ANGUS SANDERSON / UK

The ANGUS SANDERSON of  Birtley (County Durham)  built assembled cars from 1919 to 1927.
They had an engine by Tyler, a gearbox by Wrigley, suspension by Woodhead, wheels by Goodyear, front axles and frame by Mechin and a well designed body made by the  firm.
Wood for the bodywork was grown in the company´s own forest.
Only 3,000 cars were made so you have to look years to find an emblem.

Dimensions	5.9 cm x 9.8 cm
Year	1919 -1927
Estimate

reverse of the ANGUS SANDERSON: no maker´s mark

AUDI / GER

AUDI was founded in 1910. Here is the first enamelled emblem in the history of AUDI.
Before there was an oval brass emblem on the radiator with a small "a", so it says: audi.
The AUDI production stopped in 1939. The next Audi was the type 60 from 1965. It was a revised DKW F 102.

Dimensions	8 cm x 6 cm
Year	1920
Estimate

Don´t buy a reproduction. There is no makers make, but the backside has to look like this.


In 1930 the new AUDI front emblem was introduced showing a big 1 on a hemisphere:
It was already registered as a trademark in 1924.

Dimensions	6.3 cm x 3.9 cm
Year	1930
Estimate

Pay attention, there are reproductions so look at the reverse:

left: original                              right: repro

For more beautiful emblems from other automobiles see top right of this page ( list of car makers ).

WINTHER / USA

The WINTHER MOTOR TRUCKS Company started production  in Kenosha, Wisconsin in 1917.
They had a lovely emblem showing a large and a small gear.  In 1927 the last truck was built.

WINTHER radiator emblem

Dimensions	6.9 cm x 7.9 cm
Year	1917 -1927
Estimate

Pay attention. There is a repro with a flat back.

Reverse of an original WINTHER emblem

In 1919 the founder Martin P. Winther announced that a car would also be made. But it still lasted two years before the WINTHER SIX was offered. Their slogan was " Designed for critics - Built by mechanics ".
In 1923 they closed the car production after 336 cars. So you have to look years for this emblem.

WINTHER car emblem property of the K. Hohl collection

Dimensions	6.9 cm x 7.9 cm
Year	1918
Estimate

CASTLE THREE / UK

Original Castle Three radiator emblem

The CASTLE THREE was a British three wheeled cycle car made from 1919 to 1921. The car was aimed at the top end of the cyclecar market and so was fitted with a four-cylinder water-cooled engine.
The car was exhibited at the 1919 London  Motor Show and a reputed 2,300 orders were taken.
Not all of these were confirmed and it is estimated that around 350 were made so the emblem is very hard to find. Only two cars are known to survive.

Dimensions	5.6 cm
Year	1919 -1921
Estimate

reverse of an original CASTLE THREE emblem

FADAG / GERMANY

Not much is known about the German FADAG  (= Fahrzeug Fabrik Duesseldorf Aktien Gesellschaft ).
They started car production in Duesseldorf with an extravagant car offered with a 4-cylinder or a 6-cylinder engine in 1921. In 1925 they stopped the car production.  Not a single car has survived.
You have to look years for an emblem !

FADAG radiator emblem

Dimensions	7.8 cm x 7.8 cm
Year	1921 - 1925
Estimate

FADAG emblem with contemporary ad

SWIFT / UK

The shamrock on the emblem is representative of the influence in the company of the Irish Du Cros family

The British SWIFT Motor Co Ltd from Coventry  started car production with a small 1 cylinder engine of De Dion type in 1900.
In 1904 they offered  their first 2 cylinder engine.
SWIFT could not compete with the mass-producers and the make died in 1931 [Georgano].

Dimensions	7.3 cm x 6.9 cm
Year	1926
Estimate

The bird is a hawk swallow (= Swift)

Dimensions	6.3 cm x 5.9 cm
Year	1914
Estimate

                                        Here you see the emblem from the last SWIFT car, made in 1931:

SWIFT Cadet radiator emblem

Dimensions	4.2 cm x 3.6 cm
Year	1931
Estimate

 SWIFT emblem collection

DIATTO / ITALY

The four DIATTO brothers, Giovanni Batista, Vincenzo, Giovanni and Pietro founded the " FRATELLI DIATTO" Motor car company in Turino / Italy in 1905. They started the car production together with Adolphe CLEMENT, so the first DIATTO car was an Italian / French cooperation.

