IMPERIA / BELGIUM

 IMPERIA / BELGIUM / LIEGE ( 1904 - 1958)

The Belgian  IMPERIA ( 1904 - 1958 ) was founded by Adrien Piedboeuf in Liege in 1904, where he first manufactured motorcycles.  Before that Piedboeuf worked for Cudell in Aachen / Germany and  for Metallurgique. In 1906 he turned to the automotive industry.
Adrien Piedboeuf never gave up his goal to build on a Belgian automotive consortium. So he bought up many troubled manufacturers in the 1920s, such as METALLURGIQUE and EXCELSIOR in 1927 and NAGANT in 1928.

Already on the first models, since about 1910, there was an enameled emblem on the radiator, which showed a crown and the words Imperia and Liege:

 

The idea of the crown in the emblem probably dates back to the time of Piedboeuf's activity in Aachen, where the German Imperial Crown from the Middle Ages is on display.  The crown can be found in variations on every emblem:

The first color image of an IMPERIA emblem with the city names LIEGE NESSONVAUX.

Size	7.0 cm
Year	c. 1910 - 1929
Estimate

backside without makers mark

In addition to its production in Belgium  IMPERIA assembled a few cars in Great Britain in a factory in Maidenhead near London.

Size	7.0 cm
Year	c. 1924
Estimate

After Imperia had bought the NAGANT company in 1928, the vehicles carried the name "Nagant Imperia" for a very short time (1929).

1929 emblem of the last Six - cylinder NAGANT sold now by IMPERIA

Size	6.5 cm
Year	1929
Estimate

In the late twenties  there was also a silver-plated emblem:

the two holes are original as this emblem was screwed on the radiator shell

Size	7.0 cm
Year	c. 1930
Estimate

1926 advertisment showing an emblem from NESSONVAUX LIEGE

very neutral ad from 1932, which reader did they want to attract ?

Around 1932 the round enameled emblem disappeared and was replaced by a massive chrome-plated emblem, which shows the coronation crown in a  abstract way:

Size	78.2 cm x 10.5 cm
Year	1937 - 1939
Estimate

1937 IMPERIA, type TA 9 (TA = front wheel drive ) with the above shown emblem

1939 hood emblem of the 1939 IMPERIA Mésange

Last not least I found this particular emblem. I think it belongs to the car manufacturer IMPERIA.But there is no evidence yet. Who knows more?

automobile emblem or not, that´s the question

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

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