The evolution of car badges – part one

Car logos are some of the most famous brand icons in the world. Produced in their millions, and seen in their billions, car badges are instantly recognisable by a great many people – even those without much interest in cars.

But how did some of the most famous come about? We look at a selection of famous badges and how they evolved over the years.

Alfa Romeo

Alfa Romeo’s logo and name has a history that isn’t as well-known as another Italian firm, Fiat. But like the latter, Alfa started out as an acronym. Originally Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili (roughly translating to Lombard Car Factory), it was founded in 1910, but became Alfa Romeo in 1915 when engineer Nicola Romeo bought the firm. Using Milan’s red cross on a white background, and the serpent found on the Visconti family’s coat of arms, this is a logo deeply rooted in Alfa’s homeland, and has barely changed since.

Aston Martin

The British marque has been running for more than 100 years, and its famous wings represent one of the world’s most prestigious brands. The badge didn’t always have wings though, starting out in 1920 with a stylised ‘A’ and ‘M’ sitting overlapped within a circle. Designed by Kate Martin, wife of Lionel, it evolved a few years later into ‘Aston Martin’ written out in the shape of wings. The current look – with feathers rather than letters used – arrived in the early 1930s, and has largely stayed the same since.

Audi

The famous four rings of Audi didn’t exist when the firm first started in the first decade of the 20th Century, but instead was formed in 1932. This is when Audi was merged with DKW, Horch, and Wanderer to become Auto Union. Initially, each ogo was placed within ain interconnected circle, but when the name reverted to Audi, the four rings remained and the individual elements were discarded.

Bentley

A British luxury manufacturer using wings in its logo… there must have been something in the air in the early 20th Century when it came to sports car makers’ badge design. Bentley’s came about after founder W.O Bentley commissioned friend and artist F. Gordon Crosby to create a logo for his cars. He picked the B sitting within wings – a reference to Bentley’s work with aero engines in World War I – and this was extended to the winged B used on bonnet ornaments.

Bugatti

Bugatti’s logo has probably changed the least out of all manufacturers. The red oval, surrounded by dots, and with Bugatti lettering sitting beneath the stylised reversed ‘E’ against the upright of ‘B’ goes back to 1909. Although it has been tweaked very subtly over the years, it would take a Bugatti expert to pick out the different logos to match different periods.

BMW

Another legendary German logo, BMW’s quartered blue and white circle has been tweaked many times over the years, but is still fundamentally the same as when it was introduced in the early 1900s. Blending the colours of the Bavarian flag into a shape that evoked a propeller spinning – BMW started as an engine manufacturer and built aeroplane units – it has changed very little in the last 100+ years.

Citroen

Another very old logo, dating from 1919, the Citroen double chevron is another that has prevailed throughout the years – though the badge has changed more than BMW’s above. Inspired by the shape of a herringbone gearing system that Andre Citroen saw on a visit to Poland when still a student, he bought the patent to use in French factories, starting a famous French manufacturer and launching a classic logo at the same time.