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96 Comments to "Evolution of Car Logos"
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Ghisa
February 18th, 2008 at
5:40 am
About FIAT:
You forget the ‘80 - ‘90 (maybe ‘91 too…) Logo“/////”
You can watch it in this image…
http://www.cgavriliu.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/old-fiat-logo s.jpg
Bye
Ghisa -
Jerse
February 18th, 2008 at
7:37 am
Wow you really did your homework, Alex
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Maria
February 18th, 2008 at
10:45 am
Thank you for all this information. I had no idea about all this. My favorite is the Volkswagen logo same as the cars they build
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OracleTube.com
February 18th, 2008 at
11:51 am
Cool, nice to see how logos have evolved over time to match the sensibilities of people.
cheers,
praveen. -
anglictina
February 18th, 2008 at
11:59 am
Wow, very very nice set
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NiteWhite
February 18th, 2008 at
12:00 pm
blue and white roundel forever!! (or until I can afford a porsche/prancing horse) hehe
cool article on evolution of symbols.
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tom termini
February 18th, 2008 at
12:17 pm
Add this one, Opel!
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zenif
February 18th, 2008 at
1:23 pm
No love for the Volvo?
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Joey
February 18th, 2008 at
4:11 pm
“Mercédès or Spanish for ‘grace.’”
Gracia is grace in Spanish. Mercédès is grace in French.
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SW
February 18th, 2008 at
4:52 pm
why is this so LONG and boring? almost as bad as the computer logo post
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NiteWhite
February 18th, 2008 at
5:05 pm
@ SW, don’t hold back… please tell us what you REALLY think.
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Franz Kafka
February 18th, 2008 at
5:24 pm
mitsubishi logo- ancient chinese seclet? oh, i’m so bad.
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CheeseDuck
February 18th, 2008 at
5:44 pm
Huh… Really interesting! Shame I’m far too lazy to actually read all of it.
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Alex
February 18th, 2008 at
5:50 pm
@Joey: I looked it up and it said that Mercedes is a girl’s name of Spanish origin, meaning “mercy.” It is taken from the Virgin Mary (María de las Mercedes), meaning “Mary of Mercies”.
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Mark
February 18th, 2008 at
6:33 pm
I heard that, when spinning, like on the side of a wheel, the VW logo actually mophs into a swastika. This crap?
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Angel Conde
February 18th, 2008 at
7:09 pm
Very interesting information, thanks
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ted
February 18th, 2008 at
7:14 pm
TMI.
You need to devise a way of scunching the info so it’s not such a long scroll. -
Donald Ward
February 18th, 2008 at
7:44 pm
Very interesting site. One error I noted is that James Bond’s first Aston Martin was a 1959 DB 2-4 Mk. III. I know this for a fact because I bought Jack Lemmon’s DE 2-4 Mk. III in 1961 (and sadly wrecked it subsequently). I recently sold the Owner’s Manual that I didn’t have the foresight to have Lemmon sign when I met him at the Columbia Studio on Gower Street to sign the papers (I could have got $500 more with the signature).
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aravind
February 18th, 2008 at
8:20 pm
woh! great work man!
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Paul D.
February 18th, 2008 at
9:11 pm
I believe “Mazda” is a *germanized* spelling for “Matsuda”. Japan was learning a lot from German industry, and the z is pronounced “ts” in German, of course.
In Japan, of course, it’s pronounced Matsuda, and often written with the original kanji characters.
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Mark B. Morrow
February 18th, 2008 at
9:12 pm
Interesting site. With regard to Ford, you are missing the Ford Crest in Red, White and Blue which replaced the oval from 1950 to 1963 on Ford cars. The oval was only used on Ford parts and on the door sill plates during this time. Ford used block letters and/or a variation of the crest from 1964 until 1982 when the Blue Oval returned.
Ford Trucks used different logos from the cars in the 1950’s through the mid 1960’s featuring a Keystone shaped badge with a gear and lightning bolt.
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Franz Kafka
February 18th, 2008 at
10:18 pm
someone needs to check out that VW logo-swastika thing.
