Ferrari 125 S - Model history

One morning in 1947, residents of the peaceful town of Maranello in northern Italy were engaged in the usual business. Suddenly, a strange sound began to come from afar. As the sound approached, so did all the older generations of residents who realized that something was going on. So did the war start again, some wondered ?!

The piercing sound peaked when a red car driven by their neighbor Enzo Ferrari ran past the frantic faces. The enigma is so solved, and the legend has begun. It was the first test drive of the first Ferrari, the Tipo 125 S, performed by Enzo himself. After returning to the factory, Enzo did not remove the smile from his face. It was a dream come true for him.

Ferrari 125 s

When Enzo's Auto Avio Construzioni factory was rebuilt after the bombing of Allied forces in World War II, the realization of Ferrari's vision could finally begin in Maranello. At the same time, the contract with Alfa Romeo by which Enzo should not have used his last name on cars. To that end, the first Ferrari was created, Enzo brought in the best expert to put into action an obsession that Enzo had been wagging since his teens - a 12-cylinder engine.

At that time, a 12-cylinder engine was not a common thing. The evolution of the engine then came to 6 cylinders with the exception of American V12 engines which from the beginning tended to have as much volume as possible. Nevertheless, Enzo had a vision that, as it turns out today, was well-founded. The genius Gioachino Colombo arrives in Maranello. Colombo caught Enzo's eye, proving his skill.

Prior to Ferrari, Colombo was employed by Alfie which invited him to the team after he won the national competition with the so-called project. "Superchazapremirgera". Work on the "V12 project" began in a small factory. Colombo did his best, and Enzo was visibly excited. The displacement of the engine was 1497 ccm, which gave a maximum power of exactly 100 hp at 7000 rpm.

Ferrari 125 s

A light alloy was used for the head and block of the engine and the engine was positioned longitudinally forward. The timing mechanism consisted of one camshaft in the head with two valves per cylinder. The mixer air and fuel are 3 twin Weber carburetors and power is transmitted via a five-speed rear-wheel drive gearbox.

After the job was completed, Enzo turned to the famous Italian Touring body shop. The Touring made an aluminum bodywork, which is how the car started the legend. The sports promotion of the first Ferrari did not take long. Two months later, two Ferrari 125 S ran through the streets around the city of Piacenza.

Ferrari 125 s

Why 125? The number in the name comes from the volume of one cylinder, which by multiplying by 12 gives the actual volume of the engine. Such a unique way of marking their models Ferrari used today. The 125-com was a real avalanche of Ferrari models - followed by the 159, 125 F1, 166… and today, when we admire Modena, Spyder, Maranell and the 456, we are eagerly awaiting something special!

Engine:    V12 1.5
Engine power:    100 bhp @ 7000 rpm
Top speed:    215 km/h
Car body:    Touring

Source: www.vidiauto.com