Evolution of Car Manufacturer's Logos

v12 · 16th February 2004, 23:49

Alfa Romeo

Alfa-Romeo uses the arms of Milan: Per pale argent a cross gules, and [argent]azure a serpent ondoyant in pale [azure]vert crowned with a ducal crown or and vorant a child gules. (The tinctures are modified from the original coat). The dexter coat is that of the city, the sinister coat is that of the duchy.
There is a historical description of the Alfa-Romeo logo (in German). The present version dates from 1972. Until 1946 the legend around the shield included two Savoy knots.

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BMW

Back in the day bmw made fighter plane motors for the german military. If you have ever seen a plane motor with two blades spinnin it will look like the bmw logo. blue for the sky and white for the twoblades spinning. That is the origin.

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Cadillac

Cadillac uses as its emblem the arms of Antoine de La Mothe, seigneur de Cadillac, born in Gascony on March 5, 1658 of minor nobility. He founded Detroit in 1701, and was governor of Louisiana. His arms were: Quarterly, 1 and 4: Or a fess between three martlets sable, 2 and 3: quarterly gules and argent three bars azure. The count's coronet is fanciful, as was often the case in 17th and 18th c. France.

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Mercedes Benz
The "Mercedes" name was registered right back in 1902, but at that time there was no logo or trademark to accompany it. The idea for the 'Star' logo came when Paul and Adolf Daimler, the two sons of the company's founder (and then in charge of the business) remembered that their father had once used a star symbol in his family correspondence.

Their father, Gottlieb Daimler, had been technical director of the Deutz gas engine factory from 1872 until 1881. At the beginning of his employment there, he had marked a star above his own house on a picture postcard of Cologne and Deutz, and had written to his wife that this star would one day shine over his own factory to symbolize prosperity.

In June 1909 the company registered both three-pointed and four-pointed stars as trademarks. Although both designs were legally protected, only the three-pointed star was ever used. From 1910 onwards it began to appear at the front of the cars as a design feature on the radiator.

The three-points of the star were supposed to represent Daimler's ambition of universal motorization: "on land, on water and in the air".

Over the years the logo evolved, to include the 'Benz' laurel wreath, and then, in 1923, the three-pointed star enclosed in a circle was registered as a trademark.

Since then it has changed little, and is now a powerful symbol and integral part of the Mercedes-Benz brand.

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SAAB

The logo of SAAB consists of the crowned griffin from the arms of the province of Skåne (Scania) in southern Sweden: Or, a griffin gules crowned azur. This is the official coat of arms of Skåne since 1660 and has its origin in the medieval arms of the city of Malmö. The reason why SAAB adopted it as its logo is that the original SAAB company (which produced small cars and aeroplanes) merged in 1969 with the truck manufacturer Scania-Vabis which in turn consisted of two companies, originated in Malmoe and in Södertälje, respectively.

GTO · 17th February 2004, 00:41

That sure made for very interesting reading. It always comes back to me, that did the Daimlers in 1902 ever envision how famous their three-pointed star would one day be the most renowned car marque around the world...say a hundred years down the line?

Learn something new everyday.

GTO

P.S. What about the prancing horse?

v12 · 17th February 2004, 11:13

The History of the Ferrari Prancing Horse Logo

The history of the provenance of the prancing horse in the Ferrari logo is not always clear to everybody and to be honest, we can only go by the explanation that Enzo Ferrari has given himself in his autobiography "My terrible joys" which first appeared in 1963 and in which he says:

"As my trade mark, I continued to use the rampant horse that had been used on the cars of the old Scuderia Ferrari.

The story of this rampant horse is a simple and fascinating one.

The emblem was emblazoned on the fighter plane of Francesco Baracca, the ace of World War I, who was shot down at Montello.

In 1923, when competing in the first Circuito del Savio, at Ravenna, I made acquaintance of Count Enrico Baracca, the hero's father; as a result of that meeting, I was subsequently introduced to the ace's mother, the Countess Paolina Baracca, who one day said to me: Ferrari, why don't you put my son's rampant horse on your car? It will bring you luck"

I still have Baracca's photograph, with his parents dedication in which they entrust the horse to me.

The horse was, and has remained, black; whilst I myself added the gold field, this being the color of Modena".

