In 1947 Ferrari painted its first car (the 125 S) the famous shade of red called "Rosso Corsa" because the former Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile mandated that all racing cars be painted with a color code based on the country from which they came. For example, German cars were silver-grey, those from France were blue, and Italian racers were red.

"Racing red" soon became iconic to the brand, so Enzo Ferrari kept it, and Ferrari has since introduced dozens of shades of red, including Scuderia (lighter than Corsa), Roma, Bordeaux, cherry, Monza, Mugello (darker than Corsa), and Vivo. As recently as the early 1990s, 85% of all new Ferraris were still some shade of red, but that percentage has consistently dropped.

In recent years gray, silver, black, and white have become popular, but the Italian sports car company will never paint one of its vehicles pink or any shade remotely close to it on the Pantone color chart, like salmon or rose. "It just doesn't fit into our whole ethos, to be honest," said Ferrari Australasia CEO Herbert Appleroth. "It's a brand rule. No Pink. No Pokémon Ferraris!"

According to Appleroth, every Ferrari is customized because Enzo Ferrari never wanted two cars to be identical, other than the famous Prancing Horse emblem. And while the company goes to great lengths to create a unique vehicle for every buyer, there's only so much it's willing to bend, especially when it comes to color.