Ferrari vs. Porsche

Ferrari and Porsche have vastly different origins: Ferrari is rooted in the racing world, whereas Porsche began by offering motor vehicle development work and consulting.

The concept of Ferrari began in 1929 as Alfa Romeo’s racing division, then known as Scuderia Ferrari (a name Ferrari uses for racing to this day). It wasn’t until 1947 that Ferrari established itself as a true automaker with the release of the 125 S — but then, as now, the design of every vehicle is rooted in the racing world, and thus in pushing the limits of what is possible for supercars and hypercars to achieve. It’s as much a reason that Ferrari has earned a record 16 Formula 1 Constructors’ Championships as it is for the Prancing Horse’s production vehicles continually getting better and faster.

Porsche began by providing vehicle consulting services to the German government, with one of its first designs becoming the Volkswagen Beetle — a storied design, to be sure, but not a car that’s known for its performance. Its first performance vehicle — the Porsche 64 — was developed using many of the components that were also used in the Beetle. During World War II, Porsche was focused on designing tanks. It wasn’t until 1948 that Porsche was able to release the 356 — the first car that Porsche actually sold.

Porsche didn’t become involved in motorsports until the 1950s, and while they saw success in certain venues, they’ve never been a major player in Formula 1. In other words, racing is something that Porsche came to eventually; by contrast, Ferrari grew out of a racing spirit.

Performance

The origins of Ferrari and Porsche speak to the difference in the performance of their vehicles. Consider a recent example from each automaker:

• Ferrari’s Portofino M features a 3.9L Twin-Turbo V8 that produces 612 hp and 560 lb-ft of torque. The end result of this power is a top speed of 200 mph and the ability to go from 0 – 60 mph in 3.45 seconds.
• The Porsche 911 Carrera GTS has a 3.0L V6 that produces a lesser 450 hp and 405 lb-ft of torque. That lower output also means that it’s slower than the Portofino: the 911 Carrera GTS has a top speed of 192 mph, and can go from 0 – 60 mph in 3.6 seconds (but only when equipped with the optional Sport Chrono package).

You may have noticed that the Ferrari and Porsche logos both look similar: they both have a prancing horse on their badges. While the horses are similar, the designs are different from one another, and the horse was adopted by each automaker for different reasons:

• The horse of Porsche’s logo is also on the coat of arms for Stuttgart, Germany, Porsche’s hometown. Porsche’s logo features the horse as an expression of hometown pride.
• Ferrari’s use of the Prancing Horse was earned through racing prowess, but its origins go back to 1692, when the Duke of Savoy, Vittorio Amadeo II, founded the Royal Piedmont Regiment. The regiment adopted the stallion as its insignia — and, during World War I, Francesco Baracca hearkened back to the regiment by painting a stallion on the fuselage of his biplane. All of this led to the symbol being awarded to the winner of 1923 Circuito Automobilistico del Savio (Savio Racing Car Circuit) in Ravenna: Enzo Ferrari himself!

One logo was a default option, while the other was earned. There’s a reason that Ferrari — not Porsche — is also known as the Prancing Horse.