Ferrari Stamps On 'Rival' Logo

Spot the difference? Ferrari can't. The logo on the right belongs to performance firm ELIA, and the legendary Italian sports car manufacturer thinks it's too similar to its prancing horse emblem. Ferrari's lawyers have forced ELIA to withdraw the image - which is actually a unicorn - from all sales literature.

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16th September 2004

The German company can still use its other badge, which shows the creature standing on all four legs. A spokesman for ELIA told us: "As a very small enterprise we are honoured that such a well renowned firm as Ferrari sees us as a rival. We did want to fight the case, but a long legal battle could ruin our business, so we had to back down."

Meanwhile, Ferrari has learned the hard way about the dangers of over-tightening wheelnuts - a safety concern we highlighted in Issue 816. It is recalling nine 360 Challenge Stradales because incorrect torque was applied to the bolts that hold the alloys on at the factory.

There's a risk the fault may have weakened the fastening and, under extreme circumstances, this could cause a wheel to fall off. Affected customers are being alerted.