Car Emblems for the Final Touches

Whether you are a bearer of the Marque, dignified and upscale, or a proud wielder of the Ram, the emblem of your car is your identity on the road.  Without the emblem, most people would shop based on fuel economy, performance and safety, but thanks to free trade, they will never have to.  Since the major inception of the automobile in 1902, people have been turning up their noses at “that” car, and gladly so.

In 1902, Ransom Olds organized a production-line in his factory to make automobiles more affordable.  Henry Ford improved on it in 1914.  Since then, hundreds of automakers have joined in, many of which have gone to rest.  Dodge, BMW, Chevy, Ford and Mercedes are just a few brands that stand out in the emblem war, but they are certainly the most recognizable.

Since its founding in 1900, Dodge has used five different logos to brand their automobile.  The Dodge Brothers logo, a pair of interlocking triangles forming a six pointed star with the initial DB in the middle, was used from 1914 to 1927.  In 1955, Virgil Exner redesigned the logo and the company’s vehicles in his “Forward Look” campaign.  The logo was a space age looking pair of overlapping boomerangs, and was used until 1962.  From 1962 to 1976, a fracture deltoid composed of three arrowhead shapes forming a 3-Pointed star was used as a logo, branded on emblems, steering wheels and wheel covers.  Most of us today remember the Pentastar used from 1976 until 1993, a pentagon with a 5 pointed star.  Today, all Dodge vehicles are branded with the Ram’s head.

On the luxury side, few emblems are as recognizable as the blue, white and black BMW logo.  After producing airline engines for the war effort, BMW began producing motorcycles in 1923 and automobiles in 1928.  The circular blue and white emblem has been said to signify the movement of an airplane propeller, with the white blades cutting the blue sky.  This is not true, however.  The emblem actually is an evolution of the circular Rapp Motorenwerke company logo, BMW’s parent company at the time.

The Chevrolet logo is said to be the result of a visit founder William C. Durant paid to France in the early 1900s.  It is said he designed the logo based off wallpaper he saw there.  Some historians disagree.  Still, the “bow-tie” symbol is synonymous with Chevrolet pride, and can be seen prominently displayed on in larger than life vinyl on the back of windshields worldwide.

When Henry Ford founded the Ford Motor Company, his logo was a complicated gilt-edged circle with the words “Ford Motor Co., Detroit Mich” in the middle of a black surface.  In 1912, he reversed his direction with a simple black script on a plain oval, the basis for Ford’s modern logo.  The logo evolved slowly to the “Centennial Blue Oval” currently in use.

The Mercedes-Benz logo is a simple three-pointed star, very recognizable in spite of its simplicity.  The meaning, dominance over land, the sea and the air is as profound a message as the logo is simple.  It first appeared on the Daimler in 1902 and has undergone several distinctive evolutions to get where it is currently.  This symbol was combined with the Laurel Wreath of the Benz Company in 1926 to signify the unity of the two companies. 

So whether you are a first time car owner polishing a rusted old Dodge pentastar, or a more discerning owner watching someone polish your BMW logo, the shared appreciate of the automotive emblem is a unifying force amongst all car owners.