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Ali S.
February 18th, 2008 at
11:29 pm
Holy crap! This is an awesome post! I’m such a big car junkie that this just gave me a huge cargasm! :p
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JP
February 19th, 2008 at
12:05 am
Mark is right about the Ford crest. I remember it on the ‘55 Thunderbird. Here’s a link to an image:
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Grover
February 19th, 2008 at
12:12 am
Great post!
“…chances are it is because its logo didn’t change much over the years.”
It’s true, the simplest logos really have not changed - Pontiac’s pointy arrow thing, Chrysler’s pentagon, Chevy’s bow-tie, Volvo’s male symbol. Even Oldsmobile’s stylized airplane didn’t change much before the brand died.
I was just at the International Auto Show in Chicago and noticed that the logos have become very simple and more brand-identified than ever, usually taking some form of the carmaker’s initial - such as the Lexus “L”, Toyota “T” and Hyundai “H”. Even Acura’s compass thing resembles an “A”. I still think you can’t beat the leaping Jaguar for a hood ornament!
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Jael
February 19th, 2008 at
12:42 am
I believe you got some of your dates mixed up in the Mitsubishi article. Either that or this Iwasaki guy lived to be pretty old. Otherwise, good article!
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Alex
February 19th, 2008 at
1:51 am
Oops - thanks Jael, it was a typo…
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FP,
February 19th, 2008 at
2:48 am
I used to be a homeless rodeo clown but now I am a world class magician !
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Larfin Jackarse
February 19th, 2008 at
2:50 am
I’ve always wondered why the Triumph (who?) bike and car logo’s were different and where the name came from.
Perhaps if they went for more than 24 hours it was a …
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Marko
February 19th, 2008 at
3:20 am
You could also mention that Victor Vasarely made the modern Renault logo so that it looks like two Vs (one normal and the other one upside down).
He kinda eternized himself there.
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zeth
February 19th, 2008 at
4:46 am
missing EMW (Eisnacher Motoren Werke)
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automobilwerk_Eisenach -
LA
February 19th, 2008 at
5:11 am
Nice homework! Congrats!!!
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max
February 19th, 2008 at
5:36 am
i love cars, so thanks for your post!
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Sham
February 19th, 2008 at
5:53 am
>> someone needs to check out that VW logo-swastika thing.
Bullshit. I own 3 VW’s with the VW logo on the wheel (’59 beetle, ‘70 Thing, ‘68 ghia), and the VW doesn’t look like a swastika when spinning.
End of the story, yet another urban legend!
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alf
February 19th, 2008 at
6:18 am
thanx for nice post..
evolution of skoda auto logo
http://new.skoda-auto.com/CZE/company/tradition/logo/Pages/logo.aspx -
Bryan
February 19th, 2008 at
7:36 am
Good info!
But wheres Toyota? -
??????
February 19th, 2008 at
7:36 am
?????????….
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Jonathon
February 19th, 2008 at
7:49 am
I find the older logos on most of the auto makers more artistic and detailed. Very nice work on your page!
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Casey Wise
February 19th, 2008 at
8:00 am
Very nice post. Thank you for taking the time to do this. Nice cross-section of European, Japanese and American cars.
Nice work!
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Scion
February 19th, 2008 at
8:19 am
Nice work it takes time to do the research to find all of the images.
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AvgUser
February 19th, 2008 at
8:59 am
Nice Work Alex, What Happen to the other two thirds of “the BIG Three”??
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Marcus
February 19th, 2008 at
11:15 am
Very nice post
and SEAT cars? -
matjo
February 19th, 2008 at
11:44 am
About Cadillac.
In french: “seigneur”, not “signeur”.
Nothing about the Citroën’s chevron? -
Yojan
February 19th, 2008 at
12:52 pm
I always thought Audi’s four ring was for the four wheel drive..never knew 4 company into one..very meaningful
and so were Mitsubishi’s and BMW’s -
car lover
February 19th, 2008 at
6:32 pm
I like seeing how audi and volkswagen have morphed into the brands we know and “love” today. I think the Cadillac logo also has an interesting history.
