"Piero Ferrari is the son of company founder Enzo Ferrari. He has seen the famed Italian constructor of the world’s most charismatic sports and racing cars go from a small company to the current international powerhouse. That makes him the perfect window into Ferrari’s illustrious past and exciting present and future.

Congenial, relaxed, and possessor of a low-key sense of humor that puts most anyone at ease, Piero Ferrari was born in 1945. Though he had a love of the sea, sports and power boats as a child, what dominated his youth were “cars and, if I could say, engines. I love engines. When I was young, in front of my house was a mechanic who worked on motorcycles. He rebuilt engines and performed heavy maintenance, so I was always looking at engines.”

Piero began working with Federico Giberti, an old time employee from his father’s days with Alfa Romeo in the 1930s. No sooner were his feet on the ground than he was involved in Ferrari’s competition efforts.

In the mid-1970s Piero began to carry a much bigger stick. “My first real involvement happened during in the (Niki) Lauda period,” he remembers. “He won two Formula 1 championships with us, and I was watching over the organization of the racing department, the people and the purchasing.

“That period really started my complete involvement in racing. From then on, my father used me to interface with a lot of problems. He was dealing through me with many people inside the factory, using me because I was available even in the evening, when we were at home. After dinner he was calling, ‘Piero, come down, come down.’ Every evening, he had a problem. ‘Remember tomorrow...’ he would say.”

Ferrari remained an integral part of the competition scene until 1988, the year his father passed away. “It seems like yesterday,” he says, laughing. “With all the fighting, fighting with my father. After that, I am here in the executive offices.”

Today, Piero Ferrari can only marvel at the success Ferrari is experiencing. As this article is being written Ferrari just on the verge of its fourth consecutive Formula 1 driver’s championship and fifth consecutive constructor’s championship. Its road cars are equally hot. The 360 Modena coupe and Spider still have waiting lists and the $650,000 Enzo saw so much demand that production was increased almost 20%.

Also occupying everyone’s time is Ferrari’s purchase of arch-rival Maserati. A string of new products is the result of the 1998 acquisition, the most recent being the beautiful $90,000+ Quattroporte sedan that will go on sale in summer 2004.

When I queried Piero if it seemed strange to him to see a handful of Maseratis parked in Ferrari’s courtyard, “at first it did,” he chuckles. “But it seems to be a good thing, a good fit for both companies. I would really prefer to have them part of our family than part of someone else’s."[Via millionaire.com]