9781422285176

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.

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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.