FROM THE VAULT

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I am still attempting to have rectified the glitch that is preventing Bytes being emailed to subscribers. My apologies, Byters.

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For that reason, today’s post is an item from the vault, from December 9, 2010, actually:

The Ferrari Logo

Ferrari S p A, the Italian car manufacturer, was founded in 1929 by Enzo Ferrari as Scuderia Ferrari.

The famous Cavallino Rampante ("prancing horse") emblem came about when Ferrari won an Italian motor race in 1923 and met Countess Paolina, mother of WW1 ace and national hero Count Francesco Baracca. Baracca used to paint a horse on the side of his planes (see below) and it was suggested by the Countess that Ferrari should do likewise with his racing cars, to bring him luck

Ferrari did so but with variations:

• Whereas Baracca’s horse had been red on a white cloud, Ferrari made his horse black, just as Baracca’s squadron had done after Baracca was killed in action. 
• He also made the background canary yellow, the colour of the city of Modena, his birthplace. 
• The horse design is also quite different in style, with the tail noticeably up instead of down. 
• He also added the colours red, green and white, the Italian national colours, and the letters S F for Scuderia Ferrari

The prancing horse predates both Baracca and Ferrari.

The motif has been found on ancient coins

The black prancing horse on a yellow shield is the coat of arms of Stuttgart in Germany, the home of Mercedes Benz, It is also the home of the design bureau of Porsche, which incorporates the Stuttgart sign in its corporate logo,

Ducati motorbikes used the prancing horse motif but abandoned it as Ferrari fame grew,

Avanti service stations still use the emblem in Europe. Look similar?...