They say that a picture can speak a thousand words, and better yet words that transcend languages and boarders. The image of a black prancing horse on a yellow background immediately gets people thinking about fast cars, the colour red and success. It’s such a provocative logo that today is amongst the best known in the world, but where did Ferrari get its logo?
While the Prancing Horse has been through several iterations, Ferrari has stuck to its roots over the decades – unlike many other brands that change their logo every handful of years. So where does the horse get its story? Why does it live on a yellow background?
The symbol of a prancing horse was synonymous with Italian World War 1 flying ace Count Francesco Baracca. He painted it on his aircraft and racked up 34 dogfighting victories before his untimely death in 1918. Again, why a horse? His squadron was actually part of a cavalry regiment. There is some debate as to the exacting reasons for his insignia, some saying it was inspired by something he’d seen on a German plane, but what came next is historical fact.
Enzo Ferrari was a racer before he ran his own team and eventually became a constructor himself. In 1923 Enzo won a race in Ravenna where he actually met the mother of Baracca. She requested that Ferrari used the image of the horse on his cars to bring him luck on track, something he did, but not until 1932 on an Alfa Romeo he piloted. Ferrari won the Spa 24 hour endurance race that year, proving in his mind that the horse was indeed lucky. However, the horse was given a more personal touch thanks to a yellow background, something reflective of Enzo Ferrari’s birthplace in Modena.
The Ferrari logo officially sits on a shield that incorporates the Italian flag to highlight national pride. Ever wondered what the S and F stood for? Scuderia Ferrari, meaning stable of Ferrari and the official name of the grand prix team.
The Ferrari logo is a story of iconic men, luck and pride in where you come from. Had Ferrari not met Countess Baracca on that day in 1917, who knows what Ferrari’s logo would be.
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Keyword: Why is Ferrari's logo a horse?