How many times have you wondered what the logo on the car in front of you symbolizes? Those logos we see all have a story behind them and are not just hood ornaments. Although every car emblem has some historical significance behind its establishment, seven iconic car emblems really stand out with their unique stories.
The Spirit of Ecstasy, the Silver Lady, the Flying Lady—that silver lady that decorates the hood of every Rolls-Royce—symbolizes the scandalous affair between John Walter Edward Douglas-Scott-Mantagu, the editor of the Cars Illustrated magazine during the early 1900s, and his secretary, Eleanor Velasco Thornton. The sculptor behind this famous emblem, Charles Robinson Sykes custom-created the Silver Shadow in flowing robes with a finger against her lips to represent the secret love between the two. Who would have known that a Silver Lady embellishing an expensive car is a replica of a mistress?
Today, the Cadillac emblem may not appear to be too special; it’s just a couple of wreaths in a clean linear design. But in the early 1900s, however, the original emblem contained two sets of ducks known as “merlettes” that symbolized the Holy Trinity along with a nine-pointed crown that symbolized France’s ancient counts. The original was established as a trademark in 1906 by founders of the Cadillac Motor Co., William H. Murphy and Henry M. Leland. The emblem actually turned out to be a “stolen” coat of arms that belonged to Antoine Laumet de la Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, founder of the Motor City who was also known for establishing Fort Pontchartrain du Detriot. Can you imagine that, getting your name and court of arms used for a car company and never being recognized for it until after you died?
We have all seen the black horse on every beautiful, shiny Ferrari and thought it represented the speed of the car, but guess what? We were wrong. The horse has nothing to do with the speed and beauty of the car. It was first used on fighter planes during World War I by the Italian Count Francesco Baracca. Eventually after his death, his mother “gifted” the emblem to Enzo Ferrari who has since been using it as the official symbol for Ferraris after adding a background consisting of yellow and colors of the Italian flag.
In 1872, Gottlieb Daimler, the founder of Daimler-Mercedes Automotive group, drew a three-pointed star on top of a visual of his house to symbolize the prosperity that would help his factory flourish. Then, years later in 1906, his sons Paul and Adolf Daimler used that same three-pointed star as the official emblem for their cars.
The famous BMW emblem that was established in 1917 is a roundel that enjoins the company name in a black circle that was derived from the blue and white diamond flag of the Free State of Bavarian. However, it is not an exact duplicate of the flag because it is reversed. At the time, it was illegal to use any national symbols in commercial trademarks.
Chevrolet’s bow-tie emblem may be the simplest but its discovery is the most unique. Although there have been several stories that explain the discovery, the most accepted one states that William C. Durant, the co-founder of Chevrolet, came up with the emblem after getting inspired by a pattern on the wallpaper in a Paris hotel room. However, even Durant’s wife and daughter do not exactly know how he discovered the emblem; each has her own story.
Pontiac was introduced in 1926 by General Motors, and named after Chief Pontiac, a well-known Native American who became popular after leading a successful uprising during the French and Indian War. The original logo also made a reference to the “theme” because it was a traditional Native American headdress but eventually changed in 1956, when “the Dart” was introduced—a red arrowhead with a silver star in the middle.
Next time you look at the logo on the car in front of you, imagine all the creative evolutions the logo took place based on historical references, or even chance inspiration.