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The Tuning Fork Mark

The three tuning forks of the Yamaha logo mark represent the cooperative relationship that links the three pillars of our business -- technology, production, and sales. They also evoke the robust vitality that has forged a reputation for sound and music the world over, a territory indicated by the enclosing circle. The mark also symbolizes the three essential musical elements: melody, harmony, and rhythm.

pranay · 25th February 2004, 20:52

thats really good info....i am not sure if many ppl know that

turbolader · 13th February 2005, 20:47

They say theres a reason behind everything,heres a few
1)Alfa Romeo

The symbols out here r the coat of arms of the city of Milan & related to the Crusades,hence the cross.The figure being eaten is a child or a Saracen depending on who u listen to.

2)Audi(Latin for 'Hear!')

The 4 ri

ngs of Audi represent the 4 companies of the Auto-Union(i.e. DKW,Horch,Wanderer & Audi)After the war the Audi name disappeared,but was revived in 1965,using the 4 rings as a logo.

3)BMW(Bayerische Motoren Werke)

The BMW roundel is a stylised,rotating airscrew-the blue representing the sky.BMW built military aero engines for the planes that bombed the factories that they now own.

4)Citroen

Andre Citroen started in the motor trade by building gear wheels,& the twin chevrons are meant to represent gear teeth.

5)Ferrari

The prancing horse was originally the emblem of Italian WWI flying ace Francesco Baracca,whosse parents persuaded Ferrari to adopt the symbol of their late son for his racing Alfas.

6)Ford

Mr Fords right hand man,Harold Wills earned money printing business cards in his teens,when Henry was looking for a logo in 1903 he dusted off hiis old John Bull printing set.The type face was the 1 he ussed for his own visiting cards.The ovalll appeared in 1912 & the blues was added for model A in 1927.

7)Fiat

Fiat 1st used the 5-bar logo on the Uno in 1982,but when Fiat design chief Mario Maioli was iving past the Mirafiori factory at night after a power cut he saw the giant Fiat logo on top of the plant & set against the fading light of the sky.He did a quick sketch & thus thew 5-bars represent the spaces he cld see between the letters FIAT.

8)Maserati

The Trident is the traditional symbol of Bologna,where the cars were originally made.

9)Mazda

The 'V' represents out-stretched wings & in Mazdas words-'The creativity,the sense of mission,the gentleness & the flexibility that are Mazda'.

10)Mercedes

The 3-pointed star repressents the domination of land,sea & air.

11)Mitsubishi

The company in 1870 built its 1st ship-the 3 diamonds represent a ships propellers.

12)Peugeot

One of the earliest models of Peugeot was known as a Lion-Peugeot which adopted the lion emblem of the city of Belfort,where it was made.Bartholdi,the sculptor responsible for the statue of liberty in NY also takes credit for Belfort's Lion.

13)Porsche

The Porsche badge is essentially the coat of arms of the city of Stuttgart,which was built on the site of a stud farm-hence the horse.The antlers & the red & blacjk stripes are part oof the arms of the Kingdom of Wurttemberg.

14)Renault

The Renault diamond started out as a bonnetemblem.The horn was placed behind it, & from 1922 the centre of the badge was cut to allow sound to escape.

15)Rover

Rover r folk who rove about,rather like Vikings,hence the Viking ship emblem that has been used on Rovers in various forms.

16)Skoda

The badge is actually a winged arrow with no apparent significance beyond a generic impression of speediness.

17)Subaru

This badge refers to a group of 6 stars,also known by its original Japanese name of Mutsuraboshi.Subaru was the 1st Japanese car company to use a name derived from its own language.

18)Toyota

The Toyota badge comprises of 3 ellipses depicting the heart of the customer,the heart of the product & ever expanding technological advancement & boundless opportunities that lie ahead.

19)Vauxhall

The Griffin-half eagle,half lion was the heraldic device of Fulk le Breant,whose heiress bride had a house in Lambeth,in south London.It became known as Fulk's hall,thennn eventually Vauxhall.Scottish engineer Alexander Wilson founded his company in 1857 & adopted the griffin as his symbol.

20)Volvo

Volvo means 'I Roll'in latin & the arrowed circle is merely the conventional map sign for steel.

drifter · 13th February 2005, 20:59

Nice info there dude...i didnt know about the meanings of all the brand logos...in fact i was looking for the pics of these logos. Thanks.

