10 replies to this topic

[Paul Medici]

I’ve often wondered why the SF shield did not appear on works GP cars in 1950 and 1951. Did some event take place that prompted the Old Man to renew this practice in 1952? It couldn’t have simply been an afterthought on his part. His cars had been racing since 1947 and they weren’t all considered customer-owned entries.

Thanks.

[marion5drsn]

This may not be what you wanted but it is a start. M.L. Anderson

http://www.theaerodr...ly/baracca.html

[dretceterini]

Just a guess, but perhaps there was some ort of legal nonsense over Ferrari himself or Alfa Romeo actually having the rights to the Scuderia Ferrari name and logo...

[Michael Müller]

Arrr.. - I didn't realize this up to now...! You're absolutely correct, the works cars from 1947 to 1951 had no SF shield, only the small Ferrari badge on the front. Maybe Enzo thought this would be enough...?

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by dretceterini
Just a guess, but perhaps there was some ort of legal nonsense over Ferrari himself or Alfa Romeo actually having the rights to the Scuderia Ferrari name and logo...

I don't know about the logo, but it's a fact that there was a period of several years (five?) during which Ferrari wasn't allowed to use his name either on the cars or the team...

Conveniently the war intervened.

[David McKinney]

A more likely explanation, perhaps, is that in this period factory cars did not as a rule run shields and escutcheons other than the name-badge on the nose. Ferrari had adorned his cars with the shield when he was running Alfa Romeos, but now that the cars were Ferraris there was no need
So the mystery is not so much why the shield wasn't used for so long, but why it was restored
(The above written without checking when the Alfa quadrifoglio appeared/disappeared/reappeared)

[Vitesse2]

Originally posted by David McKinney

(The above written without checking when the Alfa quadrifoglio appeared/disappeared/reappeared)

1946

[dretceterini]

The period in which Ferrari couldn't use his name was from 1937 to 1943 I belive. What I'm wondering is if the legal "rights" to the prancing horse shield were actually owned by Alfa rather than Ferrari at one time...

[Henk]

Originally posted by marion5drsn
This may not be what you wanted but it is a start. M.L. Anderson

http://www.theaerodr...ly/baracca.html

Perhaps, but find the ten differences.

Some squadrons of the Italian air force have adopted Baracca’s horse
Apart from a kangaroo-like anatomy of the hind legs, Ferrari’s Cavallino doesn’t really resemble the old cavalry emblem.

For more accurate horse anatomy see Porsche ;)

The rest of the story, including the revival of the SF emblem in 1952, is at
http://www.lanciafla...ia-Ferrari.html (Italian)
http://www.ferrari-f...cingHorseLegend (English)

[Paul Medici]

Henk – Thank you.

I had concocted a fairly radical theory on this matter but was a little reluctant to post it, lest someone more steeped in Ferrari history cry ‘blasphemy’ and insist that I return my new TNF badge posthaste (and I just received No. 96, Dan’s old racing number last week.) To Barry and Mike

Since a few folks suggested a possible connection with the Alfa/Ferrari split, may I offer the following from LE MIE GIOIE TERRIBILI. In it Enzo writes, "When I left Alfa Romeo for good just before the war, I was tied by that clause which prevented me to reconstruct the Scuderia Ferrari or take part in races in the next four years.” When referring to the Type 815 he writes, “It was an eight cylinders of 1500 cc so I called it 815 since I could not give it my name.”

marion5drsn – a wonderful link to WW1 warbirds, another

[aldo]

I forward quite a different story on the Prancing Horse. A story still to be fully checked, yet looking reasonably close to a possible historical truth. Furthermore, it doesn't conflict with the official version.
I heard the story from a fellow well-known historian, who found the name of the engraver and the drawings of the original enamel mould of the Prancing Horse, cast in Milano when Enzo Ferrari was there with Alfa Romeo.

The Prancing Horse crest, the very same used by Francesco Baracca, was the symbol on the flag of a "Fascio di Combattimento", i.e. a local branch of the Fascist militia which used to fight against political foes at the beginning of the Fascist movement and became later a meeting point and a hardcore political propaganda site. Such a Fascio di Combattimento was based in the same area of Milano as the Alfa Romeo Portello factory.
A Fascio di Combattimento was a noisy and dangerous neighbour, therefore Ferrari, following his well known attitude for appeasing with everybody to gain a clear advantage, agreed with them on using the same symbol on the racing cars of his Scuderia.
Such an origin, if true, became quite an embarassment in the post-war world, therefore the more noble story of Francesco Baracca became the official and politically correct truth.

I repeat: I don't know if this story is 100% true, yet it looks like it was.