Millions of dollars go into developing logos for marquee brands, but Italian automakers have a habit of infusing theirs with heritage and history.
As much as the best Italian performance cars have pushed boundaries in performance and styling, there’s also another element that makes them so desirable among collectors. It’s hard to define exactly what that is, but it’s probably best summed up as heritage. These cars tell the stories behind the founding and successes of each Italian brand, the passion that drives the desire to build the world’s greatest cars, and the imagery of legendary racing drivers piloting their racing creations.
The one piece of any Italian sports car that arguably ties it to that heritage more than anything else is the logo on its hood. The very best are recognised the world over, and have the added bonus of being among the coolest vintage car logos ever designed. Virtually every car enthusiast will recognize them, although not everyone might be aware of their origins, some of which took inspiration from unlikely sources.Ferrari
The prancing horse adorning every Ferrari is one of the most instantly recognizable logos in the automotive world. Its origins stretch back far beyond the establishment of the Ferrari brand, to the First World War. It first appeared as a logo on the fighter planes flown by renowned Italian pilot Francesco Baracca. About 5 years after the end of the war, Baracca’s parents met Enzo Ferrari, then a young racer. The story goes that they suggested to Ferrari that he put the black prancing horse on his machines, just like their son did, as it would give him better luck.
Ferrari liked the idea and began to use the image on his race cars, complete with a yellow background to pay tribute to the official color of his home city, Modena. He later formed the Scuderia Ferrari race team, which again used the black prancing horse logo with a yellow background, although initially the race team used Alfa Romeo race cars. The team’s racing success, combined with its founder’s successful personal racing career, was enough to convince him that the logo was indeed a provider of luck.
After parting ways with Alfa Romeo, Ferrari launched his eponymous carmaking brand in 1947. The brand’s logo was never in doubt: It was to be the same prancing horse that had brought him good fortune for more than two decades already. It’s since taken pride of place on all of Ferrari’s best-looking cars, and brought its maker countless more race victories.