Drifter

amit · 13th February 2005, 22:17

Nice bit of Info there! Thanx!

shravan316 · 13th February 2005, 22:37

Good info there turbo..... thanks for sharing that!
By the way, what does that 'S' and 'J'(or is it 'F'??) at the bottom of the Ferrari logo stand for??

ported_head · 13th February 2005, 23:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by shravan316

Good info there turbo..... thanks for sharing that!
By the way, what does that 'S' and 'J'(or is it 'F'??) at the bottom of the Ferrari logo stand for??

Scuderia Ferrari (?)

turbolader · 14th February 2005, 17:52

there Shravan316,PH's got ur ans

aah78 · 15th February 2005, 21:03

very enlightening information indeed..
keep more coming as/when you come across it please..

ad

X-Machine · 15th February 2005, 21:44

Nice bit of info turbo.
Like everyone,even i was wondering wot the logos indicate.Got my doubts cleared now.

X

Deeps · 19th February 2005, 16:55

Hmm, Very interesting info. But i spotted a light mistake. "3)BMW(Bayerische Motoren Werke". This is slightly wrong. Its "BMW: Bavarische Motor Werken" meaning Bavarian Motor Works.

vance0712 · 23rd February 2005, 23:03

dude that was excellent man i never had a clue nor would i think of making up any
excellent stuff

just wondering why you dont have suzuki in there i could ahve told someone something about my car then you know

merve_extreme · 24th February 2005, 00:47

10)Mercedes

The 3-pointed star repressents the domination of land,sea & air.it is taken from DMG's(Diamler Moteren Gelleschaft) symbol
and the ring surrounding the star is from benz's symbol.they were combined when the 2 companies merged post worldwar.

16th February 2004, 23:49	#1
v12 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 6,773 Thanked: 7,569 Times View My Garage	Evolution of Car Manufacturer's Logos Alfa Romeo Alfa-Romeo uses the arms of Milan: Per pale argent a cross gules, and [argent]azure a serpent ondoyant in pale [azure]vert crowned with a ducal crown or and vorant a child gules. (The tinctures are modified from the original coat). The dexter coat is that of the city, the sinister coat is that of the duchy. There is a historical description of the Alfa-Romeo logo (in German). The present version dates from 1972. Until 1946 the legend around the shield included two Savoy knots. ----------------------------------------------------------- BMW Back in the day bmw made fighter plane motors for the german military. If you have ever seen a plane motor with two blades spinnin it will look like the bmw logo. blue for the sky and white for the twoblades spinning. That is the origin. ----------------------------------------------------------- Cadillac Cadillac uses as its emblem the arms of Antoine de La Mothe, seigneur de Cadillac, born in Gascony on March 5, 1658 of minor nobility. He founded Detroit in 1701, and was governor of Louisiana. His arms were: Quarterly, 1 and 4: Or a fess between three martlets sable, 2 and 3: quarterly gules and argent three bars azure. The count's coronet is fanciful, as was often the case in 17th and 18th c. France. ----------------------------------------------------------- Mercedes Benz The "Mercedes" name was registered right back in 1902, but at that time there was no logo or trademark to accompany it. The idea for the 'Star' logo came when Paul and Adolf Daimler, the two sons of the company's founder (and then in charge of the business) remembered that their father had once used a star symbol in his family correspondence. Their father, Gottlieb Daimler, had been technical director of the Deutz gas engine factory from 1872 until 1881. At the beginning of his employment there, he had marked a star above his own house on a picture postcard of Cologne and Deutz, and had written to his wife that this star would one day shine over his own factory to symbolize prosperity. In June 1909 the company registered both three-pointed and four-pointed stars as trademarks. Although both designs were legally protected, only the three-pointed star was ever used. From 1910 onwards it began to appear at the front of the cars as a design feature on the radiator. The three-points of the star were supposed to represent Daimler's ambition of universal motorization: "on land, on water and in the air". Over the years the logo evolved, to include the 'Benz' laurel wreath, and then, in 1923, the three-pointed star enclosed in a circle was registered as a trademark. Since then it has changed little, and is now a powerful symbol and integral part of the Mercedes-Benz brand. ----------------------------------------------------------- SAAB The logo of SAAB consists of the crowned griffin from the arms of the province of Skåne (Scania) in southern Sweden: Or, a griffin gules crowned azur. This is the official coat of arms of Skåne since 1660 and has its origin in the medieval arms of the city of Malmö. The reason why SAAB adopted it as its logo is that the original SAAB company (which produced small cars and aeroplanes) merged in 1969 with the truck manufacturer Scania-Vabis which in turn consisted of two companies, originated in Malmoe and in Södertälje, respectively.
	() Thanks