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jimmy
February 19th, 2008 at
7:02 pm
I have wondered about the origin of the Infiniti logo. I’ve heard it has something to do with Mt. Fuji, is that true?
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Nicky Biasion
February 19th, 2008 at
7:22 pm
and the L A N C I A’s logos?
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Mikey Saab
February 19th, 2008 at
7:39 pm
Now if SAAB would only protect their hood logo from UV rays.
I swear 90% of all SAABs 10 years old have a blank silver hood emblem/ornament because the sun peels the paint right off.
SAAB - can you fix this problem? That and the “check gearbox” problems.
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Gold Cash
February 19th, 2008 at
7:47 pm
I can’t believe I just spend a half hour reading that. Great article… the history of some of those companies is incredible.
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Dan S.
February 19th, 2008 at
10:00 pm
Great info. I think the BMW information needs to be updated because it’s not accurate. The propeller idea was not the original inspiration of the logo. It was a later interpretation but not the true reason it was designed the way it is seen today. Wikipedia has it correct. The Bavarian flag is the true reason it has a blue and white rounded checker pattern.
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Stever
February 19th, 2008 at
10:15 pm
Mty logo of c0cked is asshorse with shizzle bling.
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Shinichi
February 19th, 2008 at
10:17 pm
I always thought Audi stood for ‘Auto Union Deutschland Ingolstadt’? Or is that a backronym?
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Pasha
February 19th, 2008 at
11:07 pm
They completely forgot about Dodge. WASSSSSSUUUUUPPPP with that?
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Grover
February 19th, 2008 at
11:50 pm
@ Mikey Saab:
The hood emblem was designed to fade away about a month before the headliner fabric delaminated into dust and the ignition switch shorted out from all the coffee spills!
Too bad GM has ruined a perfectly ugly car…wish I still had my old 900S hatchback!
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Nassos
February 20th, 2008 at
4:22 am
very interesting article!
It would have been better had you also included Volvo, Ferrari, Citroen and Skoda.
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Liam
February 20th, 2008 at
5:49 am
Thank you for compiling and sharing this information. Fantastic!
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jan
February 20th, 2008 at
8:18 am
Porsche had the idea of Volkswagen long before Hitler came to power. The name Volkswagen and even some of the design idea’s came from another German carmaker, “Standard” which advertised with “Das deutsche Volkswagen”. Later they were paid a sum of money.
Armand Peugeot actually had to set up a seperate company to sell cars. The family did not mind he used the name Peugeot. When the other company also started making cars, they did so with the name “Lion-Peugeot”. Around 1916 Armand Peugeot’s company would take over the iolder family business, although they still make the grinders. Strangely, you will get that one thing that no car manufacturer puts on their cars, a life-ling warranty.
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F1Mikal in NYC
February 20th, 2008 at
10:13 am
very nice work.
Easy to critique but not necessary.
Thank you very much…
but just wondered a couple of things;why did you do this,
approximately how long did it take you,
did your friends help you and…
how did you find the time? -
Peter
February 20th, 2008 at
10:19 am
Very nice work! One more correction regarding the Cadillac description: “seigneur” is French for Lord, not for Sir. (And I think you meant to say that “de la Mothe was never a MEMBER OF THE nobility”.)
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tom
February 20th, 2008 at
10:54 am
Perhaps you could correct the spelling of “Kübelwagen” as it seems to be missing the umlaut. If you are to write it without the umlaut, do so as, “Kuebelwagen.” Thanks!
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LadyPink
February 20th, 2008 at
2:06 pm
nice! I never thought of that. ]It really surprised me about voltswagon! I must let my dad know that!
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grup hepsi
February 20th, 2008 at
2:09 pm
good work!
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André Pudiesi
February 21st, 2008 at
12:18 am
@Sham
“End of the story, yet another urban legend! ”Actually, the first logo of VW has a swastika. Maybe the legend came from there.
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Pascal
February 21st, 2008 at
3:26 am
Really nice thread!
Mercedes Benz is one step further already:
http://www.designtagebuch.de/einer-neuer-stern-am-autohimmel-mercedes- benz/Cheers!
