Book Review: 'Ferrari by Mailander'
Review by www.classicdriver.com June 2005

 

Being a photo-journalist for Europe’s most famous magazine in the ‘50s, Automobil Revue, led Rodolfo Mailander to have unprecedented access to Enzo Ferrari and his cars. A new book has been published that chronicles the activities of the famous factory when annual production amounted to just a handful of cars.

Total Ferrari production in 1950 had increased from the 21 units of 1949 (3 in 1947 and 5 in 1948) to a record 26. That figure was to inch ever-upwards over the next five years covered in this large-format book, but during this period virtually every car produced by Ferrari was unique and nearly all of them were raced, or were certainly capable of being raced, by the international elite of the time.


The book is a collaboration between Mailander and well-known author, publisher and motor industry man Karl Ludvigsen. The pair have known each other for over 50 years and the book takes Mailander’s evocative black and white photographs of the period and couples them with commentary by both men on the scenes of racing action, drivers at rest, Ferrari himself, the Grand Salons such as Geneva or Paris, and mechanics preparing cars for the Targa Florio, Mille Miglia or Le Mans.

These were the days when every single car sold mattered to Enzo Ferrari; racing not only promoted his road car business but it was a profit centre by itself. A significant part of the company’s annual production could very well be taking part in the Mille Miglia (16 cars in 1950), and it was often the privateers - like the fabulously wealthy Marzotto brothers - who took the chequered flag for the marque. This early post-war period is full of similar characters, or drivers of an older era like Piero Taruffi, Gigi Villoresi or Ascari. The photographs have a dreamy atmospheric quality to them and show Ferrari’s bewildering number of chassis/engine/body configurations to the full. And it’s not all sports cars, single-seaters are also to the fore, either driven as part of the Scuderia or by wealthy customers.

The book finishes in 1955, the year of the catastrophic disaster at Le Mans and only a year or so away from the British-led rear-engine revolution that was to sweep across Europe. Mailander had been offered a job in the Daimler Benz Press Office and his days of following motor racing over Europe were over.

For all Ferrari fans this book is a ‘must’, and for nostalgia buffs everywhere who can visualise themselves driving the Mille Miglia in jacket and tie, kept awake solely on adrenaline (mixed with cognac, and a healthy number of cigarettes) you will not be disappointed. The dedicated Ferrari-phile can also spend many an hour poring over the serial numbers of all cars photographed, tabulated by marque expert Marcel Massini in an appendix to the book.

The 386 page book, priced at $125.00/£65.00, is produced in large-format (330mm x 240mm) and featured 500 black and white photographs plus detailed captions and an annual summary. For further details visit www.daltonwatson.com

Text; Steve Wakefield/Photos; Dalton Watson

Review by Classic Cars, August 2004

Karl Ludvigsen's lavish, 385-page hardback volume gives the reader an intimate view of Ferrari during its formative years in the early Fifties. Ludvigsen's friend, photojournalist Rodolfo Mailander, struck up a relationship with Enzo Ferrari after confronting him in a barber shop, and thereafter was granted special access. The accompanying story is a personal and fascinating account and the evocative images of the cars, drivers, engineers and more are explained with insightful captions.

Review by Octane August 2005

In the early 1950s, a young photojournalist called Rodolfo 'Rudy' Mailander ambushed Enzo Ferrari as he left the barber's shop where he had his morning shave. That piece of inspired cheek led to a unique five-year relationship with Ferrari that culminated in the fantastic photo archive showcased in this book.

Co-author Ludvigsen was able to buy the archive in the early 1970s and has chosen 500 images from the period 1950-55. Beautifully reproduced on high-quality art paper, they cover every aspect of Ferrari at the time: formula racing, road racing, factory preparation and more.

Review by Classic & Sports Car August 2005

Book of the Month
Rudy Mailander's photography rates with such greats as Louis Klemantaski and Guy Griffiths. Award winning author Karl Ludvigsen is now guardian of his archives and conceived the idea of a book covering Ferrari's formative years between 1950 and 1955. From workshop to race track, production line to motor show, Italian-born Mailander vividly captures this exciting era, while Ludvigsen's knowledgeable comments perfectly highlight each picture.

The stylish design sets off these fantastic images which are thankfully allowed to breathe. Some are grainy, but more often they reveal fascinating details: hammer marks on a new 3765 at Scaglietti, Manzon's mangled 553 at the '54 Swiss GP, or a nervous 18-year-old Goia Tortima at scrutineering for the '54 Mille Miglia. All that's missing is a CD recording of early Colombo/Lampredi V12s. With 500 images over 286 pages, this book is guaranteed to become a collector's item.

Review by Auto Italia August 2005

This is essentially a 'picture book' covering Ferrari's competitive history between 1950 and 1955. And what pictures they are, too. Rodolfo Mailander's work is superb and this book is a celebration of his photography, with 500 images presented in glorious black and white. Pictures take preference over words, so those seeking a good read might find it a bit shy on text.

Review by Victory Lane August 2005

It was a time of legend, road racing from 1950 through 1955. The world was in love with the automobile and auto racing was still held on majestic circuits, through the towns and on open roads. The drivers and cars and especially Ferraris and their drivers were heroic, romantic, fast, yet capable of intense and even violent performances.

This is all captured in this great book by Rodolfo Mailander's superb photos with the expert collaboration of Karl Ludvigsen. In the book, there are in-factory photos, seldom or never seen tech photos (for example - even a crankshaft photo) of the innermost construction details, pit wall dramas, great scenic double page racing photos, the crews, wives, racing officials, crowds, all accompanied by incisive text. This is an artistic, as well as a historic and entertainment tour de force!