Think Ford was going to max out with the Shelby GT350 Mustang? Think again. A brand’s logo is its face and its signature. In a letter or word, design or crest, it acts as a visual representation of the objects it will be attached to. In the automotive world, brands go to great lengths to design badges that create an identity that will draw fans toward it even before they see the rest of the vehicle. This list represents the crème de la crème in automotive logo design. From the most storied to the most iconic to the most badass, here are the best 15 automotive logos, ranked.1. Alfa RomeoAlfa Romeo’s badge floats to the top because, like all great art, it tells a story but still holds some mystery. The red cross, a common medieval Christian symbol, is easy to explain; it represents Milan. The meaning of the human figure being consumed by a snake-dragon creature, on the other hand, is a little less straightforward. The image is known as the Visconti Serpent, another symbol of Milan. It used to be that the figure pictured was usually a baby or a Muslim man, which hardly seems appropriate for a modern international brand, but Alfa Romeo insists its logo tells a tale of birth, not death, with the figure emerging from the mouth of the snake as a new man. 2. ShelbyIf you had to get a car brand tattooed on your bicep, this would be the one to go with. It’s just cool, full-stop. 3. Mercedes-BenzThe Mercedes-Benz three-pointed star emblem is synonymous with luxury. Sure, the marketing dollars behind the logo have a lot to do with the way it makes people feel, but there’s still something incredibly sexy about the simple design. In 1926, the logo had a wreath around it and was often seen in colour, but once the brand converted to an all-silver design, it stuck.4. LamborghiniA powerful machine requires a powerful logo. Imagine Ferruccio Lamborghini had chosen a parrot instead of a raging bull? The Italian automaker had an infatuation with bullfighting, and not only used the ill-tempered animal to brand his company, but named many vehicles after the sport, including the Miura (a Spanish family with a long history in bullfighting); the Jarama (named after a famous bullfighting area in Spain); and the Aventador (a famous Spanish bull).5. Abarth Abarth, the official vehicle of Scorpios everywhere. It’s true, sort of, as founder Karl Alberto Arbarth chose his Zodiac sign (and, fortunately for him, the most badass of the dozen) as the mascot for his brand. The red, white and green bar across the top, meanwhile, is a cross-section of the Italian flag. 6. Ford A Ford logo on the grille of a 2018 Ford Explorer on display at the Pittsburgh Auto Show. Ford’s logo recognition is so strong, it even has a nickname based on it. The Blue Oval as we know it today can be traced back to 1903 and the Ford Model A, which bore the same ‘Ford’ font as the current logo and was designed by a friend of Henry Ford’s. The wording inside has changed over the years – the first logo read ‘Ford Motors Detroit Mich.’ – but the oval has been the border of choice since the get-go.7. TeslaYes, it’s a T, but did you know that the electric car logo has a deeper meaning than just the first letter of the brand’s name? Elon Musk offered this explanation on Twitter: “Similar to SpaceX, the T is like a cross section of an electric motor, just as the X is like a rocket trajectory.”8. PorscheHere’s one your word-of-the-day calendar may not have gotten to yet: inescutcheon, or a small shield within a larger shield. That’s what Porsche’s got going on in its badge, the coat of arms of its home town of Stuttgart set inside the coat of arms of the Free People’s State of Württemberg. Where Cadillac fails to restrain itself (Emboss! Emboss! Emboss!), Porsche nails the luxury vibe. 9. JaguarWhile Lamborghini chose a raging bull to represent its performance capability, in 1945, Jaguar opted to illustrate power and luxury in another way: a slinky jungle cat known for its grace, poise and strength. The brand’s first logo, an ‘SS’ for Swallow Sidecar Company, was tossed to the curb following the second world war for obvious political reasons. 10. IsuzuThis Japanese brand was first founded in 1916 and while its logo has been through a few iterations, its understated, minimalist essence has remained for over 40 years. In 1974, the automaker updated its all-caps logo to include two white pillars, though today, the wordmark is most commonly used. 11. Saab The most recognizable iteration of Saab’s logo – the navy circle and mythical red Griffin, a nod to its aviation history – could have passed for a beer logo from the 80s, but that’s what makes it so endearing. Before the auto arm of the brand went kaput, it was using a silver wordmark sans avian, but the Griffin lives. Saab is still very much active in the commercial air, naval, security and civil aerospace industries.12. VolkswagenNot that creative, but simple and iconic, like the brand. And about a million per
Origin: Ranked: All the best car brand logos