The Tales Behind Car Logos

"What fools in fact we mortals are To lavish treatment upon a car, With ne'er a little View More  of your time to find out About our very own equipment!" - John Kendrick Bangs (1862-1922), American writer, editor and satirist.

Indeed, we treatment about and for cars and trucks greater than we take care of ourselves. And sometimes, the 1st issue we treatment about will be the manufacturer, symbolized with the symbol. Many of these car logos are popular throughout the planet, immediately recognizable at a moment's observe. The Mercedes Benz three-pointed star, the Ferrari prancing horse, the Chevrolet bow-tie - they signify the manufacturer wherever there products are discovered. Here, we existing the not-so-well-known stories at the rear of some well-known logos, in no unique buy. We've got deliberately not provided logos which can be self-explanatory, which include those who involve the title (or original) with the brand name - Ford, Honda, and so forth.

one. Mercedes Benz: Two German car or truck makers, Benz & Cie. and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft, merged in 1928 giving rise to Daimler Benz Co. The famous three-starred logo was originally designed by Gottlieb Daimler in 1909, and subsequently featured on Daimler Benz vehicles. After Daimler's death, his partner, Wilhelm Maybach, took over the company and sold many Daimler vehicles to wealthy businessman Emile Jellinek, who later bankrolled development of a new line of cars named after his daughter Mercedes. Hence, the title. The emblem is supposed to represent the brand's "domination with the land, the sea, and the air."

2. Ferrari: The renowned Cavallino Rampante or "prancing horse" symbol has its origins in a chance meeting between company founder Enzo Ferrari and Countess Paolina, mother of Count Francesco Baracca who had been an ace from the Italian air force and used to paint a horse on the side of his planes. The Countess asked Ferrari to paint a horse on his automobiles for luck. The black color was used to symbolize grief at Baracca's death in action while the yellow color represented his birthplace of Modena.

3. Chevrolet: The Chevrolet bow-tie emblem is one with the simplest, yet most well-known corporate symbols in the globe. It was initially used in 1913 and there are conflicting stories on its origin. While one theory goes that it was inspired by a wallpaper pattern seen by co-founder William Durant, another says that it represents a Swiss cross in a homage to the origins on the other co-founder Louis Chevrolet. Incidentally, Durant had founded General Motors before he was forced out and established Chevrolet.

4. Dodge: The brand has a new emblem since this year, but most people still identify it with the "ram's head" brand. The brand 1st appeared as a hood ornament in the 1930s. The ram was chosen for its ruggedness, something Dodges have always tried to portray. In fact, so popular did the emblem become that Dodge trucks began to be called Rams. Today, it is still used for the spun-off Ram brand.

5. Buick: Not many know that Buick would be the oldest American automobile manufacturer. Founded in 1899 by David Dunbar Buick, it was later acquired by William Durant and became the centerpiece on the General Motors conglomerate. The emblem was originally a single shield representing Buick's ancestral coat of arms. In 1960, the single shield was replaced by a trio in red, white and blue representing the 3 automobiles then in the Buick stable - the LeSabre, Invicta, and Electra.

6. Maserati: This Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer was established in 1914 with the five Maserati brothers Alfieri, Bindo, Carlo, Ettore, and Ernesto, in the town of Bologna. The trident brand was designed by an artist and is based on a sculpture in the Fontana del Nettuno (Fountain of Neptune) at Bologna. Neptune could be the Roman God from the Seas and is represented with a trident in his hand.

7. Mitsubishi: The Mitsubishi model of autos is member of a larger conglomerate that began life as a shipping firm in 1914 and is named after the Japanese words for 3 diamonds ("mitsu" meaning "three" and "bishi" meaning "water caltrops," also rhomboidal like diamonds). Consequently, the origin of your logo becomes clear.

8. Subaru: The title of your company is actually the Japanese translation of your Pleiades star cluster, which also means "to gather together." Subaru is a division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI). The name refers to the five companies that joined forces (Fuji Kogyo, Fuji Jidosha Kogyo, Omiya Fuji Kogyo, Utsunomiya Sharyo and Tokyo Fuji Sangyo) to form FHI. The logo represents the cluster.

9. Mazda: The company derives its title from the Persian God Ahura Mazda as well as the name from the founder Jujiro Matsuda. The stylized "M" brand, also acknowledged as the "owl" emblem, represents Mazda stretching its wings for the future. It may also depict Ahura Mazda, who is often depicted by a flying sun-disk.

10. Audi: The company's title is based on the surname of the founder August Horch, meaning listen - which, when translated into Latin, becomes Audi. Horch had originally founded Horch Automobil-Werke, from where he was forced out before founding Audi in 1899. In 1932, Audi merged with Horch, DKW, and Wanderer, to form Auto Union. The Audi brand of four intersecting rings represents this merger. Its resemblance to the Olympic brand caused the International Olympic Committee to sue Audi in 1995.

11. Pontiac: GM may have declared its intent to phase out the Pontiac model through the end of 2010, but its arrowhead brand continues to be highly visible on American roads. The brand was named after Native American leader Chief Pontiac who led a struggle against British occupation in the 18th century. While the earliest Pontiac emblem depicted by a Native American chief's headdress, it was updated in 1957 to the currently used American Indian red arrowhead design, also recognized as the "Dart."

12. BMW: Rounding off this list is drivers' favorite BMW. The abbreviation stands for Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (Bavarian Motor Works). The two-layered circular BMW brand, also described as a roundel, has been interpreted to depict a spinning propeller, considering the company started as a manufacturer of aircraft engines. The white and blue colors represent the official flag of Bavaria, a state in Germany where BMW originated.

Dale Milton writes articles for carbuyhelp.com an online auto buying and selling service. If you need help buying a new or used auto or selling your vehicle, this site is definitely the perfect tool!