, Ferrari is primarily owned by the public:
Enzo Ferrari broke from Alfa Romeo in 1939 and managed the business for over 20 years before pursuing outside investment opportunities. Conscious of the need to expand the industrial side of the business, Ferrari implemented a number of changes — including becoming a Limited Company in 1960.
Although there were other potential buyers, FIAT S.p.A. eventually acquired a 50% stake in Ferrari, allowing for a significant expansion in production. From 1969 to 1988, FIAT expanded their ownership from 50% to 90% — with Enzo Ferrari owning the remaining 10%. Upon Enzo’s death, his stake passed to Piero.
If you’ve caught the blockbuster Ford v Ferrari, you hopefully already know the answer to this one: Ford attempted to purchase Ferrari but was denied when Enzo Ferrari learned he would lose control over the racing division. The stubbornness of Henry Ford II caused Ford to dive headlong into a racing competition with Ferrari that defined an era for both automakers.
Ferrari doesn’t own Alfa Romeo; in fact, they are currently owned by FIAT Chrysler. While there was a brief moment where Alfa Romeo and Ferrari were under the same (symbolic) roof once again, all relationships between Alfa Romeo and Ferrari are now history.
As with Alfa Romeo, Maserati existed under the FIAT Chrysler umbrella, and for a brief period — from 1997 to 2005, Ferrari owned a controlling interest in Maserati. The result? The new and improved Quattroporte Evoluzione breathed new life into the Maserati brand. In 2005, Maserati split from Ferrari and partnered with Alfa Romeo.
While some automakers seem to change hands every few years Ferrari has maintained their vision in part by remaining consistently managed. From the initial years to the FCA years to now, there has been a consistent throughline to define a Ferrari and continue living up to the expectations of Chicago Ferrari drivers and Enzo himself.
Contact Ferrari Lake Forest to learn more about the history of Ferrari.
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