Thirty-eight years have passed since the death of Enzo Ferrari, the founder whose name became inseparable from one of the most recognisable companies and racing teams in the world. Enzo Ferrari died on Sunday, 14 August 1988, and the news was kept private until after his funeral, in accordance with the discreet arrangements surrounding his final farewell.
To mark the anniversary, we revisited the archives of the Quirinal Palace and the condolence telegram sent to the Ferrari family by Francesco Cossiga, then President of the Italian Republic. His message, dated 16 August 1988, paid tribute not only to Enzo Ferrari’s achievements in motor racing and industry, but also to the international significance that the Ferrari name had come to represent.
Enzo Ferrari died on 14 August 1988
Enzo Ferrari died at his home in Modena on Sunday, 14 August 1988. He left a sheet of paper containing his final wishes in a bedside-table drawer, written in his characteristic purple ink. The news of his death was therefore released only after the funeral had already taken place, on 15 August shortly after 8am.
The funeral was conducted in the strictest privacy, attended only by relatives and his closest friends. Enzo Ferrari was then buried in the family chapel at San Cataldo cemetery in Modena, alongside his son Dino.
The circumstances surrounding his final days and his deliberately private farewell remain an important part of the story of Enzo Ferrari’s death on 14 August 1988. His passing continues to be commemorated by generations of supporters, with the 38th anniversary of Enzo Ferrari’s death providing another opportunity to reflect on his enduring place in the history of the Scuderia.
Francesco Cossiga’s telegram to the Ferrari family
Two days after Enzo Ferrari’s death, on 16 August 1988, President Francesco Cossiga sent a telegram of condolence to the family of the man widely known as the Commendatore.
Ferrari family
Via ***
411 00 Modena
“The passing of Enzo Ferrari leaves those who knew him and appreciated his outstanding human and professional qualities with the memory of a profound and sensitive man, driven by an extraordinary and tenacious passion for sport that made him a symbol of motor racing.
“A pioneer of the Italian racing car industry and an entrepreneur of exceptional ability, Enzo Ferrari indissolubly linked his name to thrilling victories on racing circuits throughout the world, contributing with determination and irreplaceable professionalism to enhancing the prestige of Italian automotive production and to spreading this sport at the highest levels.
“On many occasions, the Ferrari name and marque became identified throughout the world with our country’s ability to respond successfully to the ever-changing challenges of technological progress, offering an image of efficiency and unmistakable style.
“As I pay him a final and deeply felt tribute today, I wish to express to his loved ones my profound and heartfelt condolences.
“Francesco Cossiga.”
A tribute to Enzo Ferrari’s place in Italian motorsport
Cossiga’s telegram presented Enzo Ferrari as far more than a successful racing entrepreneur. The President highlighted his human qualities, his determination and the sporting passion that had made him a symbol of motor racing, while also emphasising Ferrari’s role in projecting Italian engineering, technology and style around the world.
That connection between the founder and the identity of the Scuderia remains central to Ferrari’s history in Formula 1. Thirty-eight years after Enzo Ferrari’s death, the telegram provides a contemporary record of how his achievements were viewed at the highest institutional level in Italy at the moment of his passing.
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