The logo of luxury automaker Ferrari is the Prancing Horse (), a prancing black horse on a yellow background. The design was originally created by Francesco Baracca, an Italian flying ace during World War I, as an insignia to be displayed on his aeroplane.

The logo is generally presented in one of two ways: either as a shield, with the Italian tricolour above the horse and the initials SF ("Scuderia Ferrari") below; or as a rectangle, replacing "SF" with the word "Ferrari" rendered in the company's trademark typeface.

History

Enzo Ferrari offered an account of the horse's origins. In his story, after a 1923 victory in Ravenna, the family of Francesco Baracca, a deceased flying ace who painted the emblem on his aeroplane, paid him a visit. Paolina de Biancoli, Francesco's mother, suggested that Ferrari adopt the horse as a good luck charm: he accepted the request, and the Prancing Horse was first used by his racing team at the 1932 Spa 24 Hours, applied to their Alfa Romeo 8C. Ferrari made several adjustments to the horse's design including adding the Italian tricolour, changing the position of the horse's legs and tail, and placing it inside a canary yellow shield — the "colour of Modena," Enzo's hometown. The rectangular Prancing Horse has been used since 1947, when the Ferrari 125 S — also the first Ferrari sports car — became the first to wear it. The rectangular Prancing Horse has been used since 1947, when the Ferrari 125 S — also the first Ferrari sports car — became the first to wear it.

It is unknown exactly why Biancoli gave Enzo, a relatively unremarkable racing driver, permission to use the symbol. Many explanations focus on their intersecting life experiences, which include Baracca's studies at the Military Academy of Modena, and Enzo's older brother having volunteered for Baracca's squadron's ground crew. Additionally, anything associated with Baracca was positively received within the cultural landscape of Fascist Italy which, drawing from the Futurist art movement, idolized speed, machinery, and military sacrifice.

Prior use by Francesco Baracca 
Baracca himself claimed to have adopted the horse in tribute to a cavalry regiment he once belonged to, which had used a similar symbol since 1692. Many additions to the story circulate, however, including claims that the horse stems from Baracca's equestrian hobby, that it references a specific stallion he owned, or that it was originally red, only painted black after Baracca's death in an act of mourning by his squadron mates. In defiance to the final claim, the Museo Francesco Baracca has found evidence that the horse was black during Baracca's lifetime.

One version of the story claims that the emblem originated as a kill mark, applied after Baracca shot down a German pilot from Stuttgart, a city whose coat of arms depicts a similar horse. If true, this would make the Prancing Horse distantly related to the horse found on Porsche's logo, itself derived from the arms of Stuttgart. Though this claim is plausible — it was common at the time for aces to paint an opponent's coat of arms on their planes — it does not appear to have any supporting evidence, and the Museo Francesco Baracca holds no documents that support the idea.

Other users

Fabio Taglioni, an influential engineer for Ducati, applied the same emblem to many of his motorcycles. Similar to Ferrari, he did this in tribute to Francesco Baracca: Taglioni's father had fought alongside the ace in World War I, and the two families remained in friendship with one another afterwards. As Taglioni rose in prominence within Ducati, Francesco's mother, the same woman who gave Enzo Ferrari permission to use the horse, also allowed him to do so. Rather than using Baracca's original horse, Taglioni elected to use the redesigned version created by Ferrari. Ducati stopped using the emblem after 1961.

, a specialty automaker from Germany, used a prancing horse logo quite similar to Ferrari's. Like Porsche, the logo is in fact derived from Stuttgart's coat of arms.

A "prancing moose" emblem imitating the Ferrari logo is popular among Volvo enthusiasts. The emblem was created by enthusiast Dave Barton in 2005 and copyrighted in 2007. Barton has also produced similar moose designs copying the Porsche and Lamborghini logos.

See also
Identity of Ferrari

References

Commercial logos
Ferrari