In the early days of motor racing, it was the colour scheme that assigned the racing cars their national origin. The color British Racing Green stood for England. For Germany it was the color white and later silver, for France it was French Blue. For Italy, of course, it was the color red, which is still the basic color of Scuderia Ferrari today.
Red is the color of love and passion – what color could be better suited to Italian racing cars than red. Ferrari, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Bizzarrini, Lancia – all started out in the famous red livery. Scuderia Ferrari still uses red as the basic colour for its entries in the Formula 1 World Championship and the World Endurance Championship.
But what does the color red mean? No color is as present and intense as red. It is the color of lovers and fighters, it is the color of the highest emotions: Power, fire and wild passion. Red occurs naturally in nature and stands for both warning and attraction. In psychology, red is perceived as a warm color. Most people feel comfortable when they are surrounded by red tones. However, because the colour also signals danger, red also increases alertness. Color theory in art and painting also ascribes red the qualities of strength, vitality and dynamism. Of course, red is also considered to be somewhat aggressive.
At the beginning of the Formula 1 World Championship, seeing a red racing car in the rear-view mirror was probably a warning signal. Likewise in the sixties at Le Mans in the 24-hour race, when Ferrari was the series winner. The red paintwork of the Ferraris, Maserati and Alfa Romeos also formed a good contrast to the grey of the road and signalled to the driver in front to give way quickly. So did the red racing cars from Italy spread fear and terror? Maybe or maybe not. But the effect of the colour red is also dynamism and speed.
What’s more, in my personal opinion, the red color fits in perfectly with the legendary stories and anecdotes of Italian racing car history. When a Ferrari won its first Formula 1 race ahead of an Alfa Romeo, Enzo Ferrari is said to have remarked somewhat theatrically: ‘Today I have defeated my mother. Or the revolt of the engineers at Ferrari in the early days of the Scuderia. All this ‘Grande Casino’, as Niki Lauda once called it, fits in very well with the red appearance of the Italian racing cars. Great theatre, great emotions, not just losing a race but being doomed. All this is part of the history of Italian automotive engineering. Apparently, this is still the case today. But that is also what makes the Ferraris, the Maseratis, the Alfa Romeos and all the others so legendary to this day.
A colorful story – to be continued
Part one : French Blue
Part two : British Racing Green
Part three : Rosso Italiano
Part four : German Silver
