Fascinating Stories Behind Car Companies' Logos

W ith social media basking in all its glory, it’s no surprise brands would take advantage of it to promote and advertise their products. How many times have you looked at a car's logo and wondered how it all came to be?

Take a look at these fascinating stories behind car companies' logos to know more about your favorite luxury and sports cars!

1. Jaguar

The famous wild cat leaping forward was not actually the first choice of the company. Before the Second World War, this famous car company was known as SS cars. Once the tragedy struck, the owners decided to change their name due to the bad reputation of the Nazi government. The animal itself was chosen to represent grace, elegance, and power.

2. Toyota

The three overlapping ovals in the Toyota logo were released in 1990, to represent the unification of the company products and their customers’ hearts. If that wasn’t wholesome enough, there are multiple theories made regarding the logo, one of which states that the oval inside is actually a needle, with space to let a loom pass through, to pay homage to Toyoda Automatic Loom, a company that helped generate Kiichiro Toyoda’s career. 

Another theory suggests that all the ovals are used to spell Toyota in all capital letters!

3. Audi

The multi-billion-dollar German automotive car company has a name with a nice ring to it. The four actual rings in the logo, however, stand for the four parent companies that merged into the company we know today. The names Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer are now removed, but the rings can still be found interlocked together to pay tribute to the four struggling car companies that now make the Audi Union.

4. BMW

Contrary to popular belief, the blue and white checked roundel does not represent an airplane’s propeller shining in front of a clear blue sky. Instead, it pays its respect to the flag of Bavaria, Germany, where it all began. Along with that, the black ring around the logo is a continuation of its origin company, Rapp Motorenwerke, which had a tradition to have a black ring circle the company logo and name.

5. Rolls Royce

With a magnificent statuette and logo right on the bonnet of the car, the Rolls Royce company pays homage to the founding fathers -Charles Stewart Rolls and Sir Henry Royce- with the double R’s on the logo. The Spirit Of Ecstacy or the Flying Lady is one of the most iconic and timeless emblems, was inspired by the sculpture of Miss Eleanor Thornton as a custom ornament for Lord Montagu, but then later adopted as a standard for all of the company’s cars.

6. Maserati

A lot of times logos and emblems are made with dire consideration and careful analysis, while other times a random picture flicks the light bulb on. Such is the case with Maserati, who took their inspiration from the great bronze statue of the Roman God Neptune situated in the heart of Piazza Maggiore central square in Bologna. 

The design was also etched out by one of the Maserati brothers, Mario, an artist, who ironically, was the only brother who was not involved in the engineering of cars.

7. Subaru

Aside from its interesting origin story for the logo, Subaru is the first car company to have a Japanese name. Subaru is the Japanese name of the star cluster the Pleiades. The name itself means united. The Pleiades is a cluster of open stars within the constellation of Taurus.

Additionally, there is speculation that the six-star cluster is also a representation of the six companies that merged to form the Fuji Heavy Industries, which created the car company we know today.

8. Lamborghini

Another relation to the star Taurus, this car company’s logo comes with a bull ready to fight, representing the cars’ power and the owner, Ferruccio Lamborghini’s love for Spanish bullfighting, along with his zodiac sign, Taurus.

There are theories made that suggest that the idea for the logo design came into place when the owner was visiting the Miura Ranch- where bulls are raised for bullfighting- even before the company made its official debut into the world.

Final Thoughts

Origin stories for famous and well-known companies are almost always interesting and allow a peek into the founders’ lives. These fascinating stories about car companies’ logos certainly fit the mark.

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• cars
• design
• engineering
• sports cars
• inspiration