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Chevrolet Bowtie Logo Turns 100, And Its Origin Is Still Disputed

After being around one hundred years, and being graced on some 215 million (!) vehicles, the Chevrolet bowtie remains an enigma.

When Chevrolet co-founder William C. Durant first introduced the signature bowtie in 1913, on the 1914 model-year H-2 Royal Mail and the H-4 Baby Grand, centered at the front of both models, the logo has retained its shape through the past century. Compared to how many times logos from other brands have changed over that same time period really speaks to how well timeless the bowtie is. But where did it come from? It depends on who you ask. And apparently, nobody bothered to interview Durant about it during his lifetime.

According to William’s daughter, Margery Durant, in her 1929 book My Father, he randomly doodled nameplate designs on pieces of paper at the dinner table. “I think it was between the soup and the fried chicken one night that he sketched out the design that is used on the Chevrolet car to this day,” she wrote.

Yet in a 1968 interview, Durant’s widow, Catherine, said the bowtie design originated from a Hot Springs vacation in 1912. While reading a newspaper in their hotel room, Durant spotted a design and exclaimed, “I think this would be a very good emblem for the Chevrolet.” Unfortunately, Mrs. Durant never clarified what the motif was or how it was used.

Lastly, Ken Kaufmann, historian and editor of The Chevrolet Review, discovered an old ad from The Constitution newspaper, published in Atlanta, of the Southern Compressed Coal Company for “Coalettes,” a refined fuel product for fires. The Coalettes logo, as published in the ad, had a slanted bowtie form, very similar to the shape that would soon become the Chevrolet icon.

The world may never truly know. Regardless, the Chevy bowtie has 100 candles to blow out. Time for some celebratory burnouts.

Former staff.

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Comments

  1. I just wish they would bring back the Red Bow Tie for the performance models. The gold is just so lame on a performance model.

    Also so many of the gold ones go to hell and look crappy after a year or two. You would think they would make the symbol of the division of higher quality as it represents the company.

    I replaced mine on my 08 with Polished Billet ones and it looks so much better and matches my wheels.

    Gold just does not fit well with so many colors.

    Reply
    1. I agree with the durability comment Scott – the only warranty issue I ever had with my 2011 Avalanche was replacement of the discolored Chevy logo on the tailgate.

      Reply
    2. Hopefully the durability of the emblem issue has been fixed now with the new design. The old one with the “gold leaf” that was adhered from the back definitely didnt stand the test of time.

      The new one appears to have a new “reflector” style interior that looks much more substantial.

      The logo is so very important for from an image standpoint. It’s like the company’s signature on the vehicle, the handshake of a contract.

      Ford seemed to have a supplier issue with many of their ovals as well, where it appeared that they didn’t clear coat after applying the blue paint. But, when that failed, you just finished it off with some Dawn and it looked like you had a billett-style emblem.

      Oh, and I agree 1000% percent on the the red-outline-only bowtie for performance models. Still looks great to this day when you see one go by.

      Reply
  2. Really the color of the bowtie worries you

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  3. I thought I read that a Chevy exec had seen the design on wallpaper in a hotel in France.

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  4. I’m just glad they stuck with it threw the years! It is by far the koolest emblem in the auto world

    Reply
  5. I liked the black with red outline that was on the 454 ss pick-up. I bought one for my ’98 silverado when the gold one came apart. The truck was black with red interior so it suited much better.

    Reply
  6. In the future I’d like to see the bowtie back to silver (well chrome, but you get it). I also think it’d be cool for them to use the old Bel-Air bowtie sometime.

    Reply
  7. I believe the “Coalettes” story. I didn’t realize they changed/screwed up the logo for 2013. The one from 1913 still looks pretty good.

    Reply
    1. The most recent logo update was actually started before 2013, introduced on the Equinox and Cruze, and other models got it when the rest of the vehicle was updated. I think it looks much more substantial and is a nice improvement (even though the photo may not show it). My 2011 Avalanche has the previous version, which just looks like gold plastic with a chrome edge. On my 2012 Cruze, the smaller gold area now has a jewel like texture, and the chrome is much heaver, taking the place of much of the former gold plastic, giving it a more classy look.

