Should You Spec the Ferrari Wing Badges?

There are two types of people in this world. Those who spec Ferrari wing badges, and those who don’t. And I’ll be honest, I don’t fully trust the second group. They’re probably the same people who say things like “let’s do dry January”, and buy beige socks.

Now, in theory, the Scuderia shield — that iconic yellow splash of horse, colour and history — is optional. It’s not essential. You don’t have to have it. Just like you don’t have to put salt on chips, or music in an Italian restaurant. But without it, the whole thing feels… unfinished.

A Brief (and Very Italian) History

The story goes that Enzo Ferrari was gifted the badge by the mother of WWI flying ace Francesco Baracca. It was worn on his fighter plane and became a symbol of bravery, victory, and — eventually — warranty claims in the 1970s. The shield first appeared on Enzo’s race cars in the early ‘30s, and decades later found its way onto road cars. Not always. Just sometimes. When the factory felt like it.

Fast forward a few decades and Ferrari made it an option for road cars. And by “option”, I mean it was technically optional but practically mandatory. Walk into a dealership and try ordering a 458 without the shields and you’d get a look like you’d just asked if it came in diesel.

Then came the painted shield, for people who like the badge but hate the idea of it ever being removed. These aren’t decals. They’re art. Buried under lacquer. Permanent. Like a tattoo of your wedding date. Except more expensive, and less likely to end in divorce.

Enter: The Rebels

But now… there’s a movement. A slow, quiet, sock-toned uprising. These are the people who don’t spec shields. On purpose. There’s even an Instagram page — @noshieldsclub — where they gather to admire unadorned front wings and drink single-origin coffee.

To them, a shieldless Ferrari is cleaner. Purer. Less shouty. Like Maranello’s greatest hits, but unplugged. They claim it enhances the lines of the car, and I’ll admit, on certain models — the Roma, the 296, maybe even the F12 — they’ve got a point. It’s minimalist. Sophisticated. Very “less is more”, assuming you can afford “more” to begin with.

These are not tasteless people. They know their stuff. They’re doing it on purpose. And that’s what makes them both brilliant and mildly terrifying.

Other Brands Have a Go

Aston Martin will sell you enamel Union Jack wing badges, which look like they’ve come from a jewellery shop in Knightsbridge. McLaren doesn’t really do badges, preferring instead to cover everything in carbon until it resembles Darth Vader’s bathroom. Porsche? They’ll let you delete the badges entirely, which is only acceptable if you’re speccing a GT3 Touring and wear driving gloves unironically.

So, Should You?

Yes. Probably. If you’re buying a Ferrari and you want the full history — the noise, the racing, the romantic madness — the badge helps tell that story. But if you’ve got the nerve to leave them off? If you can stand the pressure of every petrol station conversation beginning with “where are your shields, mate?”, then maybe, just maybe, you’re onto something.

Maybe you’re not the beige sock brigade after all. Maybe you’re ahead of us. Maybe the rest of us are the try-hards. Stuck in our traditions. Too scared to admit that sometimes, the quietest spec is the one that shouts the loudest.

Ultimately, it comes down to choice. Tick the box. Don’t tick the box. Go painted, go plain, or go rogue. But if you spec a Roma without the shields, don’t come crying when someone walks up and says, “Nice Aston”.

Written by: Paul Pearce

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