17th February 2004, 11:13	#3
v12 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 6,773 Thanked: 7,569 Times View My Garage	The History of the Ferrari Prancing Horse Logo The history of the provenance of the prancing horse in the Ferrari logo is not always clear to everybody and to be honest, we can only go by the explanation that Enzo Ferrari has given himself in his autobiography "My terrible joys" which first appeared in 1963 and in which he says: "As my trade mark, I continued to use the rampant horse that had been used on the cars of the old Scuderia Ferrari. The story of this rampant horse is a simple and fascinating one. The emblem was emblazoned on the fighter plane of Francesco Baracca, the ace of World War I, who was shot down at Montello. In 1923, when competing in the first Circuito del Savio, at Ravenna, I made acquaintance of Count Enrico Baracca, the hero's father; as a result of that meeting, I was subsequently introduced to the ace's mother, the Countess Paolina Baracca, who one day said to me: Ferrari, why don't you put my son's rampant horse on your car? It will bring you luck" I still have Baracca's photograph, with his parents dedication in which they entrust the horse to me. The horse was, and has remained, black; whilst I myself added the gold field, this being the color of Modena". ------------------------------------------------------------------ The Tuning Fork Mark The three tuning forks of the Yamaha logo mark represent the cooperative relationship that links the three pillars of our business -- technology, production, and sales. They also evoke the robust vitality that has forged a reputation for sound and music the world over, a territory indicated by the enclosing circle. The mark also symbolizes the three essential musical elements: melody, harmony, and rhythm.
	() Thanks

25th February 2004, 20:52	#4
pranay Newbie Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: kathmandu, Nepal Posts: 14 Thanked: 0 Times	thats really good info....i am not sure if many ppl know that
	() Thanks

13th February 2005, 20:47	#5
turbolader BHPian Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: andheri Posts: 138 Thanked: 0 Times	Manufacturer Logos - What do they explain?? They say theres a reason behind everything,heres a few 1)Alfa Romeo The symbols out here r the coat of arms of the city of Milan & related to the Crusades,hence the cross.The figure being eaten is a child or a Saracen depending on who u listen to. 2)Audi(Latin for 'Hear!') The 4 rings of Audi represent the 4 companies of the Auto-Union(i.e. DKW,Horch,Wanderer & Audi)After the war the Audi name disappeared,but was revived in 1965,using the 4 rings as a logo. 3)BMW(Bayerische Motoren Werke) The BMW roundel is a stylised,rotating airscrew-the blue representing the sky.BMW built military aero engines for the planes that bombed the factories that they now own. 4)Citroen Andre Citroen started in the motor trade by building gear wheels,& the twin chevrons are meant to represent gear teeth. 5)Ferrari The prancing horse was originally the emblem of Italian WWI flying ace Francesco Baracca,whosse parents persuaded Ferrari to adopt the symbol of their late son for his racing Alfas. 6)Ford Mr Fords right hand man,Harold Wills earned money printing business cards in his teens,when Henry was looking for a logo in 1903 he dusted off hiis old John Bull printing set.The type face was the 1 he ussed for his own visiting cards.The ovalll appeared in 1912 & the blues was added for model A in 1927. 7)Fiat Fiat 1st used the 5-bar logo on the Uno in 1982,but when Fiat design chief Mario Maioli was iving past the Mirafiori factory at night after a power cut he saw the giant Fiat logo on top of the plant & set against the fading light of the sky.He did a quick sketch & thus thew 5-bars represent the spaces he cld see between the letters FIAT. 8)Maserati The Trident is the traditional symbol of Bologna,where the cars were originally made. 9)Mazda The 'V' represents out-stretched wings & in Mazdas words-'The creativity,the sense of mission,the gentleness & the flexibility that are Mazda'. 10)Mercedes The 3-pointed star repressents the domination of land,sea & air. 11)Mitsubishi The company in 1870 built its 1st ship-the 3 diamonds represent a ships propellers. 12)Peugeot One of the earliest models of Peugeot was known as a Lion-Peugeot which adopted the lion emblem of the city of Belfort,where it was made.Bartholdi,the sculptor responsible for the statue of liberty in NY also takes credit for Belfort's Lion. 13)Porsche The Porsche badge is essentially the coat of arms of the city of Stuttgart,which was built on the site of a stud farm-hence the horse.The antlers & the red & blacjk stripes are part oof the arms of the Kingdom of Wurttemberg. 14)Renault The Renault diamond started out as a bonnetemblem.The horn was placed behind it, & from 1922 the centre of the badge was cut to allow sound to escape. 15)Rover Rover r folk who rove about,rather like Vikings,hence the Viking ship emblem that has been used on Rovers in various forms. 16)Skoda The badge is actually a winged arrow with no apparent significance beyond a generic impression of speediness. 17)Subaru This badge refers to a group of 6 stars,also known by its original Japanese name of Mutsuraboshi.Subaru was the 1st Japanese car company to use a name derived from its own language. 18)Toyota The Toyota badge comprises of 3 ellipses depicting the heart of the customer,the heart of the product & ever expanding technological advancement & boundless opportunities that lie ahead. 19)Vauxhall The Griffin-half eagle,half lion was the heraldic device of Fulk le Breant,whose heiress bride had a house in Lambeth,in south London.It became known as Fulk's hall,thennn eventually Vauxhall.Scottish engineer Alexander Wilson founded his company in 1857 & adopted the griffin as his symbol. 20)Volvo Volvo means 'I Roll'in latin & the arrowed circle is merely the conventional map sign for steel.
	() Thanks

