S.G.V. / USA

 S.G.V. / USA   ( 1911 - 1915 )

The S.G.V.  was named after its founders: Herbert Sternbergh, Robert E. Graham and Fred Van Tine.

The S.G.V. Company was the successor to the ACME. The S.G.V. was inspired by the Italian LANCIA. Perhaps they had even acquired a license because there is an identical emblem.  In any case, the vehicles were distributed by the Hol-Tan Company, which operated the LANCIA distribution center in New York. The S.G.V. was active in the luxury segment and sold their vehicles even to the King in England, the Kaiser in Germany, the Czar in Russia and the American " aristocracy ".  The last model had an electric gear shift that never worked properly and led to a recall of vehicles. This was the end of the good reputation and  the whole company.

When starting in 1911 the Acme Motor Car Company announced the new S.G.V. :

no script, no emblem to see in the first advertisment for the new S.G.V

The first emblem was an octagone and the car still had an Acme script  on the radiator:

Octagone emblem

Size	c. 7.0 cm
Year	1911 - 1912
Estimate

 

In 1912  a new radiator emblem was introduced, a blue rectangle  with three white letters: SGV 

You find this particular emblem on the American S.G.V and on the Italian LANCIA SGV.  To my knowledge, this is the only case where an identical emblem was used on  an European vehicle and an American vehicle.

SGV radiator emblem from the Bregonzio collection, liquidated in 2009

Size	8.5 cm x 4.6 cm
Year	1912 - 1915
Estimate

backside without makers mark

contemporary photo of an 1912 S.G.V.

close up to show the emblem

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

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