The 1923 Circuito del Savio GP in northern Italy was the first victory at the wheel for a little-known young racer, Enzo Ferrari.
Enzo met Count Enrico Baracca at the same event, and the two men became lasting friends.
Count Enrico’s son, Francesco, was a revered First World War pilot killed in action.
The Count’s wife, Contessa Paolini Biancoli, encouraged Enzo to use the Red Horse symbol Francesco displayed on his bi-planes fuselage for ‘good luck.’
Enzo adopted the emblem, which became black on a yellow background. Black is said to be a mourning symbol for the fallen pilot.
The yellow background represents Modena, Enzo’s birthplace.
Ferrari’s PR department has chosen to omit that part of the story, presumably to avoid any association with death from a burning vehicle.
According to the Museo del Marchio Italiano, the symbol was not one of good luck but a ‘kill’ mark.
Specifically, Francesco’s aerial victory over a German fighter pilot from Stuttgart.
The Stuttgart city crest includes a black horse set on a yellow background.
Stuttgart was originally built on a horse-breeding farm; the city fathers decided to use the Prancing Horse as the city’s official seal.
And as you petrolheads know, Porsche World Headquarters is in Stuttgart.
If you look closely, in the centre of the Porsche logo is a…………
