- Legendary Ferrari marque in the spotlight on fifth of 10 collector's edition posters
- Italian brand has already celebrated four overall wins: 1949, 1953, 2004 and 2021
- Prancing Horse among the favourites to triumph at eagerly awaited centenary race
“Le auto da corsa non sono né belle né brutte. Diventano belle quando vincono.” In this famous quote, Enzo Ferrari summed up his view that racing cars are neither beautiful nor ugly, but become beautiful when they win. The words appear on the latest collector's edition poster celebrating the centenary CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa (26–30 June), which sees the Prancing Horse take the spotlight.
In the foreground, we see the Ferrari 296 GT3 run by AF Corse – Francorchamps Motors, which will aim for victory at this year’s race; alongside, the Ferrari 375 MM Pinin Farina Berlinetta also makes the climb towards Raidillon. The laurel wreath reminds us that this car won overall in 1953, shared by reigning Formula 1 world champion Giuseppe Farina and future title-winner Mike Hawthorn.
Ahead of the 100th anniversary, we should also remember that 1953 was the only edition that took place during the fifties. Indeed, it was very nearly the last-ever running of the race, such were the financial problems that followed for the organisers. Fortunately, the event returned to the calendar in 1964 and has remained an annual fixture ever since.
The 1953 victory was Ferrari's second at the 24 Hours: the 166 MM of Luigi Chinetti and Jean Lucas had won in 1949, just two years after Enzo struck out alone to establish his own marque. It would take more than 50 years – and the arrival of GT machinery to replace touring cars – for Ferrari to return to the top step.
The wait finally came to an end in 2004, when the quartet of Luca Cappellari/Fabrizio Gollin/Lilian Bryner/Enzo Calderari triumphed aboard the legendary Ferrari 550 GTS Maranello run by BMS Scuderia Italia. This brought a significant landmark in the history of the Ardennes classic: to date, Bryner is the only female driver to take an overall win at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa.
Ferrari added a fourth victory in 2021 – and it was among the most memorable in the race’s 100-year history. With less than 10 minutes remaining, Alessandro Pier Guidi, who shared his 488 GT3 with Nicklas Nielsen and Come Ledogar, passed the Audi of Dries Vanthoor around the outside of Blanchimont, sending his team into wild celebrations.
In what will be its second season using the 296 GT3, there is no doubt that Ferrari will be among the leading candidates for overall victory. The latest collector's edition poster is already on sale via the event’s online merchandising page and will also be available on-site during race week. Another win for the Prancing Horse could make this artwork even more valuable by the evening of Sunday 30 June.
Did you know?
Enzo Ferrari’s first success at the Belgian endurance classic was not as a manufacturer, but as a team boss. In 1932, Scuderia Ferrari entered a pair of Alfa Romeos, leading home a one-two-three for the Italian brand.
What’s more, the 1932 edition marked the very first time that Ferrari added the cavallino rampante (prancing horse) symbol to ‘his’ cars. But where does this now legendary emblem come from? It began with a meeting between Enzo Ferrari and the parents of Francesco Baracca, an Italian aviator who made a name for himself as an ace pilot during the First World War before dying in combat in June 1918.
Baracca had the prancing horse painted on his planes and, five years after his death, the late fighter pilot’s mother suggested that Enzo should use this symbol on his racing cars, believing that it would bring him luck. Enzo did so for the first time in 1932, nine years after their meeting. Entering what was then called the 24 Hours of Francorchamps, Ferrari kept the black prancing horse and added a bright yellow background, the colour of the city of Modena.
On Sunday 10 July 1932, Antonio Brivio and Eugenio Siena secured victory ahead of Piero Taruffi and Guido D'Ippolito in the sister car. The prancing horse had indeed brought luck to Enzo Ferrari and his crew. When he struck out as a manufacturer 15 years later, the Italian integrated the symbol into his company logo. A legend had been born.