The Ferrari 500, designed by Aurelio Lampredi, was a Formula 2 racing car used by Ferrari in 1952 and 1953, during which the World Championship was run under F2 regulations. This change came after Alfa Romeo withdrew from the sport, and Ferrari was the only team with a car specifically designed for the new formula. The Ferrari 500 had an innovative inline four-cylinder engine placed behind the front axle for improved weight distribution. Alberto Ascari leveraged this design to dominate the championship, winning all but one race in 1952 and nearly repeating this feat in 1953, only missing out on the final race victory to Juan Manuel Fangio. Ascari's streak of seven consecutive World Championship race wins in the 500 stood as a record until Sebastian Vettel surpassed it in 2013. If excluding the 1953 Indianapolis 500, which followed a different formula, Ascari's run extends to nine consecutive wins.
Enzo's Legacy is an interactive timeline of all Ferrari models ever made.