How Ferrari went from a race-car company to a multi-billion-dollar luxury brand

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Ferrari History

AP

After nearly 70 years in business, Ferrari completed an IPO on the New York Stock Exchange in 2015 that valued the company at nearly $10 billion. Today, the carmaker has one of the most valuable and recognizable brands in the world; its "prancing horse" logo is synonymous with sex, money and the high life.

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Ferrari wasn't always the global luxury brand that's now being traded in New York. The company's early days as a maker of racing cars were rather humble, and it took an Italian-American racing star named Chinetti to begin the transformation into a purveyor of glamorous supercars for the world's well heeled.

The company's success drew takeover interest, and later rivalry, from Ford - before Ferrari eventually became part of FIAT. With the IPO, Ferrari is on its way to becoming an independent company again.

This is its story.