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national colors. This iconic symbol,
cavallino rampante (prancing
horse), brands every Ferrari and can
be traced back to the company’s
early years. On June 17, 1923, Enzo
Ferrari was victorious in his race in
the Circuito del Savio at Ravenna
where he met Countess Paolina,
the mother of World War I hero
Francesco Baracca. Baracca would
paint a prancing red horse on a
white background on the side of
his planes, and the Countess asked
Enzo to do the same, suggesting
that it would bring him good luck.
Ferrari agreed and chose to have
the horse painted in black. The
canary yellow background on which
it stands is the color of the city of
Modena, Enzo’s birthplace.
Since the 1920s, Ferrari have
used rosso corsa as the key
color of their cars. This was the
national racing color of Italy, as
recommended by what was later
to become the FIA (Fédération
Internationale de l’Automobile).
Colors related to nationality rather
than car manufacturer or driver, so
Italian race cars including Ferrari,
Alfa Romeo, and Maserati would
be painted red, whereas French-
based manufacturer Bugatti used
blue, German-based manufacturer
Mercedez used white, and
British-based manufacturer Lotus
used green.
In 2008, Fiat increased its stake
in Ferrari and now owns 85 per
cent of the company; Enzo’s
second son, Piero Ferrari, owns 10
per cent, and the remaining five
per cent belongs to the Mubadala
Development Company.
ABOVE:
The black stallion on a
yellow shield is instantly recognizable
as the Ferrari brand.
RIGHT:
Piero Ferrari owns a minority
shareholding in Ferrari, retaining the
family’s involvement in the company.
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