Enzo/Agnelli relationship, what was it like?

If you watch some of Davide Cironi’s YouTube videos with the old engineers and designers, especially the F40 video, you get a feel for FIATs influence within Ferrari, also in Alfa Romeo in the 80’s. Its FIAT management focused.

Agnelli is rarely mentioned.

The new HBO bio documentary is a good watch - it’s called Agnelli. It’s on iTunes. I never did find a good book biography of Agnelli, but thé film présents him as a figurehead who held the business together, even Italy together, at a political level. While he definitely had fast cars in his youth which he enjoyed, (a bit too much; the accident) and he commissioned or was gifted one offs by the various car companies, the film does not suggest he was involved in leading the design or product direction, or even day to day dealings with the individual companies including Ferrari. The impression given is that was very much FIAT.

If you watch some of the rare interviews were he is asked about the people of Turin, Milan and Maranello he speaks about a culture of mechanical enthusiasm combined with artistry, but with detachment, as if he was separate from that, he just harnessed and directed the whole, not involved.

I wasn’t around in the 70’s when he would have been at his most influential, so the film is the best view I’ve seen so far. He has always been presented as an amazing leader, but I found the image presented disappointing. He certainly had immense courage and skill in holding Fiat together in the 80’s, and showed great political ability and therefore contributed greatly to Italy and saved FIAT and made it strong before the decline at the end of his life. His human failings were significant, he had no time for his children, and according to some of his most loyal friends his relationship with his son was his biggest failing, only eventually recognising his sons courage after he threw himself over 100m to his death. The suggestion is that his son might have been his successor if the dysfunction in the family had not led to his involvement with drugs. The succession problem was perhaps of his own making, tradgedy took his nephew, and he ultimately chose his grandson, John Elkann, who has made a huge success, reducing the focus on Italy and on the car industry, but who seems to be only interested in Ferrari because of its huge contribution to the group in relation to its tiny size. I havent read anything to suggest he is a car enthusiast.

 

This is Davide Cironi's film about the creation of the F40. There are English subtitles. From memory there is discussion of FIAT management, but no Agnelli.



Davide Cironi has many other films, like this about Alfa, Lancia etc which give a good idea of how FIAT ran them. There is rarely if ever, mention of Agnelli by the old engineers and designers.

This is the Agnelli bio documentary on iTunes

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/tv-season/agnelli/id1371728647

 

From a documentary I saw, it doesn't seem as though Agnelli would win an award for "Farther of the Year." He was too consumed with his privileged jet-setting lifestyle, mistresses, and the family business, to care much about his family....especially his children.

The show gave me a very negative opinion about him as a man.

 

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He's pictured with Luca di Montezemolo often

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Angelli and Ferrari had a mutual distrust / love hate. However that was early on, after the mid 70's when Ferrari started to win again Angelli realized that he had to treat Ferrari more like a "grand old Man" of the republic... vs. just a business partner. When they did the deal in 68-69- initially it was that Fiat would lease the Road car Factory from Ferrari and pay him a royalty. then in 74 that agreement came up for renewal and that is when Ferrari moved to Racing only, but for an increase in subsidy from Fiat. but then Fiat got all ownership in physical plant,and effectively that is when Ferrari road cars became Fiats. Ferrari became Chariman - in 77 - and when his wife died in 78, he was Dottore HC Ferrari... & Honorary Chariman, but was President of Reparto Corse - Racing team Ferrari. Angelli and Ferrari were not super friendly - but were more like friendly rivals. Ferrari had the option at any time during his life to repay Fiat for investment + % of future revenue to buy back the entire company and he thought about it several times in the mid 80's as a way to preserve wealth for his son and heirs ( this is why Marco Piccini was around as it was his families Monaco bank that held Ferrari's money). however he and Piero had a falling out in 86-87 over how to run the racing team and Piero was banished to the Fiat factory - Ferrari road car production. Piero went to Angelli for help but Angelli denied doing anything against the Father & his team ( this is when Piccinini and Forghire were ousted). However when Enzo died - Fiat then recognized Piero as the legitimate owner of Reparto Corse -even though by contract it went to Fiat after paying another huge sum of money. That is why he's been Vice Chairman / Vice President all these years.

Angelli rarely had much to do directly with Ferrari until after Enzo's Death. Once then he put in Ghidella as the President and Piero as VP. he knew that he had to keep Piero on a leash as he had the same idea of buying out Fiat ... but I think the "put" expired on Enzo's death. After the 1990 season when Ferrari lost the Championship -Angelli had enough and brought back Montezemolo in late 91.... other than that he stayed away from the Ferrari politics & the Ferrari Family.