La trattativa (The Negotiation) tells the story of one of the most extraordinary corporate negotiations of the twentieth century. For almost a decade, three industrial giants—Ford, Alfa Romeo and Fiat—each attempted to acquire Ferrari. Only one succeeded.
At the centre of the story stands Enzo Ferrari, a man widely believed to have been unwilling to sell his company. The documentary evidence tells a rather different story. Ferrari was prepared to sell—but only on terms that would preserve what mattered most to him: complete control over his racing team.
Drawing on previously unpublished archival material, including confidential papers belonging to Henry Ford II, Alfa Romeo president Giuseppe Luraghi and Gianni Agnelli, La trattativa reconstructs every stage of the three negotiations, revealing how close Ferrari came to becoming part of very different industrial empires before ultimately choosing Fiat.
What fascinated me most while researching this book was not the financial dimension of the story, but the people behind it. At its heart, this is a book about negotiation, personality and power. Four remarkable individuals—Enzo Ferrari, Henry Ford II, Giuseppe Luraghi and Gianni Agnelli—each convinced that they understood the value of Ferrari, each determined to shape its future, and each playing a very different game.
The result is a work of narrative history built entirely on original documentation, yet unfolding with the pace and tension of a political thriller. It takes the reader from the boardrooms of Detroit, Milan and Turin to Enzo Ferrari’s office in Maranello, where one of the most consequential business decisions in automotive history was ultimately made.
“Perhaps the greatest surprise of all is that this story remained untold for so long.”
