It is four o’clock on an afternoon like many others, at Maranello. But Enzo Ferrari knows this will be a special day. In front of him is a car still without a body, but with a heart.For Ferrari, heart means engine, and when it starts to beat, it does so loudly. It’ voice starting off subdued, growing in intensity and power to become a scream that pierces the quiet of the countryside.Almost a cry of defiance; a challenge that Ferrari intends to issue to the most illustrious car manufacturers of the era.

“Ferrari: a new goal. And a new starting point.” THIS is the phase that Sergio Marchionne wrote on 4 January 2016 in the Italian Stock Exchange tribute book, marking the debut of the Prancing Horse at Piazza Affari, the home of the Stock Exchange in Milan, in the wake of the brand’s momentous entry onto the NYSE. The CEO of the Italian Stock Exchange Raffaele Jerusalmi was in charge of doing the honours, in the presence of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.

There are cars that history turns into icons. Others are born as such. The LaFerrari Aperta falls into the second category. Maranello created the car to celebrate its 70th anniversary. This is why it is a model like no other. The LaFerrari Aperta is the ultimate technological expression of an open roof car. It is an essential roadster, a two-seater of the sort that immediately colonises the collective imagination. The LaFerrari Aperta has important roots. It is in fact an offshoot of the LaFerrari, the special limited series Prancing Horse car that redefined the limits of automotive technology.

The countdown to the day on which Ferrari is to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange was finally over on 21 October 2015, when the bell rang to signify that trading for the day had opened.

The 2014 Ferrari Finali Mondiali got underway in Abu Dhabi on December 2 of that year. This was an absolute first for the event that closes Ferrari’s racing season as it had never before been staged outside Europe. That day, the spectators and media milling about in the Middle Eastern heat of the paddock at the Yas Marina Circuit noticed a huge wooden box with several burly-looking gentlemen standing guard around it.

There is a thin red line uniting and connecting the limited edition supercars created at Maranello since the early 1980s. The path of this red line was cut with the GTO and continued with the brutal F40, F50 technology, and the iconic Enzo. That line continues with LaFerrari, taking on new colours and shades. Above all, it sketches new horizons in terms of style as much as performance. The LaFerrari is Maranello’s most ambitious project, and in many respects, the state-of-the-art of Ferrari mechanics and technology.

There are cars that enter the hearts of fans, others that move the experts, and then there are those, such as the F12berlinetta, on which everyone agrees. Presented in 2012 at the International Motor Show in Geneva, it was the first of a new generation of Ferrari 12-cylinder cars. It is a car of unparalleled performance, with unique handling, as well as innovative design and aerodynamics. The F12berlinetta is at the furthest frontier of extreme sports cars with a front-mid-engine, in terms of performance, design and aerodynamics.

Sometimes revolutions are peaceful, but others only need two letters: FF. The FF: the Ferrari Four. Four as in the four-wheel drive that powers it. Four as in the four comfortable seats that enveloped driver and passengers. A four-seater that completely changed the whole Grand Tourer sports car concept. A “revolution” in the GT world.

Ferrari has always been synonymous with research, innovation and the cutting-edge of the automotive world. However, in recent years the Prancing Horse has applied the same logic to sectors not strictly related to cars. This is certainly true not only for Ferrari-branded products for sale in the Ferrari Store, but also for Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi, the first ever theme park dedicated to a car manufacturer.

The 458 Italia has been one of the most successful Ferraris of recent years. Presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2009, it combines style and innovation like few other cars and has also picked up an impressive number of wins in its track versions. It was clear that this was an unusual car from the faces of journalists when it was unveiled in the presence of Ferrari management. The 8-cylinder beauty from Maranello is a synthesis of technological innovation, creativity, style and passion, in its own way a perfect example of the best of Italy. Indeed the car carries the country’s name alongside the number that refers to the unit cylinder capacity.