Luxury cars symbols project a sense of prestige that makes it an object of desire. Thus, it makes you wonder what’s the story behind these majestic emblems and how they all came to be.
History of Luxury Cars Symbols
1. BMW Symbol History
BMW’s blue and white luxury car symbol is said to represent a plane’s white propeller that hovers the blue skies. However, BMW representative Tom Plucinsky debunked this myth and explained the logo was simply based on the Bavarian flag.
2. Ferrari Symbol History
Racecar driver Enzo Ferrari painted a prancing horse in his cars in reference to World War I hero, Count Francesco Baracca. The war veteran painted a similar logo on his fighter plane and it paved a way to one of the most recognizable luxury car brands in the world. The famed racer decided to retain the logo after forming his racing team Scuderia Ferrari and later added a yellow background to honor his hometown, Modena in his luxury car symbol.
3. Peugeot Symbol History
Peugeot started as a bicycle and steel manufacturer. Founders Jules and Emile Peugeot have bigger plans for their firm, collaborating with Julien Blazer to come up with a logo to represent all Peugeot products. Thus, the lion symbol was introduced in 1847 and was first seen on cars in 1905.
4. Cadillac Symbol History
The company got its name from French explorer and founder of Detroit, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac. Furthermore, the logo serves as an homage to the Cadillac family’s coat of arms and the original logo includes ducks that were later removed.
5. Audi Symbol History
Audi’s recognizable four interlocking rings logo embodies the merging of four companies (Audi, Wanderer, Horch, DKW) into a single business entity in 1932. The initial luxury car logo design included the Audi text but was eventually phased out.
6. Porsche Symbol History
This elegant luxury car’s symbol traces its roots in Germany. The outer layer represents the Free State of Württemberg found in Western Germany while the inner logo honors its former capital, Stuttgart.
7. Rolls-Royce Symbol History
Lord John Montagu tapped sculptor Charles Sykes to design a figurehead to be added to his collection of Rolls-Royce. The luxury car emblem sitting atop Rolls-Royce cars is called the “Spirit of Ecstasy,” modeled after actress Eleanor Thornton. The car company started to adopt the figurehead in the 1920s.
8. Lamborghini Symbol History
#Didyouknow
The Lamborghini symbol came from the astrological sign for Ferruccio Lamborghini. He was a Taurus.
To #Sellyourcar send us a DM. pic.twitter.com/k1XsUReopH— Cars45 (@cars45ng) May 19, 2017
Founder, Ferruccio Lamborghini, adores bullfighting and his fascination led to the discovery of the symbol. He thought of this when he visited the Miura Ranch, where bullfighting bulls are bred. Moreover, his birthday also aligns with the Taurus astrological sign – giving him another reason to pursue the bull design.
9. Maserati Symbol History
Alfieri Maserati founded the Italian automotive company but it was his brother, Mario who came up with the company’s sharp design. He saw a statue of Roman god Neptune in Piazza Maggiore and was amazed by how the trident was sculpted. In line with this discovery, he added a shade of red and blue to his luxury car symbol as thanks to the city of Bologna.
10. Mercedes Benz Symbol History
Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft patented two designs in 1909 – a four-star, and three-star design, with the latter being picked. The group of companies later renamed to Mercedes Benz and the ambitious three-star luxury car design represents their ultimate goal of dominating in three areas: The air, sea, and land.
11. Volvo Symbol History
Did you know the #Volvo logo is the symbol for iron? To reflect our strength and resolve. pic.twitter.com/X1W7691gFJ
— Volvo Car Australia (@VolvoCarsAus) April 4, 2016
Volvo patterned its logo after the ancient chemical symbol for iron and that’s not just for show. The cars live up to the hype and are considered as the safest and sturdiest vehicles on the market today.
Check out this video for the luxury cars symbols and their history:
Luxury cars and their symbols say a lot about the company’s history and it also gives zest to their cars. Manufacturers are so invested in these exquisite designs and they worked their way up to associate quality with these iconic crests. Hence, these logos are here to stay as the history engraved in each is too hard to replace!
Which luxury cars symbol do you like the most? Sound off in the comments below!
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