August 15, 1947 – Ferrari makes its racing debut

On this day in 1947 a little prancing horse known as Ferrari made its racetrack debut at Circuito di Pescara in Pescara, Italy. Franco Cortese drove a Ferrari 159 Spyder to a second place finish behind Vincenzo Auricchio in his Stanguellini. The car survives today and is considered the oldest Ferrari in existence. It is currently owned by a Ferrari collector and restorer in Italy, but it does not contain all of its original parts. In the years following the car’s debut, it underwent several rebuilds to keep up with more modern racing cars.