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CarMan
February 21st, 2008 at
8:08 am
the infiniti sideways “8″ is self explanatory, the newer logo of a circle with an inverted “v” shape is the “infiniti” of driving down a straight road
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Adalberto
February 21st, 2008 at
8:40 am
Here you can find Citroen e many others.
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rivman
February 21st, 2008 at
12:19 pm
Interesting piece.
I’ve always been into logos, especially car logos.
Please update and give us more cars.
You have nothing on any Chrysler Corp car.
For GM, Pontiac’s Indian head had changes over the years, and Olds had a variety of logos over its long history. Even the Chevy bowtie has changed slightly over the years.
Hope this article gets updated with new car logos from all over the world.
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GPS Tracking
February 21st, 2008 at
4:44 pm
You’ve mentioned alot about Porsche, how come no evolution? have they stayed the same the entire time?
btw, I like BMW designs best. They stand the test of time and still defines their origin which an airplane manufacturer.
Ford is long lasting too, but too boring. Sadly, so does their car designs. They’re improving though…
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x23
February 22nd, 2008 at
5:20 am
i’m surprised the Dodge logo wasn’t listed… since it started out for the first 20 years being a Star Of David… then various non-evolving things since then. none of them with any relation to any others it seems. pentastar… a rams head. pretty random.
http://www.allpar.com/history/logos.html
…has some history / speculation.http://www.cartype.com/page.cfm?id=799&alph=ALL
… has some pics of the early logos. -
floyd
February 22nd, 2008 at
11:22 am
Where is the Pontiac Indian??
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Brian LeBow
February 23rd, 2008 at
1:35 pm
I’m amazed at the genesis of logos. All the while we thought they were pulling the designs out of the air. It’s nice to see they are built on previous designs. I’m with the former post who mentions the BMW logo ~ Like that one the best as it’s built on the foundation of the company and still stands the test of time…
for automotive articles, check out http://www.goontheroad.com
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Ricardo Braz
February 23rd, 2008 at
4:42 pm
Realy beauty, but some of them can be changed yet.
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hadieOQ
February 24th, 2008 at
10:35 pm
where is toyota?
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klaus
February 27th, 2008 at
3:58 pm
regarding the BMW logo, have a look at the EMW (Eisenacher Motorenwerke) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automobilwerk_Eisenach
and especially the logos on this site: http://www.mirbach.de/main.asp?main=lexikon_103&nav=1 -
Cetin
February 28th, 2008 at
2:45 pm
WUUUUUUU HUUUUUUUWWW!!! That informations are super.. Thanks
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Zachary Gray
February 28th, 2008 at
11:34 pm
Great article! Car companies have always had to stay fresh, yet remain recognizable, so seeing the chronology of their identities always reveals the basic conceptual dilemma in corporate branding.
These examples really show the progression of fashionable styles in 20th century industry pitted against the need for consistency in representation to a wide audience.
Thanks!
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Quson
March 2nd, 2008 at
1:16 am
I’m not sure if anybody else pointed this out, but there is a mistake in the VW section. The VW Type 1 was only unofficially known as the “Beetle.” It’s official designation was the Type 1, as I just said (sorry to be redundant).
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vanitha
March 3rd, 2008 at
4:20 am
amazing stuff.
i am amused at every logos evolution.
great effort! -
oliver
March 4th, 2008 at
4:33 am
Cool article, a fantastic homework. Thanks for that!
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Kurt McQuiston
March 4th, 2008 at
11:02 am
NSU the car company people love to forget was merged with Audi in the 60’s and became the “5th ring”. The new TT and TTS Audi are a direct descendant and they have such a cool logo I thought it was worth mentioning. Check out my NSU website if you want more info. By the way, the Audi rings and NSU logo were displayed together until 1985 when NSU was completely dissolved.
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jers993
March 5th, 2008 at
8:15 am
If not already noted (didn’t read all the posts)
BMW has recently discovered they were mistaken about the roundel referencing a planes prop. The blue and white check shape has attributed to a flag. This from BMW via documentary on the History channel. -
Bruna
March 10th, 2008 at
8:10 pm
perfect!
