Andrea Cordovani tells the story of the failed kidnapping of Enzo Ferrari in 1975
Is there still something about Enzo Ferrari that has not yet been said or written? The doubt always lingers, given the immense stature of the man. And these days, an entirely new story appears in bookstores: the attempted kidnapping of Ferrari by the Clan dei Marsigliesi, a criminal gang that dominated Italian crime pages for many years.
Yes, it was indeed the Marsigliesi who planned to kidnap the most famous car manufacturer, but fortunately the plan never came to fruition, even though it came dangerously close. It was an episode that was never discussed in depth and, at the time – in the autumn of 1975 – was kept completely silent at Ferrari’s own request. Andrea Cordovani, editor of Autosprint, after years of research, managed to reconstruct every stage of what happened during those days and tells the story in a remarkable 220-page book published by Minerva (€18), titled “Il Mito da rapire, Enzo Ferrari e l’ombra dei sequestri”. The preface is written by Stefano Tamburini.
Andrea Cordovani immerses the reader in the atmosphere of that troubled decade during which – according to data from the Ministry of the Interior – there were as many as 489 kidnappings, culminating in the abduction of Aldo Moro. Those were years of fear and confusion, when the country was adrift and people lived in constant anxiety. No one could feel truly safe anymore, least of all those who possessed great wealth such as entrepreneurs, industrialists, sportsmen, and show business personalities. And then there were the politicians, who were targeted for entirely different and often obscure reasons.
The person who leads Andrea Cordovani into the details of the failed Ferrari kidnapping is Dino Tagliazucchi, the driver of the “Old Man,” the one who was always by his side. And so the narrative takes us into the secret meetings in Hammamet, Tunisia, where the Clan dei Marsigliesi planned a series of kidnappings to be carried out in Italy within a short time. Among their victims were jeweller Gianni Bulgari, who had even raced Ferraris as a gentleman driver in events like the Targa Florio, and coffee magnate Alfredo Danesi – both eventually released after huge ransom payments. The third intended target was Ferrari himself, the most famous Italian of all, who had been under surveillance for some time by men sent ahead by the gang leader, Albert Bergamelli. Everything was ready. The plan was for Enzo Ferrari to be intercepted and kidnapped as he left his barber’s shop in Via Canalgrande, Modena, where he went every day. There were stakeouts, checks, and daily surveillance carried out by the gang members aboard an unremarkable Fiat 127 with Varese license plates.
Until one day, a police officer from the Modena Mobile Unit, Pino Zaccaria, noticed strange movements and suspicious-looking individuals loitering on the street, pretending not to know one another. Acting on an instinct, he suddenly decided to arrest them both on October 25, 1975 – just as they were about to act, with other accomplices waiting nearby. They had been waiting for Ferrari to leave the shop and head for Maranello, where a press conference was scheduled for 2 p.m. to present the 1976 racing programme.
Enzo Ferrari never even realised what was happening just a few metres away from him, as the police discreetly and swiftly intervened. The kidnapping was thwarted, the two criminals were arrested, and the entire plan was uncovered. But it did not end there. Four years later, Ferrari faced another shocking moment: an attempt to steal the remains of his son Dino from the family tomb. Such events leave a deep and lasting mark on a man’s life.
Andrea Cordovani’s book brings to light countless episodes, coincidences, and collateral details that emerge from this story. It reads like a novel – but with real people and true events.
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