MINERVA / BELGIUM

 MINERVA / BELGIUM ( 1899 - 1939 )

MINERVA was Belgium´s pioneer make, with Knight sleeve valve engines after 1909. The factory attained high retail sales with fast  tourers (Charles S. Rolls was the London agent) as well with rather more formal cars for the nobility  before World War I.
In the twenties MINERVA produced a wide range of humble Fours for the mass market, but a return to the upper class with the AK 5.9-litre and AL 6.6 litre  meant that MINERVA succumbed to harsh depression winds and closes down car production in 1939.
Trucks were made until 1948 and the Land Rover was produced under license until 1956.
It is a pleasure to collect MINERVA emblems as you can find so much variations.
Here you see the well know MINERVA emblem made with white and red enamel showing the roman goddess  of wisdom, called Minerva.

 

1910 sales brochure with MINERVA head

The first MINERVA emblem, which appeared on the radiator in around 1910 , was almost completely flat and quite large:

Size	8.2  cm
Year	1912
Estimate

backside without makers mark

original MINERVA emblem with three dots at the bottom of the emblem

Size	6.3 cm
Year	1919 - 1929
Estimate

left: large pre WWI emblem  right: regular size used after 1919

 The MINEREVA goddess is looking to the right (rare emblem with two dots at the bottom of the emblem)

Size	6.3 cm
Year	1919 - 1929
Estimate

1921 advertisement showing the emblem  with three small dots (circles) at the bottom of the emblem

1925 advertisement showing the well known emblem

MINERVA automobile seen in Brussels at the Autoworld museum

1913 advertisement showing the radiator with emblem

MINERVA goddess looking to the left saying " Anvers Belgique"  

Here you can read: " Antwerp Belgium"

Size	6.3 cm
Year	1924
Estimate

One of my favorites:  the1928 advertisement, two companies, two emblems, but no vehicle to be seen:

UNIES POUR LE PROGRES DE L´AUTOMOBILE = united for automotive progress

There are much more MINERVA emblems:

Godess looking to the right. You can read ANTWERP. BELGIUM

Size	6.3 cm
Year	unknown
Estimate

all MINERVA emblems were fixed to the radiator with straps

1922 / 23 advertisement showing an fantasy emblem never seen on a car

This is the 1929 one year only  blue emblem. It  is much rarer.

MINERVA goddess looking to the right

Size 6.3  cm Year  1929 Estimate

There was also a (bad) repro made in the ninteensixties by Harry Pulfer:

The head of the goddess is made flat because  a laser technique was used in the reproduction.

1929 MINERVA  emblem with contemporary ad

Did you know that there was  an oval emblem ?

Size	7.0 cm x  5.5 cm
Year	1933 - 1937
Estimate

1934 MINERVA with oval emblem (seen in Autoworld Brussels)

1931 MINERVA emblem with traces of black paint:

1931 radiator emblem  seen in Brussels at the Autoworld Museum

radiator emblem without enamel  seen in Brussels at the Autoworld Museum

another rare  Minerva emblem

1921 advertisement with Minerva head looking to the right

MINERVA head looking to the left

 

original MINERVA spare wheel emblem made with green enamel

 

MINERVA spare wheel emblem in good condition

 

 MINERVA also sold vehicles to Austria. In this 1926 ad, however, you can see a MINERVA woman's  head, which was never on an emblem on a car.

One of the most beautiful enameled emblems was used on a motometer. What a nice piece of art !

Size	6.0 cm
Year	c. 1920
Estimate

Backside of the above shown emblem ( no makers mark )

Last not least there was a prototype emblem for the MINERVA SS with a twelve cylinder valveless engine.
This protype emblem is made by Harry Pulfer who reproduced in the Nineteensixties a lot of extraordinairy emblems. The MINERVA 12 cylinder  car never went in production.

prototype emblem  by Harry Pulfer: two dice symbolizing 12 cylinders;  SS stands for Sans Soupapes= valveless engine

After WWII from 1953 to 1956 the company produced a version of the Land Rover under license for the Belgian army

large aluminium radiator emblem

Size	17.0 x  10.5 cm
Year	1953 - 1956
Estimate

 

Down to the right and left on the last photo of this post you can recognize two round, red emblems with the letter M and the number 6 resp. 6. These are enameled hubcap emblems MINERVA used for a short time.

MINERVA 8 cylinder hubcap with enameled emblem

MINERVA 6 cylinder hubcap emblem

Minerva was so successful for some years that the company was able to buy other companies, such as AUTO TRACTION, where the emblem then indicated that it was a Minerva product. For information about AUTO TRACTION click here .

 

impressive MINERVA collection

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

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