Why the “Horse”?

This time, the Taycan name is based on the prancing horse at the center of Porsche’s emblem, but why? Here’s my guess.

Even as an electric vehicle, Porsche remains a sports car manufacturer. In other words, they returned to their roots and developed this car with a strong awareness of what Porsche truly is, hence naming it after the prancing horse on the Porsche emblem.

That’s what I think. (Just my guess, so I might be wrong—actually, I probably am)

Also, since Ferdinand Porsche’s first car was an electric vehicle, and this year marks the 70th anniversary, I think they wanted to embrace the “origin” in every sense.

The surprising connection between Ferrari and Porsche

By the way, the prancing horse on Ferrari’s emblem and the prancing horse on Porsche’s emblem are both modeled after the same prancing horse found on the coat of arms of Stuttgart, Germany, where Porsche’s headquarters are located.

Source: Alfa Station Blog
They really do look alike.

It makes sense that Porsche uses the prancing horse from Stuttgart’s coat of arms, but why does the Italian carmaker Ferrari use the same horse from Stuttgart’s emblem?

An unexpected historical episode

Researching online, the story goes back to World War I.

Ferrari’s symbol, the “prancing horse,” is said to originate from the mark on the fighter plane of Italy’s national hero pilot, Francesco Baracca.

During the war, pilots would attach the marks of enemy planes they had shot down to their own aircraft as proof. The legendary Italian ace pilot Francesco Baracca did the same, attaching the emblem of Stuttgart’s fighter planes he had downed.

He died in 1918, but later his parents, impressed by Enzo Ferrari’s racing, gave him the prancing horse emblem that had been their son’s symbol.

*Source: The prancing horses of Porsche and Ferrari are the same horse…!? The hidden story behind it.

I see… Ferrari’s emblem features the colors of the Italian flag, while Porsche’s features the German flag colors, but during the war they were enemies. Now, as healthy rivals producing amazing cars, they share the same emblem, which is quite a touching story.

Knowing the history and roots changes how you feel about something. I’m inspired to research more about this.