THE ENZO FERRARI STORY

(YA) The most interesting part of Ferrari's memoir-autobiography (called originally My Terrible Joys) concerns his estimates of various famous racing drivers and his exposure of certain neurotic characteristics of Fangio's. Fangio, who won four World Championships, is, with Stirling Moss and Nuvolari, most often mentioned as the world's greatest racing driver. However, whenever he drove a Ferrari and lost, he insisted that he'd been sabotaged by the Ferrari company and was a victim of deceit. Mr. Ferrari succinctly, and without covering himself with ridicule, answers Fangio's charges while praising his championship abilities. (Because of differences in car structure, tire adherence and the roads themselves, he resists choosing the all-time greatest--but Moss seems to be his favorite.) The great tragedy in Mr. Ferrari's life was the death of his brilliant son Dino (of nephritis), thus prematurely ending a possible Ferrari dynasty in racing. Ferrari refuses to become a mass manufacturer because he is mainly interested in promoting new developments. ""I should like to put something new into my cars every morning..."" His autobiography begins a bit dullishly, with many car statistics and measurements, but once he gets out onto the track with the drivers he's known, things accelerate.