The four rings of the Auto Union, which became Audi AG Audi AG
You need a logo to identify your product, and there are some memorable ones in the auto world. Anybody with a driver’s license knows Ford’s “Blue Oval” or Chevy’s bowtie; they know Ferrari’s prancing horse and Lamborghini’s fighting bull.
But just what is the story behind auto logos? We’ve gathered eight memorable ones for their history, or how they’ve changed, or stuff that’s just really cool.
Rolls-Royce: Mister and Maybe-Mistress
Eleanor Thornton is said to have inspired the Spirit of Ecstasy
0 Comments Karl Benz built the first car in 1885, and since then many thousands of companies have sprung up trying to make a name for themselves. But few have survived and here we take a look at how some of those survivors. Sometimes things are a lot more convoluted than you think though, with some companies claiming two (or even three) first cars…
Mercedes-Benz (1886) This is where it all started – the first company to build a car. Karl Benz built his first car in 1885 and he patented it in January 1886, but the
Mercedes name wouldn t be adopted until 1901. That first car (called the Patent Motorwagen, pictured here) had just three wheels and a 0.75hp 954cc single-cylinder engine, but in 1893 Benz built his first four-wheeler, the Viktoria, powered by a 3hp 1745cc engine.
autoevolution 31 Dec 2020, 7:45 UTC ·
by
In case you didn’t know, the Ingolstadt-based automaker’s history has its own business address and it’s called Audi Tradition. The subsidiary is getting ready to celebrate the arrival of 2021 with the release of its newest installment in the “
Anniversary Dates” series, a digital leaflet designed to keep Audi’s fans up to date with important dates for the company. 7 photos
The latest “
Anniversary Dates 2021” digital booklet has been embedded below in PDF form in case you also want to keep up to date with Audi’s important dates and model history. It’s a 30-page long catalog, so there’s reason to bring up front a few highlights.
Where do those logos come from?
A logo is the foundation of a brand s identity. The term brand comes from livestock branding, something we re familiar with from the old west in America, but dates back to the ancient Egyptians. Like a cattle brand, a modern car badge conveys ownership and is a visual representation of the company behind the product. It has to be eye-catching and memorable. On top of that, many car logos and badges go back hundreds of years and are full of meaning.
Certain automakers like Rolls-Royce, Volkswagen, and Ford, have simple badges that deliberately remain so. However, even the most simple looking of logos have a story to tell. These are the more interesting ones.