Ferrari 125 S History

The Ferrari 125 S was the first car to bear the Ferrari name, making its debut on 11 May 1947 at the Piacenza Circuit. Built by a small team at the Maranello factory, it was powered by a Gioacchino Colombo-designed 1.5-litre V12 producing around 118 hp — modest by later standards but a statement of intent from Enzo Ferrari.

Only two examples were built, both raced in 1947 and then subsequently rebuilt into different models as Ferrari iterated quickly. The 125 S established the V12 as the marque's founding philosophy and the open barchetta body as its early race-car template.