GRR

Red, yellow and black: Ferrari’s Prancing Horse is steeped in Italian history

30th January 2025
Rachel Roberts

While the Prancing Horse emblem transcends the automotive industry as one of the most recognisable icons in the world, Ferrari’s unmistakable logo has a rich and complex history, carrying with it the story of a fighter pilot from Lugo, the early days of international motor racing, and turbulent Italian politics.

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Before it was a racing symbol, the Cavallino Rampante (Prancing Horse) was steeped in military history. The 2nd "Piemonte Cavalleria" cavalry regiment of the Italian army, founded in the 17th century, boasts a silver prancing horse on a red background as part of its coat of arms. It was here that keen equestrian Francesco Baracca, born to a wealthy family in Lugo, Emilia-Romagna, joined in 1910, having passed through the Military Academy of Modena.  

Baracca went on to serve as a fighter pilot during World War I and it was around the beginning of 1917 that many pilots started to paint personal emblems on the fuselage of their aircraft. Drawing on his heritage as a cavalryman, Baracca adopted the horse of his past regiment for his own coat of arms – a black horse on a silver background, the change to black making it stand out better on his aircraft.

Over the course of the war, Baracca became one of Italy’s top fighter aces. He was killed in June 1918, reportedly after his aircraft was shot down by ground fire, and was viewed as a hero in his homeland.

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One such admirer was Enzo Ferrari. There are many proposed connections between the Ferrari and Baracca families – from the fact Enzo came from Modena, to his older brother, Alfredo, volunteering and dying in the service of Baracca’s squadron. The Baraccas were also patrons of the Alfa Romeo dealer where Enzo worked. He had met Francesco’s father, Enrico, in June 1923, where he drove an Alfa Romeo RL-Targa Florio to victory at the Savio Circuit.

Reflecting on the occasion, Ferrari wrote: “When I won my first Savio Circuit in Ravenna in 1923, I met Count Enrico Baracca and Countess Paolina, parents of the flying hero. One day the Countess said to me, "Ferrari, why don't you put my son's prancing horse on your cars? It'll bring you good luck." The horse was and will always be black; I added the canary yellow background, the colour of the city of Modena.”

As for the red, ‘Rosso Corsa’ is the historic racing colour of Italy, as decided in the 1920s when having distinctive colours for each competing nation’s cars made things simple in the early days of international motorsport. Nowadays it is so closely associated with Ferrari that it never feels quite right to see one in any other shade.

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Associated with the Ferrari brand since 1929, it was not until 1932 that the Prancing Horse debuted on track, adorned on the Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 models it entered into that year’s Spa 24 Hours. Ferrari took a one-two finish, with Antonio Brivio and Eugenio Siena crossing the line ahead of stable-mates Piero Taruffi and Guido D'Ippolito.

When racing was halted following the outbreak of World War II, Ferrari was required for wartime production. Favourable contracts from Mussolini’s government served the business well in this time, as perhaps did the adoption of the Baracca icon in this context, too.

Baracca’s heroic legacy made him a household name, mythologised by the Italian right wing following its rise to power in the early 1920s. Though there were clearly personal connections, Ferrari’s use of his logo could also be seen in a light of appealing to populism, gaining favour with widespread audiences and by consequence, those in power at the time.

When Ferrari stepped out on its own in 1947, the 125 S was the first model to carry the badge, and while it failed to finish at its debut outing at the Piacenza Circuit, driver Franco Cortese steered it to Ferrari’s first victory at the Rome Grand Prix weeks later.

The Prancing Horse emblem that graces each Ferrari road and track model today is largely unchanged from the original. With Baracca’s black horse and Modena’s yellow background placed on iconic Italian racing red, rich stories of military, cultural and political history are all contained within the depths of this instantly identifiable image.

Images courtesy of Getty Images.

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