German Car Zone

The evolution of car logos

We take many things for granted in life and just sub-consciously accept certain things for what they are and never think of asking why? Picture the car you drive and its badge on the nose or the one staring at you in the middle of the steering wheel boss, nice isn’t it? But why is your car called what it is? And why is the logo green with a red stripe? And what does that emblem mean in the top right corner.

Did you know that Alfa Romeo, the pride of Italy can trace its heritage back to France, Stupéfier!!! Who would have thought that the most Germanic of brands, “Audi” was first uttered by its founders son whilst practicing Latin, Nie!! BMW is another iconic German brand and its badge is sometimes referred to as the “Blue and White propeller”, why you may ask? BMW’s past lies firmly in Aircraft engineering and the blue and white segments of the BMW badge are said to represent the propeller of a plane. The blue and white colours of the segments are taken from BMW’s homeland flag or the Bavaria flag which was blue and white. See it all makes sense when you know.

Here’s a few more. Ever wondered why Mitsubishi’s badge is a three pointed diamond star? Simple, Mitsubishi in English is translated into three diamonds. Did you know that American troops in World War II used Renault tanks? I could go on but for a fascinating read, click the link below.

[Source: www.neatorama.com/WCF]


SAAB



VW



Alpha Romeo



Aston Martin

Audi



BMW



Cadillac



Fiat



Ford



Mazda



Mercedes



Mitsubishi



Buick



Peugeot



Renault

That's some very nice stuff. Thanks man

Note Renault's 1919 logo!

Nice piece on logo design! Good stuff.

Those wacky 3 spoke Saab mags make sense when you look at their original logo!

PS you may want to edit your spelling of Alfa Romeo (not Alpha)

Awesome, Siko!

Alpha Romeo, Beta Romeo...who cares...those cars all suck.

Thanks!! Great stuff!

This article on neat-o-rama should come in handy for the next time you’re stuck in traffic or yarning with your mates over a beer ... Take a look at the fascinating stories behind the logos of some of the most popular cars in the world

I think the original link went bad. Here's a new one I found: Neatorama Blog Archive Evolution of Car Logos

Really interesting stuff.

However, I was watching a documentary on the production of the Z4 in the US. The fellow in charge of BMW North American marketing mentioned that the idea that the BMW logo represents a spinning propeller is actually a myth. It quite simply is a piece of the Bavarian flag.