Is the official color of Ferrari yellow?

As curious as it may seem to you, the question comes up very often: Is the official color of the Ferrari brand yellow? And what color was the very first Ferrari? Why should the color of your first Ferrari be red? Why are Ferrari Formula 1 cars red? Taking a brief look back at the fabulous history of Ferrari will allow you to see things more clearly and find your answers.

The yellow of the city of Modena

Scuderia Ferrari was founded in Modena, Italy on December 1, 1929. Originally, Scuderia Ferrari was a subsidiary of Alfa Romeo, whose cars it prepared for private drivers. The Scuderia Ferrari logo features a prancing horse on a yellow background and the colors of Italy at its top.

Yellow is chosen because it is the color of the city of Modena. Modena is the city where Enzo Ferrari was born and where Scuderia Ferrari was created. The prancing horse was the personal emblem of Francesco Baracca, a heroic pilot who died during the First World War. In 1923 Enzo Ferrari met Count Enrico Baracca whose wife, Countess Paulina, told him one day “put my son's cavallino rampante on your machines. It will bring you luck.” Enzo Ferrari's brother, Alfredo, died at the start of the war while serving in the Baracca squadron.

The red of Italy in motor racing

On March 12, 1947, the first car bearing the Ferrari brand was produced in Maranello. This is the Ferrari 125 S (Chassis 01C) equipped with a 1,500 cc V12 developed by Gioacchino Colombo. Scuderia Ferrari is responsible for entering it in competition. The first victory took place in 1947 at the Rome Grand Prix where this first Ferrari 125 S was driven by Franco Cortese with the number 56. In six months, no less than 6 races were won out of 14 contested.

This first Ferrari is red since the beginning of the century all cars have worn the color of their country during the Grand Prix. It's red for Italy, blue for France, green for Great Britain and gray for Germany, for example. This explains why Ferrari Formula 1 cars are still red today. This also explains why the most requested color for a road Ferrari is red as in competition, from which the entire history of Ferrari comes. The famous Rosso Corsa which has actually evolved over the years.

In summary, the color of the Ferrari logo is yellow, the color of the city of Modena. The color of the first Ferrari brand car is red, because it is the color of Italian Grand Prix cars.

Did you know these details of the history of Ferrari and the different colors used? Do you know any other interesting details related to Ferrari colors? What else would you like to learn about the Ferrari colors and logo?

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