EXCELSIOR / BRUSSELS / BELGIUM

  EXCELSIOR / BRUSSELS / BELGIUM   ( 1909 -1931)

The Compagnie Nationale Excelsior began manufacturing cars in 1904. It was founded in Brussels by Arthur de Coninck. From 1909 onwards, the company was known as SOCIETE ANONYM DES AUTOMOBILES EXCELSIOR.  Approximately 600 vehicles were manufactured over a period of around 25 years, making every EXCELSIOR emblem a rarity.

 

 

Size	c. 10.0 cm x 4.5 cm
Year	1927 - 1931
Estimate

 

This model also had a radiator mascot ex works.

 

 As you can see this particular emblem was already used before 1914:

1913 Excelsior radiator  with emblem shown above

 

 

1924 advertisement in Englebert: do you find the Excelsior radiator ?

 

1926 advertisement in Englebert magazine

 

In 1926, the new ALBERT 1 model was released. However, it still had the 6-cylinder engine of its predecessor, the ADEX 6, with a capacity of 5340 cc. It is estimated that fewer than 200 vehicles were manufactured, making the emblem highly rare.

The emblem was completely redesigned and now featured a lion in the center, probably from the coat of arms of Brussels, which, however, shows two lions facing each other.

 

Size	8.8 cm x 4.4 cm
Year	1926 - 1929
Estimate

 

 

Sorry for the bad quality; But I'm happy to be able to show a period photo of type Albert I at all.

 

1928 advertisement in Englebert magazine; I just added the emblem

In 1927, IMPERIA took over the brand, although vehicles continued to be marketed under the name EXCELSIOR until 1931.

For more information about IMPERIA please click here! 

 For more emblems see older posts or top right ( list of car makers ).

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LEON BOLLEE / LE MANS / FRANCE

 LEON BOLLEE / LE MANS / FRANCE  ( 1895 - 1925 ) 

There were several automotive pioneers in the family of AMADEE BOLLEE. First, the father Amadée Bollé sen., who put a steam engine on wheels in 1875 and drove it from Le Mans to Paris. His son, Léon Bollée founded his own automobile factory in 1895, named ETABLISSEMENT LEON BOLLEE. The most popular model was a three wheeler called  VOITURETTE.

Léon Bollée died in 1913, but the company continued to operate until it was bought by the Englishman Willian Richard Morris in 1925 so the name of the company became MORRIS LEON BOLLEE.

 To my knowledge there was only one enameled emblem ( used after WWI ):

Size	5.0 cm
Year	1922 - 1931 ?
Estimate

However, according to my research, vehicles continued to be built and sold under the name ETABLISSEMENT LEON BOLLEE after the sale, as evidenced by the following document of October 1931.

source Archives de la Somme GUER 1295   med 15

This brochure, which shows a modern-designed car, also proves it:

Archives de la Somme GUER 1295 media 4

The early LEON BOLLEE models had a script only:

LEON BOLLEE in the nineteenfifties in Paris ( photo collection Claus H. Wulff )

For more information about MORRIS LEON BOLLEE please click here!

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HURRYTON / MENOMINEE / WISCONSON / USA

 HURRYTON by MENOMINEE / WISCONSIN / USA  (1920 - c. 1928)

What a wonderful idea to call a truck a “Hurry Ton.” The truck manufacturer MENOMINEE MOTOR TRUCK CO. of Wisconsin, USA, came up with this play of words in 1920 and wrote HURRYTON on the emblem. As a truck manufacturer, the artistic appearance of the emblem was not so important, so it was made of brass without enamel.

It is unclear how long this model was manufactured and how many units were sold.  In any case, it cannot have been a large number, as the emblem is also very rare.

Size	11.1 cm x 6.5 cm
Year	1920- 1928
Estimate

 

 

backside without makers mark

 

When I bought this emblem it was touched up in black and yellow; nice combination, but nor original.

 

 For more emblems see older posts or top right ( list of car makers).

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DUNAMIS / ANVERS / BELGIUM

 DUNAMIS / ANVERS / BELGIUM  ( 1923 )

Who has heard of the Belgian vehicle manufacturer DUNAMIS? I hadn't heard of them before I acquired this extraordinary emblem. DUNAMIS attempted to launch a product in the luxury class of 8-cylinder vehicles. Their competitors included Rolls Royce, Hispano Suiza, Minerva, Horch, Bugatti, and many others. The project was unsuccessful. Depending on the source on the internet, two prototypes or up to five vehicles were manufactured. No vehicle has survived, but there is this original emblem, which also demonstrates the company's luxury standards in terms of material and appearance.

On the emblem HERACLES; he was a Greek demigod known for his superhuman strength.

