Ferrari 1955

"This early morning mist enveloping the
Tuscan countryside offered the sense of
place that I so craved in my Mille Miglia
Ferrari series. It would be a challenge
to think of a more apposite layer to
complete this photograph. On mornings
like these, visual splendour reaches
an elevated level. It would have been
memorable just to be there even if we had
left our cameras at home. We had five
mornings on set in Val d’Orcia and this
was our only opportunity with the mist,
which we took.
Into this ethereal amphitheatre we
brought the 1955 Ferrari 121LM that Piero
Taruffi drove at the Mille Miglia in its first
year. In the Mille Miglia he drove from
Rome to Brescia at an average speed of
189 kph - a record that stands to this day.
To further celebrate the Ferrari story, we
thought we should add a prancing black
stallion in the field. Some will inevitably
think this unlikely addition is a product
of AI, which is why we now always have a
film crew on set taking BTS. The stallion,
which came from Rome, will also happily
testify to his key role. Ironically the best
way to combat the AI barbs is to allow
third party recording on set, not ban it.
The danger of AI makes film sets even
more collegiate.
The origin of the iconic Ferrari stallion
is well documented. In June 1923, Enzo
Ferrari won a race at Ravenna where he
met Countess Paolina, the mother of
Francesco Baracca, an ace of the Italian
air force and national hero of WWI, who
used to paint a horse on the side of his
planes. The countess asked Enzo to use
this horse on his cars, suggesting it would
bring him good luck.
We are fond of the renowned model -
Kelsey Merritt - she lends grace, beauty
and calmness to every set and always
listens to me." – David Yarrow