Louwman Museum and Aviation (part 2)

In the first part we described the aircraft in the Louwman Museum. In this article we look at other connections between cars and aviation.

The traditional symbol of Ferrari, Il Cavallino Rampante, the rearing black horse, is widely known, but how did Enzo Ferrari come by it? For that we have to go back to the First World War. The aircraft of the nations that took part in this very bloody conflict were not only painted with the identification marks of their country of origin, but it was also often possible to see which squadron a plane belonged to. Sometimes the aircraft was provided with certain symbols by the pilot.

Such was also the case with a pilot of the Italian Air Force, Francesco Baracca, who had painted a black rearing horse on a yellow shield on the fuselage of his aircraft. This Baracca was one of the heroes of the Italian Air Force and a feared opponent. Unfortunately, Francesco Baracca was killed in the war. Enzo Ferrari was serving in the Italian army at the time, and the black horse fascinated him.

Enzo Ferrari was confronted once again with the rearing black horse in 1923, when a race was held near Ravenna, at the Circuit of Savio. Enzo Ferrari had entered with an Alfa Romeo factory car. On the day of the race everything came together; Ferrari won very convincingly and also set the fastest lap. The enthusiasm of the spectators was enormous. At the end of the race he was surrounded by a crowd of spectators cheering him on. Among them was the father of the fallen Baracca. Right then and there he offered him the symbol his son had used, as a token of his appreciation for Ferrari's 'bravery' during the race. The rest is history!

Another car manufacturer that has strong ties to both the First World War and aircraft is Hispano-Suiza. Besides cars, Hispano-Suiza also built excellent aircraft engines. These were used in French-built planes, such as the S.P.A.D. This type of aircraft was flown by the previously mentioned Baracca, but several elite squadrons of the French Armee de l Air were also equipped with this type of plane. The symbol that distinguished one of these squadrons was a stork, Cigogne, in full flight. They were therefore called Les Cigognes.

The famous French pilot George Guynemer, who flew with this unit, distinguished himself in combat and, at the age of 21, already held the Legion d´Honneur, France's highest decoration. He was killed in 1917, but by then he had already shot down 53 enemy aircraft.

Hispano-Suiza asked for and received permission to use the Cigogne as a distinctive symbol on the automobiles it built. Not only is it very beautiful to look at, but it also evokes, especially among the French, strong feelings of nostalgia. The Cigogne adorns the radiator cap of the Hispano-Suiza H6B Million-Guiet Dual-Cowl Phaeton owned by the famous film star Norma Talmadge.

The French companies Voisin and Farman also built both aircraft and car engines.

The Louwman Museum has two examples of the Voisin car brand on display. The two brothers Charles and Gabriel Voisin were among the French aviation pioneers. As early as 1910 they built their first aircraft, which were used in various roles during the First World War. The very first victory in the air was achieved by a Voisin aircraft in October 1914. After the war, Voisin stopped producing aircraft. Charles Voisin had been killed in a plane crash in 1912, and Gabriel devoted himself to manufacturing cars.

Voisins cars are now highly sought after by collectors because they have a completely unique character. The chromed strip that connects the fenders to the radiator and the winged symbol on the cap of this radiator are, for example, very characteristic of Voisin.

The brothers Maurice and Henri Farman were contemporaries of Voisin. In fact, their first aircraft was a Voisin machine. The Farman brothers greatly improved this aircraft and then went on to produce airplanes under their own name. These were mainly pusher aircraft, which delivered very good performance for that time. During the First World War they produced no fewer than 300 aircraft per month.

Aviation remained their main occupation even after the war. Henri Farman started a scheduled service between Paris and London. This caught on and eventually formed the basis for the creation of Air France. Maurice Farman saw potential in the automobile industry and produced exclusive cars until 1936, when the factory was nationalized. These cars are now rare and equally coveted. Henri Farman then returned to his first love, painting. The brothers Henri and Maurice died in 1958 and 1964, respectively.

Peter Helbach