Ferrari means red. It means racing. Excellence, luxury, and performance.

Less well-known is the man behind the brand.

For nearly seventy years, Enzo Ferrari dominated a motor-sports empire that defined the world of high-performance cars.

Next to the Pope, Ferrari was the most revered man in Italy. But was he the benign padrone portrayed by an adoring world press at the time, or was he a ruthless despot, who drove his staff to the edge of madness, and his racing drivers even further?

Brock Yates's definitive biography penetrated Ferrari's elaborately constructed veneer and uncovered the truth behind Ferrari's bizarre relationships, his work with Mussolini's fascists, and his fanatical obsession with speed.

"A fascinating and provocative book" The Observer.