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

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.

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.