13th February 2005, 20:59	#6
drifter Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 1,488 Thanked: 75 Times View My Garage	Nice info there dude...i didnt know about the meanings of all the brand logos...in fact i was looking for the pics of these logos. Thanks. Drifter
	() Thanks

13th February 2005, 22:17	#7
amit Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 3,716 Thanked: 451 Times	Nice bit of Info there! Thanx!
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13th February 2005, 22:37	#8
shravan316 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,029 Thanked: 10 Times	Good info there turbo..... thanks for sharing that! By the way, what does that 'S' and 'J'(or is it 'F'??) at the bottom of the Ferrari logo stand for??
	() Thanks

14th February 2005, 17:52	#10
turbolader BHPian Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: andheri Posts: 138 Thanked: 0 Times	there Shravan316,PH's got ur ans
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15th February 2005, 21:03	#11
aah78 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: NYC / BOM Posts: 4,726 Thanked: 3,409 Times View My Garage	..(i).. very enlightening information indeed.. keep more coming as/when you come across it please.. ad
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15th February 2005, 21:44	#12
X-Machine Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Mumbai/Tokyo Posts: 1,475 Thanked: 29 Times	Nice bit of info turbo. Like everyone,even i was wondering wot the logos indicate.Got my doubts cleared now. X
	() Thanks

19th February 2005, 16:55	#13
Deeps Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2004 Location: Delhi/Noida Posts: 1,119 Thanked: 170 Times	Hmm, Very interesting info. But i spotted a light mistake. "3)BMW(Bayerische Motoren Werke". This is slightly wrong. Its "BMW: Bavarische Motor Werken" meaning Bavarian Motor Works.
	() Thanks

23rd February 2005, 23:03	#14
vance0712 BANNED Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: mumbai Posts: 142 Thanked: Once	greeaatt!!! dude that was excellent man i never had a clue nor would i think of making up any excellent stuff just wondering why you dont have suzuki in there i could ahve told someone something about my car then you know
	() Thanks

24th February 2005, 00:47	#15
merve_extreme Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,359 Thanked: 18 Times View My Garage	10)Mercedes The 3-pointed star repressents the domination of land,sea & air.it is taken from DMG's(Diamler Moteren Gelleschaft) symbol and the ring surrounding the star is from benz's symbol.they were combined when the 2 companies merged post worldwar.
	() Thanks