Car enthusiasts educate themselves about every single inch in a car and crave any piece of information regarding their favorite cars, year of manufacturing, model, cc, hp, and more.
But away from the car value, its ultimate speed, or gas consumption, we’re going to take you on an exciting tour to learn about the behind stories of 8 of the most iconic car logos!
So grab your drink and prepare yourself for some fun, tragedy, and even controversy!
- Chevrolet
The Chevrolet bowtie emblem tale is really controversial because there is more than one theory about the hidden story behind the logo. What exactly inspires William C. Durant, the co-founder of the Chevrolet brand, and Louis Chevrolet to create this logo?
One theory says that Durant was influenced by a pattern he saw on the wallpapers of a French hotel, but according to Louis, Durant’s daughter, Margery, said that her father sketched the logo on the dinner table one time.
While others say that it’s the Swiss cross on the country flag which is the birthplace of Louis Chevrolet.
Another theory says that Durant was inspired by an advertisement in a newspaper, that what his wife said in an interview.
- Audi
Sorry to break it to you, but no, Audi’s emblem is not related in any way to the Olympic rings.
The four rings actually represent the merger of four companies, Audi, Horch, Wanderer, and DKW in 1932 in the name of Auto Union.
- Lamborghini
There are two reasons behind the “raging bull” logo for Lamborghini.
The first one is that Lamborghini founder, Ferruccio Lamborghini’s zodiac sign was the Taurus, the “bull”.
The second one is that Ferruccio was obsessed with bullfighting, so one time in 1962, he visited a ranch in Seville, Spain, where he met Don Eduardo Miura, a breeder of Spanish fighting bulls, and was astonished by his bull, so he decided to make the raging bull as his next car logo which at the same time symbolizes the power of Lamborghini cars.
- Mercedes-Benz
Back in 1872, a man called Gottlieb Daimler sketched this three-pointed star in a letter to his wife to mark his location.
The design symbolized land, sea, and air where Mercedes’ engines are used.
- Toyota
Toyota is well known for its high-value cars, excellence, and boldness, and the three overlapping ovals represent different meanings:
- The inner symbolizes the trust between the customer and the company.
- The outer symbolizes the world embracing Toyota.
- The overlap in these ovals forms the letter “T” as well as a steering wheel.
Some people say that you can spell the word “Toyota” using only the logo.
- BMW
Many rumors said that the BMW car logo is inspired by an airplane propeller against the blue sky, however, this is not true.
BMW simply represents the Bavarian flag, because the company wanted to honor this region which hosted its headquarters for years.
- Ferrari
Francesco Barraca, a WWI fighter pilot who died before the war ended is the reason behind this logo.
Enzo Ferrari met Barraca’s parents in 1923 who told him that their son used to paint a prancing horse on his airplane as a sign of success and good luck, and advised him to use the horse for his cars to bring him good luck.
At the top, there is the Italian flag, while the yellow shield represents the color of Modena, Enzo’s home city, as well as the “SF” letters that stand for Scuderia Ferrari, which means Team Ferrari.
- Porsche
Combining elements from two coats of arms, the Free People’s State of Württemberg, and Stuttgart, its former capital and the headquarters of Porsche. Stuttgart stands for “stud garden” in German, this town was famous for horse breeding which is represented by the horse on the logo.
Two tales are told on the creation of this emblem which are:
- The son of Ferdinand Porsche, Ferry, Max Hoffman, and the co-founder of the company Ferdinand Porsche were having dinner in a restaurant and talking business when Hoffman said that they needed a logo for the company, and while having dinner, they sketched the logo on a napkin.
- Hoffman asked Ferry to create an iconic emblem design, and Franz Xaver Reimspiess, a Porsche engineer, created it.
So next time when you’re heading to buy your first car, or if you want to sell your car and buy a new one, remember these stories, you’ll never look at a car the same way!