Make Matters: Meaning and History of Ferrari Logo
The world-renowned sports car brand, Ferrari, is synonymous with thrill, luxury, and speed. Ferrari has a rich racing pedigree and strong heritage that goes back to a whopping hundred years and more. Similarly, the Ferrari logo is one of the most recognisable logos in the world with a story behind it. At the heart of the Ferrari logo is a prancing horse that has been a part of it for all this time.
Let’s discuss the Ferrari logo evolution and what goes behind the prancing horse that we all love.
FERRARI LOGO
Many automobile manufacturers have tried changing their logos throughout the year to drive awareness or boost their market appeal. However, Ferrari has always respected their legacy and heritage by sticking to the prancing horse for many decades. The idea of not changing their logos has done what other companies hope to achieve by introducing new designs every 5 years.
Here’s how the logo’s colour, design elements, and symbol keep up the legacy that Ferrari fans adore today.
THE ORIGIN OF FERRARI LOGO
The Ferrari car logo was introduced to the world when its owner, Enzo Ferrari (founder of the Ferrari brand) met Francesco Baracca’s parents. Francesco Baracca was an Italian fighter pilot. The Ferrari has an animal car logo. For instance, for good luck, a black horse was painted on one side of his jet, which was used in World War I.
In the 1923’s Spa 24 Hours race, Enzo was allowed to put the prancing logo inspired by the Francesco jet’s logo on his car by Alfa Romeo. Moreover, a yellow shield was added to the logo behind the horse to honour Enzo’s hometown, Modena. Eventually, after this historic race, this brand-new trademark on the racing car was officially first seen as a logo on the Ferrari 125S.
One of the interesting facts about Ferrari is that the prancing horse remains a part of the logo, and can be seen on all of its vehicles.
THE FERRARI CAR LOGO TODAY
The Ferrari logo is inherently an icon meant to represent luxury, quality, and speed. It has built and earned its position as the world-renowned automobile brand producing some of the most impressively functional and attractive cars in automobile history.
The brand’s icon is instantly recognisable for more than one reason. The unique design of the prancing black horse on a yellow rectangle background is bold, bright, and beautiful.
The three stripes at the top of the badge represent Italy, with the name “Ferrari” written in stylised font beneath the prancing horse as a true classic.
THE FERRARI LOGO EVOLUTION
1932-1939
The old Ferrari logo that debuted in the earliest years consisted of a solar shield with a black horse. On the right and left sides of the horse were letters ‘S’ and ‘F’ imprinted in thin italic font uppercase. These were initials for “Scuderia Ferrari” while the top three stripes were in the colour of the Italian flag.
For the first time, this logo was seen during the Spa Grand Prix race held in 1932 . Since then, the Ferrari logo has graced all branded products and has been approved as the official and main symbol of Ferrari.
1947-2002
In the year 1947, Ferrari made small changes to its logo for the first time. Although most of the symbols remained the same, these changes were significant to the design because they occurred nearly 15 years since its inception.
The first difference was in the colours, which ultimately became brighter and more eye-catching than earlier versions. The other major difference was in the shape of the logo background, which evolved from a shield to a rectangle with rounded edges.
And lastly, the lines representing the Italian flag got distanced from the black lines. The Ferrari logo font also replaced the previous “SF.”
2002 TO PRESENT
The next major difference to the Ferrari logo appeared in 2002. This time, it evolved into a design we see today on all its models. Ideally, the Ferrari horse logo looks similar to the design chosen before it in 1947 but there were few subtle changes.
The most visible change was in the flag. The black lines were removed that were previously between the red, green and white stripes. Also, the contours were polished to give a clean look overall. The badge thus became more elegant and smooth.
THE FERRARI SYMBOL
The Ferrari symbol is a horse on its hind legs. This particular position of the horse in the logo symbolises power, speed and victory. The horse standing on its hind leg symbol is often seen on different Ferrari car models in silver as a badge. Besides, the first 1932 Ferrari logo with ‘S’ and ‘F’ written on the yellow shield appears as a badge near the side mirrors of Ferrari cars.
THE FERRARI EMBLEM
As mentioned earlier, the design of the Ferrari logo is very similar to what was introduced in 1947. A more enhanced version of the design is seen on the edge of the Ferrari’s hood and bonnet.
FERRARI LOGO MEANING
Like other iconic auto brands’ logos, the Ferrari car logo also has a significant meaning.
The horse in the logo means strength, endurance, and speed. These characteristics do justice in representing the brand’s attributes as well. Moreover, thoroughbred horses are equated with elite property that fits well with Ferrari’s luxury sports cars.
The black colour was added as a mourning sign for the pilot Francesco Baracca, while yellow colour was added to pay a tribute to Modena, which is the founder’s hometown.
FERRARI LOGO COLOURS
The colour in the Ferrari logo also holds a significant meaning. The central figure, black horse, represents extravagance and power. The Italian tricolour used in all variants were also important to the brand’s identity.
The yellow background not only adds to the brightness of the logo and indicates festivity but also represents Enzo’s hometown Modena. The black colour of the horse in the centre, besides depicting luxury and power, symbolises mourning for the very man who had inspired the inception of the Ferrari logo.
This was all about one of the Italian car brands’ logo history and meaning. The brand has produced some of the best cars in the world that have outperformed its peers and has also produced phenomenal racing cars.
Hence, if the rich history of Ferrari and its logo impresses you and you wish to own one of its models, then you can browse the list of used Ferrari cars in the UAE.
Stay tuned to the popular auto blog of the UAE for information on different automobile brands’ logo meaning, history, their new car launches and a lot more.