Size	7.5 cm x 6.8 cm
Year	1923
Estimate

backside also enameled, no makers mark to see

For more information about DUNAMIS' competitors and their emblems  please click here: BUGATTI or 

HISPANO SUIZA or HORCH or MINERVA

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WARTBURG / GERMANY

 WARTBURG / EISENACH / GERMANY  (1956 - 1991)

The first vehicle bearing the name WARTBURG was produced in 1896 by the Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach AG. However, it did not yet have an emblem (see end of this post). I am referring to the WARTBURG model that was manufactured since 1956 in Eisenach, what was then East Germany, i.e., at the historic site.
The first model from 1956 is also very interesting for emblem collectors and enthusiasts. The car was initially released with an emblem that was visually similar to one of its predecessor, the EMW. The three letters EMW were still present. 

 

This emblem was only used on preseries vehicles and prototypes, so it is extremely rare.

 

Size	14.3 cm x 7.5 cm
Year	1956 only
Estimate

 

 

backside without makers mark

 

 

The Type EMW 340, initially featured a BMW emblem and then its own red and white emblem instead of the blue and white Bavarian emblem.

 

 

regular hood emblem for the type EMW 327 ( attention: there are a lot of repros on the market )

Size	6.1 cm
Year	19
Estimate

 

Here is a real curiosity: the 1956 brochure for the Dutch market. If you look closely, you can see that three different emblems are shown! On the hood the prototype emblem, middle left  the series emblem, and at the bottom left a predecessor emblem. Collectors and friends of Wartburg  are delighted.

 

1956 sales paper; look at the blue circles

 

 

1956 to 1958 series emblem

Size	19.1 cm x 6.6  cm with base
Year	1956 - 1958 ( without VEB letters)
Estimate

 

 

 

1958 to 1961 series emblem. The letters VEB ( = Volkseigener Betrieb ) were added, a political statement

 

Size	19.1 cm x 6.6 cm
Year	1958 - 1961 ( with VEB letters)
Estimate

 

As is common with almost all car manufacturers, the emblem became increasingly abstract and simpler from generation to generation. Supposedly, this made it look more modern. Above all, however, it was cheaper to produce.

Size	17.7 cm x 4.3 cm
Year	1962 - 1983
Estimate

 

 Since 1983 the hood emblem was made in one color: black

 

Size	17.7 cm x 4.3 cm
Year	1983  - 1985
Estimate

 

All WARTBURG emblems shown so far were painted at the factory. However, I was able to find an original enameled hood emblem:

To my knowledge, this much smaller and lighter emblem was used on racing versions of the Wartburg Type 311 / 312.  Three stars because it is enameled!

Size	10.1 cm x 4.0 cm
Year	c. 1958 - 1960
Estimate

 

Here is the next curiosity among the WARTBURG emblems.

The original, standard WARTBURG 311 did not have a clock in the dashboard. This luxury was reserved for the exclusive 313 Sport models. As is well known, the former GDR suffered from a shortage economy, with the result that not all 313 Sport WARTBURG vehicles were fitted with a clock, even though it was intended and there was already a hole in the dashboard for it. To cover up this defect and the hole, the round aluminum emblem shown below was simply mounted. A cheap but ingenious solution!

attention: there are repros for sale

 

 And here finally comes the 1899 WARTBURG:

In the background is the Wartburg factory, where the vehicles with the emblems shown were built. In the foreground is the oldest surviving Wartburg, a model from 1899. Next to it is the Type 311.

 

As expected, the 1899 Wartburg did not yet have an emblem, but only a chassis plate.

 

The old factory still exists; today it houses the AWE museum ( AWE = Automobile Welt  Eisenach). In the background of the photo, we can see Wartburg Castle, after which the vehicles were named and where Martin Luther hid from 1521 to 1522.

photo copyright Claus H. Wulff

 

 For more emblems see older posts or top right ( list of car makers ).

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INTERNATIONAL / USA

   INTERNATIONAL / CHICAGO / USA   ( 1907 - 1986 )   

INTERNATIONAL started production in 1906 / 1907 and offered vehicles under the name INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER until 1986.  In almost 80 years, there have been many different emblems, the history of which has already been described by Mike Shears. However, I can show you an emblem here that was previously unknown in this particular design, as there are other names under the company name INTERNATIONAL. The emblem was corroded and at first I couldn't read what it said. But after careful polishing, you can now read: C. RAMMELAERE  OSTENDE

This is  the INTERNATIONAL emblem, which was used immediately after WWII from 1947 to 1949.

But there was never a second line with a name. Here, the Belgian vehicle dealer C. RAMMELAERE from Ostend, Belgium, spared no expense or effort in having his own emblem made using the original emblem dies and adding his name on it. Until now, I was only aware of dealer emblems that had been added to the original factory emblem, e.g. here from FIAT . However, it seems that not many emblems were produced, as this is the first one to have appeared in years.

Size	13.0 cm x 5.3 cm
Year	1947 - 1949
Estimate

backside without makers mark

regular 1940 - 1950 INTERNATIONAL emblem without dealers name

Here is an emblem that was mounted separately and additionally, for example on a FIAT:

For more FIAT emblems ( I can present almost 40 different ons ) please click here.

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