THE STORIES OF FERRARI

THE MILLE MIGLIA

As Enzo Ferrari saw it, he was in the business of selling cars in order to fuel his passion for racing. Those two vectors collided in 1957 with Enzo on the verge of insolvency. His solution: win the Mille Miglia (Thousand Miles), Italy's preeminent endurance race during the first half of the 20th Century. With the fame and glory and attention of such a victory would come increased sales, and as a result, make Ferrari attractive to financiers on his terms. The Mille Miglia was a dangerous race in a dangerous era of racing. But the focus required makes the act of racing something akin to meditation, in the estimation of actor Patrick Dempsey, who stars as 1957 Mille Migila victor Piero Tarrufi and who has earned his share of podium finishes as a driver himself. With potential dangers lurking at every turn, there's a cleansing process of the mind where all extraneous thought recedes.