If time travel were possible and you found yourself at the front lines of World War I, peering into the sky, moved by the gallantry of those early fighter pilots, you might see the man who inspired the most recognizable icon of the luxury sports car industry: Italian ace Francesco Baracca. In his Nieuport II (and later a Spad S. VII), he scored 33 victories over the battlefields of Europe before meeting the same tragic fate that befell many of the world's first aerial combatants. He was shot down over Mount Montello, just six months before the war's end in 1918. Painted on the side of his plane was an emblem the world would come to recognize as a sign of speed and affluence: the black prancing horse.
Five years later, a young Enzo Ferrari started making a minor name for himself as a mechanic and racecar driver, collecting prize money for rank placement, and gaining modest recognition. Though not endowed with the imposing talent associated with today's big-name drivers, Ferrari was still able to take a few wins. In this pivotal year, he won at the Chilometro Lanciato at Geneva, the Circuito del Polesine at Robigo, and the annual race at Ravenna. "When I won the first Savio circuit, which was run in Ravenna," said Ferrari, "I met Count Enrico Baracca, the pilot's father, and subsequently his mother, Countess Paolina. She said to me: 'Ferrari, why don't you put my son's prancing horse on your cars? It would bring you luck.' The horse was black and has remained so. I added the canary yellow background, because it is the color of Modena."
Enzo Before Ferrari
Born to a lower-middle-class Modena family in 1898, Ferrari entered the workforce lacking a formal education, but enjoyed the experience of working in his father's metal shop (Ferrari senior passed away from influenza in 1916). During World War I, Ferrari was drafted, spending much of his time shoeing horses. Perhaps it was there that he learned the future would be on wheels, not hooves. After that war, Ferrari decided to enter the automobile industry, despite his mother's disapproval. He moved to Turin to apply for work at Fiat, but was rejected (he harbored a grudge toward Fiat for most of his life). While in Turin, Ferrari met Ugo Sivocci, a test driver for a new manufacturer named Costruzioni Meccaniche Nazionalia (CMN). Sivocci hired the 19-year-old as his assistant, and upon finding an outlet for his passion for racing, Ferrari competed in his first automobile race in October 1919.
Ferrari didn't stay with CMN for long. Alfa Romeo contracted him to test drive its racecars and sell its production vehicles. During the early 1920s, Ferrari became a fixture in the Italian auto industry, selling cars, buying parts, delivering new models to customers and, of course, racing Alfas. Tragedy struck in 1925 with the death of Antonio Ascari-Alfa Romeo's premier driver. This compelled Alfa to cancel its racing schedule and pull out of competition altogether. Disappointed his career had also been cut short, Ferrari focused his energy on developing distribution for Alfa, developing his company into a successful dealership and repair facility. Two years later, he was back in the cockpit, with wins at the Modena race and the Circuito di Alessandria in 1928 and 1929.
Scuderia Ferrari
The success Alfa Romeo enjoyed in the early 1920s began to dry up and it eventually fell under the control of the Istituto di Ricostruzione Industriale (IRI), a state-run organization that took over companies in financial trouble. Alfa Romeo was forced to cut costs, but by this time Ferrari had worked his contacts with a number of deep-pocketed companies like Shell, Bosch and Pirelli, and formed the Societ Anonima Scuderia Ferrari: "a stable of racing cars and drivers dedicated to furthering the sport of competitive racing." He promised investors his business would not only prepare racing cars, but also build high-performance automobiles for the now-fashionable sports car enthusiast.