The motif inside the oval symbol represents the initials of the brand’s founder, Ettore Bugatti. The 60 dots around the edge of the red oval have two contradictory explanations that only Ettore himself could have answered: either they are pearls, to indicate the greatness of the brand, or they are the safety cables that Bugatti used to prevent the screws of his gasketless engines from coming loose.
BUICK
Buick’s first logos simply consisted of the company name written with varying degrees of polish and elegance. However, when research revealed that the coat of arms of the Scottish family of the founder, David Buick, consisted of three shields, the logo was modified to honour it and thus we have the Buick logo we know today.
CADILLAC
The name comes from the founder of Detroit, French explorer Antoine Laumet de la Mothe, who invented for himself the title of sieur (sir) of Cadillac. The intricate badge comes from his fabricated coat of arms, which he based on the authentic shield of his old neighbour, the baron of Lamothe-Bardigues. Originally, the Cadillac badge featured six martlets, but these were replaced by golden quarters with a black horizontal stripe in 2000.
In 2021, the company revealed a new, monochromatic badge as the brand transitions to electrification, but the one on the cars is still the more familiar version.
CHEVROLET
The famous ‘bow tie’ logo was introduced two years after the company was formed. The badge was inspired by a design that Louis Chevrolet saw in an advertisement in a local newspaper, likely for the Coalettes coals company.
CHRYSLER
The silver wings with a kind of medal in the centre, the symbol of Chrysler, were born in the Chrysler Six of 1924. Oliver Clark, the brand’s chief designer in its early days, conceived a radiator trim with wings and a design reminiscent of the wax seals used on old playing cards. It was a symbol of the model’s quality.
In the 1940s, the design changed to a coat of arms with a five-pointed star in the centre, the famous “Pentastar”, before returning to a design similar to the original. Although the wax seal is no longer present, the much longer silver wings have survived.