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Some 30 years before the first Ferrari automobiles took to track, the symbol that would identify them had already been born. The story of the Cavallino Rampante, or "Prancing Horse," is at once simple, intriguing and touching.
In the 1920s, Enzo Ferrari met Count Enrico Baracca and his wife, Countess Paolina Baracca. The Countess would suggest to Ferrari that his racing team adopt the symbol their deceased son had used on his fighter planes in WWI — a red rearing horse.
Francesco Baracca, Italy's greatest WWI flying Ace with 34 kills, was shot down in 1918 at age 20. The horse painted on his planes was thought to represent his own stallion, Nibbio. After his death, the squadron's airplanes carried his symbol, but with the horse painted black to honor the fallen man.
Ferrari first used Baracca's horse on his team's Grand Prix racers that won the 1932 Spa-Francorchamps 24-hour race. Ferrari set the black horse against a yellow background, the official color of his hometown, Modena. In his 1963 autobiography, "My Terrible Joys," Ferrari recounted the story, writing, "I still have Baracca's photograph, with his parents' dedication in which they entrust the horse to me."
Though redesigned twice since — in 1994 and again in 2002 — the Cavallino Rampante remains close to original design. The rectangular badge on the nose of Ferrari automobiles displays the black horse and the brand name on a yellow field; the optional fender shields recall the original Scuderia Ferrari symbol, with the letters S F flanking the horse. On both, the green, white and red stripes honor the Italian flag.
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