In 1909 the company got a new name, now it was called: DIATTO FONDERIE OFFICINE FREJUS.

Here you see the 1909 emblem, a fine and rare piece of art  déco.

no maker´s mark on the reverse

Dimensions	6.8 cm x 10.0 cm
Year	1909
Estimate

After  WW 1 the company was reorganized and offered cars under the name of DIATTO FREJUS.
Here you see the 1918 radiator emblem, an ultra rare piece and a master piece in the emblem world.
The center of the emblem displays a monument. Male figures are climbing the slopes and on the top there is an angel. This monument is dedicated to the ingenieurs and workers who built the oldest large railway tunnel crossing the Alps from Italy to France, passing under the Col du Fréjus.
On the bottom left of the emblem the tunnel entrance can be seen, on the bottom right the silhouette of the Turin fabrication plant. Headquarter´s adress of the company was Via Fréjus 21 which may have inspired the company to integrate the name and the reminesence to the tunnel (monument) in the companies names and emblems.

Dimensions	7.7 cm x 6.6 cm
Year	1918
Estimate

reverse of the original emblem

 The factory building is still in situ today as is the monument to which I travelled in order to allow a contemporary comparison between the emblem and the subject shown:

Pay attention, there  are (bad) reproductions as shown here:

DIATTO factory Via Fréjus in 2014

Here comes the next DIATTO emblem. I think it was made circa 1919 /  1920 before the quite well known oval DIATTO emblem was used.

Finally here is the  oval DIATTO emblem in red with white letters,  made in the BUGATTI style. You don´t have to wonder because DIATTO had an BUGATTI licence for an 8 cylinder aero  engine and the BUGATTI T 30 was sold in Italy with a DIATTO radiator. There are two versions:

 Version 1  

Dimensions	3.8 cm x 7.7 cm
Year	1920 - 1927
Estimate

Version 2:  Emblem of the DIATTO car of the MUSEO DELL´AUTOMOBILE DI TORINO

For more beautiful emblems from other automobiles see top right of this page ( list of car makers ).

REPUBLIC / USA

The REPUBLIC Motor Truck Company from Alma / Michigan started production in 1914.
In 1929 they merged with  LA FRANCE. Here you see their last emblem before it became  LA FRANCE REPUBLIC.
It is showing  the same size and manner of the 1929 LA FRANCE REPUBLIC emblem.

REPUBLIC radiator emblem

Dimensions	6.7 cm x 9.7 cm
Year	1928
Estimate

reverse of the original emblem

1928 REPUBLIC and 1929 LA FRANCE REPUBLIC emblem

1922 REPUBLIC emblem with contemporary ad

Dimensions	5.6 cm x 10.2 cm
Year	1921 - 1922
Estimate

reverse with maker´s mark

RUGGLES / USA

Frank RUGGLES started with a friction-drive vehicle in Ware / Massachusetts in 1905. As there was no succes they closed the same year.
In 1921 Frank RUGGLES restarted in Saginaw / Michigan, where he organized the RUGGLES MOTOR TRUCK COMPANY that continued in the commercial field into 1928 [Kimes, Clark].
You have to look years for this emblem.

RUGGLES radiator emblem

Dimensions	7.2 cm
Year	1921 - 1928
Estimate

reverse of the original emblem with maker´s mark: MADE BY AMERICAN BADGE CO CHICAGO

The 20 most beautiful truck and bus emblems of the world

After more than 20 years of collecting truck and bus emblems I thought it is time to show you my 20 favorites.
They are from the USA, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Belgium, Hungary, Finland, Denmark and Austria.
So 11 countries are represented  in this list.
More than 95% of all prewar truck and bus emblems are from these countries !
Since beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and since I´m the beholder, these are my selections:

USA truck emblems

Truck and bus emblems from Germany, Finland and Hungary

Truck emblems from Spain, France and Italy

Bus and truck emblems from Great Britain

Truck emblems from Denmark, Germany and Austria

For more beautiful radiator  emblems see top right (list of car makers).