GEA Gustaf Ericssons Automobilfabrik / Sweden

GEA Gustaf Ericssons Automobilfabrik / Sweden ( 1905 - 1910 )

Yes, there were (small) automobile factories in Sweden before VOLVO made its debut in 1927. 

I’m talking about GEA, the GUSTAF ERICSSONS AUTOMOBILFABRIK in Stockholm. The founder, Gustaf Ericssons, had studied in Germany and Sweden, spent time in the U.S., and decided in 1905 to produce his own vehicle. He also built motorboats . Initially, he used FAFNIR engines for his vehicles, but later a 6-cylinder engine was also designed, which is considered Sweden’s first 6-cylinder engine. 

The total number of vehicles was probably fewer than 20. It's all the more pleasing that a complete vehicle and my firewall emblem have survived. 

Wikipedia has only a few lines about this automaker, and it doesn't even show a logo. I can change that, and here I'm presenting three different logos. 

Here comes the first logo. This emblem must be one of GEA's oldest, since it is still a firewall emblem—the predecessor of the radiator emblems. It was mounted on the outside wall between the engine compartment and the passenger compartment.

 

look at the center, the three intertwined letters GEA

Size	10.1 cm x 6.8 cm
Year	ca. 1905 - 1906
Estimate

 

A coat-of-arms-shaped shield bearing the three letters “GEA” was then mounted on the radiator of a GEA vehicle.

And finally, there is this logo, which Gustaf Ericsson himself designed and which shows that his factory was active in automobile and motorboat manufacturing.

 For more emblems especially from VOLVO click here or use the list of car makers (top right).

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RÖCK / HUNGARY

RÖCK / KELENFÖLD / HUNGARY  ( 1913 -19014 )

One of the oldest machine factories in Budapest, the István Röck Machine and Boiler Factory in Kelenföld—founded in 1802—also ventured into automobile manufacturing. Around 1913, it built postal buses based on chassis designed by János Csonka. The factory’s emblem was a simple brass plaque bearing the name “RÖCK” in an elegant, curving cursive script. Production came to an end with the outbreak of World War I. 

 

It is unclear whether this part was cut out of a radiator or soldered onto the radiators.

 

Size	16.5 cm x 8.6 cm
Year	1913 - 1914
Estimate

 

 

backside without makers mark

The RÖCK vehicle was based on a license from the German manufacturer HANSA LLOYD

 

For more information about the German Hansa Lloyd please click here!

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

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ÁMG / HUNGARY

Általános Mechanikai Gépyár /  Székesfehérvar / HUNGARY ( 1955 - 1962 )

The General Mechanical Machinery Factory (ÁMG) in Székesfehérvar built lightweight aluminum buses and trailer.   The buses were based on models from CZEPEL 

Székesfehérvar is a town in Hungary. You can translate the name as: Throne White Castle. 

One of the most beautiful postwar enamel emblems ever was used. 

Size	44.5 cm x 10.9 cm (with aluminum base)
Year	1955  - 1962
Estimate

 

 

As the name of the town suggests, the emblem features a white castle. 

 

backside without makers mark

 

one of the rare photos showing a ÁMG - Czepel bus

  

I don´t know if any ÁMG buses have survived. But there was a drawing of the 1955 - 1962 emblem, which was made by the Swedish boy Gustaf Moeller. Gustaf lived near the ferry port in Helsingborg / Sweden and drew the emblems of the waiting vehicles there. And one day, an ÁMG bus with that emblem drove by. What a great hobby that still helps and delights us  years later: 

 

 

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

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CLEVELAND / USA

CLEVELAND Motor Car Co. / Cleveland / Ohio  (1905 - 1909)

When people talk about CLEVELAND automobiles and their emblems, the first thing that comes to mind is the CLEVELAND Automobile Co., which produced fairly successful small 6-cylinder vehicles from 1919 to 1926. After all, they managed to sell around 50,000 units over the course of those eight years. Here, however, I’m referring to an earlier company that was also based in Cleveland, Ohio, under the name CLEVELAND Motor Car Co.

In fact, the last-mentioned brand was likely the first in the U.S. to install an enameled radiator emblem on a radiator. In any case, there is an advertisement from 1907 that explicitly mentions this (see below). I got this information from Kurt Hohl's excellent book *Marque of the Machine*, page 23.

However, it seems that none of these early enameled emblems have survived, which is why I reconstructed it with a little help from AI:

 

Is there still an original emblem?

Size	ca. 7.0 cm
Year	ca. 1907 - 1908
Estimate for an original

In the meantime, I was able to conduct further research and found what I was looking for. In 1951, a poster produced by the Eaton Corporation appeared in the U.S., featuring 556 American radiator emblems in black and white. Here is an overview photo. 

 

A detailed analysis revealed that a 1907 CLEVELAND emblem was also included. It had been difficult to identify until now because it does not bear the word “CLEVELAND.” But now that the 1907 emblem is known, it was possible. Here is a close-up photo. Conclusion: a 1907 CLEVELAND emblem existed in a collection at least as early as 1951 and therefore likely still exists today. The concerns exist only because the Templar brand also used such an emblem.

At least one hub cap from the early CLEVELAND Motor Car Co. has been preserved in Dennis Kuhn's collection:

 

 

 

For  completeness, here is the rather simple emblem of the other brand, the CLEVELAND Automobile Co.

