What Is the Ferrari Logo?
The Ferrari logo is a black prancing horse on a canary-yellow background, shown either on a shield with the Italian tricolour above the horse and the letters SF below, or on a rectangle above the Ferrari name. It belongs to Ferrari S.p.A., the Italian sports-car maker based in Maranello, which built the first car under the Ferrari name in 1947.
The shield, with SF for Scuderia Ferrari, is the mark most closely tied to the company's racing team, while the rectangular badge has been in use since 1947. The shield is available as the Ferrari logo SVG.
Ferrari Logo Facts
| Introduced | 1932 |
| Symbol | A black prancing horse on canary yellow |
| Logo type | Emblem: horse, tricolour and letters in one shield |
| Earlier mark | Francesco Baracca's black horse, painted on his First World War fighter plane |
| Owner | Ferrari S.p.A. |
What the Ferrari Logo Means
The horse was the personal emblem of Francesco Baracca, an Italian fighter ace of the First World War. It came from the silver horse of the cavalry regiment he had served in, and he made it black so it would stand out on his aircraft. For Enzo Ferrari it was a good-luck charm passed on by the pilot's family.
Ferrari kept the horse black and added the yellow himself, because it is the colour of Modena, his home city. The green, white and red band at the top of the shield is the Italian tricolour, and the letters SF stand for Scuderia Ferrari, the racing team.
Ferrari Logo History
Baracca was shot down in 1918. On 17 June 1923 Enzo Ferrari, then a driver for Alfa Romeo, won the Circuito del Savio near Ravenna and met the ace's parents, Count Enrico and Countess Paolina Baracca. In Ferrari's own account, the countess suggested he put her son's horse on his cars for luck.
Ferrari set up Scuderia Ferrari in Modena in 1929 to race Alfa Romeos, and in 1932 the horse first appeared on the team's Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 cars at the Spa 24 Hours. In 1947 the 125 S became the first Ferrari car to carry the horse, redrawn with a slimmer body and its tail turned upwards, and the rectangular badge has been used alongside the shield since then.
Two Debuts for the Prancing Horse
The horse was lucky from the start. At its first race, the 1932 Spa 24 Hours, Alfa Romeos wearing the horse finished first and second. Fifteen years later Franco Cortese won the Rome Grand Prix in a 125 S, Ferrari's first race win with a car of its own.
For more brands like Ferrari, browse our car logos.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the Ferrari horse black?
Francesco Baracca painted it black on his fighter plane, and Enzo Ferrari kept that colour when he adopted the horse.
Why is the Ferrari logo yellow?
Enzo Ferrari added the canary-yellow background because it is the colour of Modena, his home city.
What does SF stand for on the Ferrari shield?
Scuderia Ferrari, the name of the racing team Enzo Ferrari founded in 1929.
Who was Francesco Baracca?
An Italian fighter ace of the First World War who flew with the prancing horse on his plane and was shot down in 1918.