Prancing Horse

The logo of luxury automaker Ferrari is the Prancing Horse (Italian: Cavallino Rampante, lit. 'little prancing horse'), a prancing black horse on a yellow background. The design was originally created by Francesco Baracca, an Italian flying ace and war hero.

Tifosi flying Prancing Horse flags at the Italian Grand Prix (left); a statue of the Prancing Horse in Maranello, near Ferrari's factory (right).

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.[1]

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 airplane, 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.[1][2][3]: 43  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.[1][2]

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.[3]: 36  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.[3]: 39–40 

Francesco Baracca, originator of the Prancing Horse

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.[3]: 38 [4] Many additions to the story circulate, including claims that the horse references a stallion Baracca owned, or that it was originally red, only painted black after Baracca's death in an act of mourning by his squadron mates.[5] In defiance to the latter claim, the Museo Francesco Baracca has found evidence that the horse was black during Baracca's lifetime.[4]

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.[1] 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.[3]: 38 

Other users
Taglioni's horse on the front of a Ducati racing motorcycle.

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.[3]: 48 [6]

Steinwinter, 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.[7]

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 also produced similar moose designs copying the Porsche and Lamborghini logos. Stickers and other merchandise featuring the moose were sold without issue, whether from Ferrari or from Volvo, until 2018, when Volvo sent Barton a cease and desist letter regarding his use of the company's trademarks. Barton continued to sell stickers after the letter was received, but removed the Volvo logo and other associated trademarks.[8]

See also

References
  1. "Prances With Horse: The History of the Ferrari Logo". Motor Trend. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  2. "The Début of the Prancing Horse". Ferrari Magazine. 2 April 2019. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  3. Aversa, Paolo; Schreiter, Katrin; Guerrini, Filippo (26 July 2021). "The Birth of a Business Icon through Cultural Branding: Ferrari and the Prancing Horse, 1923–1947". Enterprise & Society. 24 (1): 28–58. doi:10.1017/eso.2021.22. eISSN 1467-2235. ISSN 1467-2227.
  4. "The prancing horse". Museo Francesco Baracca. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  5. "Ferrari's Prancing Horse – Il Cavallino Rampante". Ferrari of San Francisco. 24 December 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  6. Siahaan, Troy (22 July 2022). "Insider Stories From The Ducati Museum". Motorcycle.com. Retrieved 13 March 2023. Fabio Taglioni was family friends with the Baracca family, as Fabio's father fought alongside Baracca in the war. When the younger Taglioni grew to prominence at Ducati, Baracca's mother granted Taglioni permission to use the prancing horse symbol, which wasn't something she granted lightly.
  7. Strohl, Daniel (23 September 2009). "As for Jetto's truck..." Hemmings Motor News. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  8. Strohl, Daniel (10 September 2018). "Prancing moose creator sent cease and desist letter by Volvo". Hemmings Motor News. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
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