 

Size	7.2 cm x 3.0 cm
Year	1919- 1926
Estimate

 

 

backside without makers mark

 

 

Finally, I was able to find this round CLEVELAND emblem. I suspect it's a late-model radiator emblem and not a hubcap emblem, since those looked different.

Size	6.3  cm
Year	ca. 1926
Estimate

 

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

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CONDOR / CHICAGO / USA

 

CONDOR / CHICAGO / USA (1932 - 1941) 

The CONDOR brand was originally the name given to the trucks built by the GRAMM company in Delphos, Ohio, which were intended for export.

The GRAMM family, which owned the company, had apparently always been export-oriented, and so the first truck bearing the CONDOR name appeared in 1932. It was still identical to the GRAMM model. Allegedly, the CONDOR export models were more successful than the GRAMM models, which were built for the domestic market. However, in my subjective experience, it’s easier to find a GRAMM emblem than a CONDOR one. The one shown here is the first one I’ve ever seen.

 

Size	9.7 cm x 5.6 cm
Year	1932 - 1941
Estimate

 

 

backside without makers mark

 

 

Here is the emblem before I gave it a soft restoration; I simply filled in the missing black enamel and then coated the entire piece with clear varnish.

emblem before soft restoration

And here is the GRAMM emblem that appeared on vehicles for the domestic U.S. market. Surprisingly, this CONDOR emblem is oriented horizontally, whereas the GRAMM emblem is a vertically oriented oval:

 

 In addition, the GRAMM emblem features a manufacturer's mark, while the CONDOR does not.:

 

 

GRAMM emblem with makers mark from FOX COMPANY

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

When using a smartphone please use the button webview. 

WESTINGHOUSE / USA

 

WESTINGHOUSE / PITTSBURGH / USA (1901 - 1909 )

After experimenting with electric vehicles, WESTINGHOUSE launched a 4-cylinder vehicle around 1905, which was marketed in the United States as well as in France. 

A license was also granted to the Hungarian manufacturer MARTA. No original emblem has been found to date. However, there is an article about MARTA in a Hungarian magazine that includes a drawing of the WESTINGHOUSE emblem we’ve been looking for. With the help of AI, I was therefore able to reconstruct the emblem. Here is the (convincing) result:

 

1909 WESTINGHOUSE radiator emblem 

 

 And here's my template:

Hungarian magazin from the 1970s

 

As for the colors, there was a second reference. In the 1920s, a Swedish boy named Gustav Moeller had a wonderful hobby. He drew the emblems of the vehicles waiting for the ferry at the port of Helsingborg. There was even a WESTINGHOUSE vehicle among them. So I was also able to determine the colors from Gustav’s drawing.

 

Painting by Gustav Moeller in the 1920s

 

The licensee, the Hungarian brand MARTA, subsequently released its own logo featuring the head of an attractive woman. For more information about MARTA please click here!

 

MARTA / HUNGARY

 

MARTA / ARAD / HUNGARY ( 1909 - 1917 ) 

The Hungarian Automobile Corporation Arad (M.A.R.T.A.) was founded in Arad in1908. The city of Arad became part of Romania since 1920.

Initially, the company manufactured vehicles under license from Westinghouse. A corresponding emblem from the period 1909–1914 highlighted these origins with a circular logo depicting a globe, crossed by a diagonal band bearing the lettering “WESTINGHOUSE”. I have never seen an original version of this emblem. However, I had enough information to be able to reconstruct a WESTINGHOUSE emblem. For more information, click on WESTINGHOUSE at the end of this post.

The WESTINGHOUSE emblem was followed by one of the most attractive colored emblems ever, depicting a stylized woman's head with red hair:

 

 

Size	7.0 cm
Year	ca. 1910- 1914
Estimate

 

 

backside without makers mark

 

 

A MARTA vehicle used as a taxi in Hungary (1913)

 

Finally, there was also a fairly simple, round, silver-colored emblem featuring only the letter M. So far, I haven't been able to find any evidence that it is actually a MARTA emblem. Experience shows, however, that at some point, while doing research, you might happen to come across a piece of evidence, such as an advertisement or a photo.

 

So far, I haven't been able to find any evidence that it is actually a MARTA emblem.

 

For more information about the licensor WESTINGHOUSE please click here!

CID / FRANCE

CID / LYON / FRANCE  ( 1912 - 1914 ) 

The company was founded in 1911/1912 as the successor to COTTEREAU, which had been established in 1898 by brothers Louis and Henri Cottereau. Following a name change in 1911, the brand name became CID, which stood for CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRIELLES DIJON.

 

never seen a second one......

Size	7.1 cm
Year	1911 - 1912
Estimate

 

backside without makers mark

 

The first sales brochure I'm aware of  features a round emblem. The brochure dates from 1912, so it's safe to assume that this is the first CID emblem. 

the inner letters are  different; may be a mistake because you can read CIC instaed of CID

As early as 1912, the CID Baby model was introduced with the following emblem:

Size	8.3 cm x 5.3 cm
Year	1912 - 1914
Estimate

backside without makers mark

1912 sales brochure

emblem after soft restoration

 

Here comes the famous 1-cylinder CID engine. This motor is a BUCHET design and has also been used by numerous other manufacturers; according to the internet, for example, by BARRÉ, DUMAS, PASSY - THELLIER, VAN LANGENDONCK et some more.

 

this engine is for sale; just mail to: emblemcollection@gmail.com

 

It is unclear how many vehicles CID built over the three years, but it cannot have been very many.

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

When using a smartphone please use the buton webview.