The Stories Powering Car or truck Logos

"What fools in truth we mortals are To lavish care upon an auto, With ne'er a little Car Brand Logos  of time to discover About our personal machinery!" - John Kendrick Bangs (1862-1922), American creator, editor and satirist.

Indeed, we care about and for cars more than we take care of ourselves. And often, the initial point we care about will be the manufacturer, symbolized via the symbol. A few of these automobile logos are well known during the earth, promptly recognizable at a moment's discover. The Mercedes Benz three-pointed star, the Ferrari prancing horse, the Chevrolet bow-tie - they signify the brand anywhere there products are identified. Right here, we present the not-so-well-known tales powering some well-known logos, in no certain purchase. We have deliberately not included logos that happen to be self-explanatory, for example people who include the name (or first) of the brand - Ford, Honda, and so on.

one. Mercedes Benz: Two German car brands, Benz & Cie. and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft, merged in 1928 giving rise to Daimler Benz Co. The famed three-starred emblem was originally designed by Gottlieb Daimler in 1909, and subsequently featured on Daimler Benz autos. 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 and trucks named after his daughter Mercedes. Hence, the name. The brand is supposed to represent the brand's "domination in the land, the sea, and the air."

2. Ferrari: The renowned Cavallino Rampante or "prancing horse" logo 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 with 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 cars 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 symbol is one from the simplest, yet most well-known corporate symbols in the world. It was initial used in 1913 and there are conflicting tales 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 with 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 brand since this year, but most people still identify it with the "ram's head" emblem. The brand very first 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 will be the oldest American automobile manufacturer. Founded in 1899 by David Dunbar Buick, it was later acquired by William Durant and became the centerpiece from the General Motors conglomerate. The logo 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 cars and trucks then in the Buick stable - the LeSabre, Invicta, and Electra.

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

7. Mitsubishi: The Mitsubishi manufacturer of cars 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 the brand becomes clear.

8. Subaru: The title of the company is actually the Japanese translation in the Pleiades star cluster, which also means "to gather together." Subaru is a division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI). The title 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 emblem represents the cluster.

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

10. Audi: The company's title is based on the surname in 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 symbol caused the International Olympic Committee to sue Audi in 1995.

11. Pontiac: GM may have declared its intent to phase out the Pontiac brand via the end of 2010, but its arrowhead symbol continues to be highly visible on American roads. The brand name was named after Native American leader Chief Pontiac who led a struggle against British occupation in the 18th century. While the earliest Pontiac brand depicted by a Native American chief's headdress, it was updated in 1957 to the currently used American Indian red arrowhead design, also recognised 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 symbol, also described as a roundel, has been interpreted to represent a spinning propeller, considering the company started as a manufacturer of aircraft engines. The white and blue colors signify the official flag of Bavaria, a state in Germany where BMW originated.

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