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When Enzo Said No...
Fresh details have emerged about the collapse of the Ford-Ferrari talks on 20 May 1963, after 22 days of intense negotiations.
Franco Gozzi, Enzo Ferrari's personal secretary, has written in an Italian auto magazine about a clause in the proposed contract that killed the deal.
It required Ferrari to submit to Ford, "for quick approval", any racing team budget over L450 million. That equalled $257,000 at the time, the amount of Ferrari's race budget for the 1963 season.
Enzo Ferrari exploded when he came across the provision during a negotiating session, underlining the words "submit" and "to obtain" twice with his famous violet ink pen.
According to Gozzi, Ferrari said the clause "seriously compromised the total freedom I had been promised as racing team director." He then filled the room with a string of insults - using words which Gozzi said "you would not find in any dictionary."
It was 10 p.m. Ferrari turned to Gozzi and said quietly, "Let's get something to eat." They walked out, leaving the 14-member Ford delegation sitting speechless. The talks had ended forever.
When Fiat did its deal with Ferrari, Enzo Ferrari got total control of the racing team - and no budget limit.
(Source : Automotive News Europe) Click here to return to the Ferrari Happenings page.
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