What are the memories of war and victory engraved on Ferrari’s Prancing Horse? [Car Emblem Secrets 10: Ferrari]

Its roots lie in World War I fighter planes

Enzo Ferrari wrote that Countess Baracca encouraged him to use the Prancing Horse logo.

The emblem’s roots go back to Francesco Baracca, an Italian Air Force ace pilot who served in World War I. His fighter planes featured a rearing black horse. Baracca was killed in action in 1918, but his exploits were widely celebrated in Italy.

The destinies of Enzo Ferrari and the Prancing Horse intersected in 1923. Enzo met Baracca’s parents (Count Enrico and Countess Paolina) during his first victory at the Savio Circuit in Ravenna. He later wrote of the conversation:

“The Countess said to me: ‘Mr. Ferrari, why don’t you put my son’s Prancing Horse on your car? It will bring you good luck.’ The horse was originally black and will remain so. I added a canary yellow background, the color of my hometown, Modena.”

The first Prancing Horse wasn’t painted on a Ferrari car

The "125 S" was the first car Ferrari released as a car manufacturer (at the Ferrari Museum). — The 125 S was the first car Ferrari released as an automobile manufacturer (at the Ferrari Museum).

It took some time for the Prancing Horse to actually be seen on the race track. In 1929, Enzo founded his own racing team, Scuderia Ferrari, and in 1932 the Prancing Horse first appeared on a car at the Spa 24 Hours race held at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium.

However, the car used this time was the Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 MM, as Scuderia Ferrari was using Alfa Romeo cars for its motorsport activities at the time. The two cars, bearing the Prancing Horse emblem, finished 1-2, proving the “good fortune” that Madame Baracca spoke of.

In 1947, Ferrari finally began its history as an automobile manufacturer with the in-house manufactured car, the 125 S. This car won its debut race at the Rome Grand Prix and was the first Ferrari to bear the Prancing Horse name.

The meaning of the emblem developed along with racing

The prancing horse emblem continued to win numerous prestigious races, including F1, Le Mans, and Daytona, elevating it to more than just a symbol of the brand. This pride was passed on to production cars, and for Ferrari, the prancing horse became an icon symbolizing passion, glory, and acceleration into the future.

Currently, there are two types of Ferrari emblems. One is a shield-shaped emblem, and the other is a vertically long rectangle. The shield-shaped emblem features a prancing horse as well as the initials “S” and “F” of Scuderia Ferrari (the racing division). It is used on racing cars and racing-related items, and is sometimes attached to the front fenders of production cars.

On the other hand, the rectangular type serves as a symbol of the entire brand and is used on the hoods of commercial vehicles. It is also sometimes used on key chains and promotional goods. F1 cars also have this vertical emblem on the nose. This is thought to be a reflection of the fact that works is a corporate activity.

The same horse as Porsche?

There is also a theory that the origin of the “prancing horse” is the same as that of Porsche. It is said that the horse Baracca painted was painted on a German military plane he shot down. Since the German pilot was from Stuttgart, it is said that he had the black horse from the city’s coat of arms engraved on the plane.

As mentioned in the first installment of this series, the black horse on the Porsche “crest” is based on the coat of arms of the city of Stuttgart. If the fighter plane story is true, then the origin of the horse for both Ferrari and Porsche is exactly the same. The veracity of this theory is uncertain, but it is an interesting coincidence that two major brands, Ferrari and Porsche, both use the prancing horse as their symbol.

PHOTO／Ferrari