I’m sure you’ve noticed that Porsche and Ferrari each use a prancing horse in its logo. Did they both agree that a horse would be the best representation of superior horsepower? Is there some mysterious connection between the two companies that we didn’t know about? Or did the WWI pilot Francesco Barraca steal it from Porsche after shooting down a pilot from Stuttgart? (Source: Continental Autosports, “What Does the Ferrari Logo Symbolize?”)
The answer is stranger than any conspiracy theory.
The Ferrari Prancing Horse
On June 17, 1923, Enzo Ferrari met Count Enrico Baracca and his wife, Countess Paolina, who were the proud parents of pilot Francesco Barraca. They were congratulating Ferrari for his win at the first Savio Circuit in Ravenna. The Countess suggested that Ferrari put on his cars the flying ace’s prancing horse logo for good luck. Ferrari put the black horse on a yellow background, since it was the color of his hometown, Modena.
However, Ferrari didn’t actually apply the logo to his cars until July 9, 1932.He first added it to the Alfa Romeo cars used by Scuderia at the time. The logo’s first appearance was at the Spa 24 Hours, an endurance race held on roads linking villages in the Belgian Ardennes. And the prancing horse did bring luck. The Scuderia 8C 2300 MM, driven by Antonio Brivio and Eugenio Seiena won.
In 1947, the logo finally made its way to a Ferrari. It appeared on the 125S, the first Ferrari made. It brought luck to driver Franco Cortese in the Rome Grand Prix. (Ferrari, “The Debut of the Prancing Horse.” April 2, 2019.)
The history of the prancing horse may go back even further than World War I. According to the Museo del Marchio Italiano, a design resembling the Ferrari logo was used in 1692. It appeared on the banners of the Royal Piedmont Regiment of the Duke of Savoy, Vittorio Amadeo II. The Duke helped fight the Nine Years’ War against France. (Source: Continental Autosports, “What Does the Ferrari Logo Symbolize?”)
The Porsche Prancing Horse
The Porsche logo pays homage to Stuttgart, Germany, the town where the racecars were founded. Stuttgart was originally built on the site of a major horse-breeding farm. As a result, horses have always been part of the Stuttgart city seal.
In 1936, Porsche engineer Xaver Reimspiess designed the logo. It is a combination of the coats of arms of both the state of Wurttemberg and the city of Stuttgart. Wurttemberg contributed the three black stag antlers and Stuttgart the prancing horse.
In 1952, Porsche first placed the logo on the white steering wheel of the 356 Pre-A. Although the company was created in 1931,it really only did consulting for other companies until after World War II. (Sources: Hendrick Porsche, “The Meaning of the Porsche Logo.” Porsche St. Paul, ” What Does the Porsche Car Logo Stand For?”)
Who Stole the Logo From Whom?
Is it possible that Ferrari “stole” the prancing horse logo from Porsche? If you stretch the truth, you could possibly say both Ferrari (via Barraca) and Porsche lifted the prancing horse from the city of Stuttgart. In fact, the name “Stute” is German for “female horse,” and “garten” translates to “garden.” In other words, the name Stuttgart literally means garden of horses.
In 1312, the town’s first seal was two running horses, presumably a mare and her foal. In 1433, the town switched to a single horse, and it became black in 1490. In 1642, the horse started prancing instead of running. (Source: Heraldry of the World, “Stuttgart.”)
Of course, the city of Stuttgart is probably more than happy to be associated, and even promoted, by two of the fastest and most successful auto brands in the world. At least, there have been no lawsuit claims laid against either Ferrari or Porsche for copyright infringement…yet.
