MORS / FRANCE

MORS / FRANCE  ( 1895 - 1925 )

The MORS automobile company was founded in Paris in 1895 by the brothers Emil and Louis Mors in, which existed until 1925. The name of the company was " SOCIETE D´ELECTRICITE ET AUTOMOBILES MORS" . MORS became the number one company to mount some very innovative technical solutions at the time. For example MORS was of one the first companies to use the V - engine configuration. As early as 1902, Mors engines gradually abandoned the air-cooling solution in favor of water-cooling. In 1906 a then-young André Citroen was appointed as general manager of MORS. Later, in 1925 André Citroen bought MORS outright and closed it down in favour of its own production of  CITROEN automobiles. 

 

1903 MORS seen at the London - Brighton rallye in 2019

 

The emblem shown above was followed by a series of different emblems, all in the shape of a stylized radiator:

Size	9.1 cm x 6.3 cm
Year	1908
Estimate

As early as 1910, MORS displayed the emblem in the form of a stylized radiator in advertisements and on the vehicle itself.

1910 brass emblem

Size	12.0 x  12.0 cm
Year	1910- 1920
Estimate

backside without makers mark

 

 

I have no idea why the name is written in quotation marks and why there is a dash under the letter O.

Size	6.5 cm x 6.8 cm
Year	c. 1913 - 1914
Estimate

 

For a few years MORS automobiles also had a mascot, a walrus:

1913 mascot, signed Augun Frères

Size	9.0 cm x 9.0 cm
Year	1913
Estimate

contemporary photo showing the 1913 MORS with walrus mascot and emblem !

Size	5.2 cm x 6.0 cm
Year	c. 1919 - 1921
Estimate

backside without makers mark

chromed v - shaped emblem

Size	10.4 x  12.0 cm
Year	1922- 1925
Estimate

1922 advertisment  with v - shaped emblem on the radiator core

In 1925, the last vehicle was built and MORS automobile manufacturing finally came to an end.

In the 1950s, the name MORS was revived. A scooter called MORS Speed was produced for a short time. But even the former famous name did not help, the scooter was produced only for a short time.

Size	6.0 x  3.9 cm
Year	1953
Estimate

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

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ALBA / AUSTRIA ( ITALY )

 

ALBA Automobilwerke Aktiengesellschaft / TRIEST (AUSTRIA later ITALY ) 1907 - 1909

This is my first post about a radiator emblem that I have never seen in real life.
But this post is about one of the nicest emblems ever made and I have found some material so a review makes sense. 

In 1906, the Austrian ALBA brand was founded in Trieste, a medium-sized city that at that time still belonged to Austria. Please do not confuse with the French company ALBA ( 1913 - 1928 ).

The word "ALBA" is Italian and means sunrise.  The emblem shows two finely depicted hands grasping a steering wheel. By the way, this is a motif which the Italian company "DE VECCHI" already had in 1905 (click here). In the background you can see a rising sun according to the name of the company. In addition, you can see a plant  in the upper left corner, which I could not identify yet.

And here it is:

 

 

Size	c. 7.5 cm
Year	1906- 1908
Estimate	for an original

First I found the emblem in this 1907 advertisment:

you can read in German: * VERTRETUNGEN OFFEN*  that means agencies wanted

 

Later I found some more photos, of course all in black / white:

 So the question is what colors did the original emblem have ?

 

Here is the colored result of my reflections after long discussions with my friend Giuseppe T. from Torino.

Background in yellow - orange: the sun always has this color. The sea ( below) is always blue. The plant on the left: always in green.  The arms and hands: in the original probably made of brass like the entire base of the emblem. The letters: difficult. But on the advertisments for an ALBA automobile you can see that the letters are clearly visible, so white should be the right color or also made of brass.

The start of this newly founded company was professionally managed:

Here the representative entrance of the factory. This picture was published in a magazine in 1907. But beware, it is a drawing. There was probably nothing to photograph yet.

 

1907: Interior shot of the factory. But here, too, you can see that everything is provisional so far.

1907: from the outside, the factory already looked busy.

Brochures were printed as well  with the charming emblem in the center

There was an impressive stand at the 1907  Paris Motor Show, but no complete car, only a chassis.

technical details of the ALBA 4-cylinder engine

Front view of the ALBA, again no reference to the colors of the emblem.

In the two years of existence,  only 9 automobiles were sold, none of them have survived to this day, but may be an emblem ?!

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

When using a smartphone please use the button webview.

GRÄF & STIFT / AUSTRIA

 GRÄF & STIFT / AUSTRIA  ( 1905 - 1971 )

Wilhelm Sift and his son Willy had established business contacts with the three brothers Gräf after the foundation of the not very successful company "Celeritas" in order to found a new automobile factory. In 1906 they brought out the first car of their own design. In 1914, the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot dead in a Gräf & Stift on the open road. In the twenties, several 6-cylinder and one 8-cylinder car were built. In the thirties Citroen and Ford models were built under license. The production of passenger cars was abandoned in 1938 due to the lack of success in favor of truck production.

And here is  the first enameled radiator emblem:

                                                 emblem and chassis plate in one

Size	14.5 cm x 5.5 cm
Year	c. 1912- 1914
Estimate

backside with makers mark from ALFRED STÜBBE BERLIN (!)

1907 advertisment: no automobile, no emblem, only letters !

early hubcap emblem still with the Austrian eagle

1911 review of the GRÄF & STIFT with technical details and the radiator

To my knowledge a new designed emblem was introduced in 1920:

In the middle of the emblem you see  the Roman I in a cercle as a sign of its self-awareness

Size	15.0 cm x  6.0 cm (emblem only)
Year	1920 - 1954
Estimate

There were quite a lot of different versions:

original emblem with here with opaque red

next version with opaque blue enamel

backside with makers mark from: STÖGER WIEN VII

early hubcap with emblem showing the new invented number " I "

1927 GRÄF & STIFT street cleaning truck in Vienna

another hubcap emblem

In 1934 / 35  GRÄF & STIFT built the CITROEN ROSALIE in licence, therefore the Citroen sign in the middle of the emblem:

 "moteur flottant " means:  floating power

Floating power was a new technology and means the attaching of a motor to its chassis with the intention to reduce vibrations.

And this is where the center piece of the GRÄF & STIFT emblem comes from :

original  CITROEN radiator emblem

 

The GRÄF & STIFT Type MF6,  a CITROEN licence had this particular mascot

After WWII GRÄF & STIFT continued to built trucks only.

In my opinion, this mascot here is the highlight in the history of GRÄF & STIFT:

Size	15.0 cm x 20.0 cm
Year	1954
Estimate	with base and perfect emblem

This is a giant three-dimensional representation of the famous lion as a front emblem.

Size	20.0  cm x 29.0 cm
Year	c. 1960- 1966
Estimate

The next development step: the front emblem becomes flatter, but is still three-dimensional:

Size	19.5 cm
Year	c 1967 - 1970
Estimate

The last GRÄF & STIFT truck front emblem was made in plastic, but still impressive.

Size	18.5 cm x 14.5 cm
Year	c. 1970 - 71
Estimate

Also a lion, but from BÜSSING,  not to be confused with GRÄF & STIFT shown above.

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

When using a smartphone please use the button webview.