It’s always a pleasure to review a book that adds to our Ferrari knowledge and doesn’t just repeat what’s been written many times. 

Observations on Ferrari 1946 – 1966, by S. Scott Callan and published by Velocity Group, tells the story of the creation and first twenty years of the Ferrari company. How did Enzo Ferrari produce a competitive racing car within eighteen months of the end of World War II? Having spent the war years manufacturing machine tools, he presented the first Ferrari, the 125 S, in 1947.

In “Observations” the author doesn’t just recite the well-known Ferrari story, but puts it in context of the ruin Italy was in from when Ferrari started. The country was devastated, as was the economy, there was the Marshall Plan, and a chaotic political situation. He tells how Enzo Ferrari sought to return to racing, and swiftly went from a racing team, to racing car manufacturer, through to maker of the world’s most desirable sports cars.

He also examines the uniquely Italian relationship between the automobile manufacturer and the Carrozzeria companies, such as Touring and Pininfarina, with their concentration on fashion and style. And naturally, the development and influence of the F1 and sports-racing cars is part of the story. 

All of this is presented with unique photographs and technical diagrams, as well as detailed charts. But this is no ordinary book; this is a bespoke publication. Each book is hand-made for the buyer, with “Produced for your name” printed on the title page, along with the limited-edition number. It is also engineered to “present” the pages to the reader by using the 16-page-signature Smyth sewn method of binding and being bound with the “cold” glue method.     

When you open the book, the pages come forward and present themselves to the reader as a result of the interior spine being supplely flexible, allowing the book to be placed flat at any page opening. 

By virtue of being hand-made, the production is limited, but with no fixed limit, and there is only this one edition. Published in 2020. The book is 9" square format, 416 pages, covered in red leather with gilt embossed title, and a missal ribbon for bookmarking. Priced at $500.

​Find more details and ordering information by calling 510-388-2636 or going to VelocityGroup.net. 

​Nathan Beehl

Most of us have written them. Most of us have received them. Deltiologists love them. What are they? The humble postcard, or maybe not so humble when you learn the most expensive postcard ever sold went for $45,370.70!

Our interest, of course, is in collecting automotive themed postcards, and official Ferrari postcards are a good place to start. Notice, official Ferrari postcards. There are many hundreds, probably thousands of Ferrari postcards, but we’re going to concentrate on the cards distributed exclusively by the Ferrari factory. 

These cards can be recognized by a few distinct markings. In the early days they usually had “Modena Ferrari Italia” printed on the front, or were printed on the rear with the Ferrari logo, the word Ferrari with the long F.  At this time the cards were all black & white, with the first color cards appearing in 1974/5.

​You might think, “why would a car manufacturer want to send out postcards?” Because they were a cheap way of promoting the new manufacturer’s business. They were sent to journalists and magazines for publicity purposes, and also to those who enquired after the company’s products. 

Ferrari began producing postcards in their first year, 1947, with three postcards showing the first Ferrari, the 125 S, from different angles. These are the “holy grail” of Ferrari postcards, with probably no more than ten examples of each produced, and can be worth up to £25,000 GBP ($32,000 US) each… if you can find one.

One of the reasons why these cards are so rare is that up until 1955 many of the cards were in actual fact real photographs. It is impossible to say how many of these cards were produced, but the numbers are estimated to be between 10 – 20 for each card. Some were left blank on the back and some had address lines added. Enzo Ferrari also used them as “thank you” cards which were sent to people who wished him “happy birthday”, or who congratulated him on a race win. 

The 125 S cards were soon followed up with more road car photos, such as the 166 MM of 1948, the 166 Inter of 1949 through to the 375 MM of 1953, and then postcards featuring road cars ceased until they were revived in 2010 with the 599 GTO. Any of these early “photo” cards can be worth up to £5,000 GBP ($6,500 US) each. 

In 1948 Ferrari also started to distribute cards showing Ferrari racing cars - both single-seaters and sports racers. These usually celebrated race victories, such as the Mille Miglia, Le Mans and various Grand Prix. Although these cards usually lack the “Modena Ferrari Italia” logo on the front, they do however have a printed description on the back with the Ferrari logo, thus showing that they are official Ferrari. Again, the earlier the card is the rarer it is, but any of the “photo” cards are hard to find, and are usually more expensive than the road cars. 

Also, in 1948 Ferrari began producing cards with driver portraits. Early examples being Raymond Sommer, Alberto Ascari and “Gigi” Villoresi. Any of the early driver postcards are also rare. Cards from the 1950s such as Hawthorn, Collins etc. can still command high prices, up to $5,000 or so. Later, black & white cards from the 1960s/70s were printed and produced in larger quantities, making them easier to find. Drivers such as Amon, Bandini, Phil Hill can range between $50 - $100 each. However, as with all these cards, if they are signed by the driver or even by Enzo Ferrari then expect to pay more. 

In the next article we’ll look at the color postcards.

​Nathan Beehl

Above: The “holy grail” of Ferrari postcards. This is the very first Ferrari, the 125 S, built in 1947. The postcards were real photographs, not printed. Size of each approx. 6”x4”.