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Marjorie Busch
March 10th, 2008 at
9:37 pm
I was always told that the EMW was the East German version of the BMW. In preparation for the war, Germany moved all its car and motorcycle manuacturing equipment to Eisenach, Germany so they could again manufacture airplane engines in Bavaria. After the war Eisenach was behind the Iron Curtain and they started manufacturing the R35 BMW again using the BMW Rondel. BMW finall sued them and won. That was when they cnaged the name to EMW All they had to do was take the front edge off the B and make it an E.
I have the 1951 version with the BMW Rondel on it. It is hand shift as they did not make any improvement to the bike. Most of the post war East German Made bikes were shipped to Russia
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Mark
March 12th, 2008 at
11:45 am
What about the rest of the Big Three?
The Chevrolet bow-tie has a good story behind it. I’m probably missing a lot of details but I recall that a GM exec was in France, at a hotel, and the wallpaper in his room had the bow-tie on it. He liked it and lifted it for the emblem for Chevy. There’s probably more details to that story that I’m leaving out, but you get the gist.
Pontiac was pretty simple. Because the car was named after an American Indian, it was only natural to use the Indian head logo. I think that changed in the late 50s when Bunkie Knudsen re-established Pontiac as a performance car. That may be when the arrowhead was introduced. It hasn’t changed much but Pontiac showed an updated arrowhead (Pontiac calls it a dart) on the concept G8 from last year’s New York show. The question is, what did Oakland use for a logo? Most people may not know this but Oakland became Pontiac.
Oldsmobile used a version of the Rocket right to the biiter end. Introduced in the mid 50s when they debuted their Rocket V-8. I don’t know what they had before the Rocket.
GMC was always GMC. The font has changed but for the most part, it has always been the bold red letter on the front of the grille. By the way, GMC was named after the brothers who founded the company originally. I can’t remember their name, but “G” was the first letter of their last name, “M” was for motor, and “C” was for company.
Saturn was always the rings of Saturn.
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???
March 20th, 2008 at
2:38 am
?????
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Thiago
March 24th, 2008 at
1:32 pm
MEUS PARABÉNS!
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carl
April 7th, 2008 at
11:10 pm
Congratulations!!!!
very nice!!!!!! and the Ferrari? its always the same? -
Jan
April 9th, 2008 at
6:40 am
@Marjorie: BMW got to Eisenach as they took over the brand Dixi. Dixi made the Austin 7 in licence for example. Nothing to do with preparation for war. Stronger still, they got there before Hitler came to power. EMW did more then just change the name. The logo changed a bit as well, blue being replaced by red. EMW is for Eisenacher Motoren Werke (translates to something like Eisenach Motor Factory).
@Mark: I am wondering how they could have used a rocket before rockets took of… -
paul merrill
April 14th, 2008 at
1:30 pm
Very cool article!!
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Jayakumar
April 21st, 2008 at
10:50 pm
Interesting article . Could you tell me which car maker has the number “8″ as its logo ? Thanks .
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YouN00b
April 23rd, 2008 at
12:59 pm
Nice collection of emblems, You should add the Dodge logos when you get a chance.
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Oleg
April 30th, 2008 at
7:17 am
2 Jayakumar
“8″ had been used by two brands: Ford and Cadillac.
V8 combination is by FORD. Just type “Ford V8 Logo” in Google pics finder and enjoy! -
Bilim ve teknoloji
May 8th, 2008 at
6:01 pm
Thank you… Nice collection of emblems, You should add the Dodge logos when you get a chance.
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Ermu
May 8th, 2008 at
7:23 pm
??????????????????????,????,????!!!(?????????????????????)
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Ermu
May 8th, 2008 at
7:34 pm
very good!I’m very like this article!Thank you very much!
Welcome to my blog!I hope you’ll like it too!(can you read Chinese?) -
Oldsmobilecar
May 10th, 2008 at
5:36 pm
Realy beauty, but some of them can be changed yet.
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