      Reply
  8. it’d be cool if they offered different body color matching inserts from the factory or dealership, so many people are tired of the gold, including me

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  9. Do you think people get tired of the blue oval at ford? Answer no! You should never get tired of a chevy bowtie, that’s unless your not a real GM/Chevy fan!

    Remember your either a diehard fan or not, which side do you fall on?

    Reply
    1. “You should never get tired of a chevy bowtie, that’s unless your not a real GM/Chevy fan!
      Remember your either a diehard fan or not, which side do you fall on?”

      A ‘diehard or not’ attitude? You’re treating this like a religion. Get real.

      Reply
  10. What is so bad about the 2013 logo?

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  11. The reality is the Gold is not very popular with many Chevy fans and has been a major topic on many Chevy web sites. It also has come up with some of the advisers to some of the car programs that Chevy has.

    I work in the Performance After market and we carry a long line of replacement Bow Ties and make a lot of money selling them. Truth be told if GM wanted to make added profits they could sell a line of color Bow Ties through the SPO parts at the dealer.

    Brian Ford Is ok with the bow tie because Blue is a more traditional and appealing color vs. the Gold. Also Gold just does not go with many colors very well as vs. more neutral colors. It is not that the color worries me but the fact that so many people comment negatively on forums and replace them shows there is little love for the color.

    The red and outlined red is still more popular with the performance crowd.

    Reply
    1. Never really gave much thought to this, but after googling some images, I wholeheartedly agree.

      The Bowtie should be red.

      Reply
  12. Do you really think the bowtie is a major selling point of a car? The color keeps people from buying the car? If the answer is yes then they didn’t like the car in the first place!

    There are plenty of things put on cars that people don’t like, they can change them if they want to but that doesn’t mean that the company has to change what they do at the factory!

    I laugh at people who complain when a car company doesn’t offer a certain color, or level of audio, or type of wheels and tires! I could go on but the point is you have to build a car most people will be happy with!

    Can’t please ever body

    Reply
    1. Agree with you Brian, that’s why the aftermarket is a booming business. Everybody likes something different. I don’t dislike the gold bowtie, it’s just that some colors look better on certain vehicles. I’m a die hard GM fan no matter the color of the bowtie.

      Reply
  13. If your a bigger fan of gm then that’s saying something cuz I’ve never met someone that’s a bigger fan then me!

    I’m more performance based then most people but I realize most people just want a nice car to get them to the next car they buy

    Reply
  14. The bowties come off of the grill fairly easily. I took mine out and painted it red on my ZR-2.

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  15. So if it’s that easy why should gm be the one that changes the bowtie? If you don’t like it make it look like you want it to

    Reply
    1. Because if you are selling a $35K vehicle why let people change your emblem out for one that may look better and be or poorer quality, Though the last 10 years it has proven other wise on some models.

      If anything GM should offer options as a SPO part in the dealer and make money on what everyone else is already making money on.

      Reply
  16. Ditto on the black bowtie with red outline (454 SS). Love it. So much so i would like to see the General do one black with a red glowing outline simular to how Mercedes is doing their “glow in the dark emblem”.

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  17. Here is the deal in a nut shell. The Bow Tie has recognition qualities and equity on par with the Benz Star and Rolls Spirit of Ecstasy.

    While it may affect sales directly the emblem is a hall mark of advertising that Chevy takes advantage of and never has to utter a word or print a label Goodyear get the same as if you show a blimp shape and ask someone to name it they will say Goodyear 99% of the time.

    Now the key it no you will not make everyone happy but you can make most of them happy and the Gold is no where that popular if you would ask around.

    As a styling element a more neutral color or better use as in the past could be done. Even the Vette Emblem has a nice use of colors and does not distract from the car like the gold emblem does.

    That is another thing I would love to see return is a modern version of the crossed flags to the non Vette cars. Not a retro one but a modern version like the C7 with the Chevy flags.

    Reply
  18. At the end of the day are people saying no I won’t buy that car cuz of what the emblem looks like?

    Reply
    1. No but are they as satisfied by their car as they could be is the question.

      Overall customer satisfaction is the key and if enough small things add up you can lose a sale. People today buy for some of the oddest reasons anymore. So many want a third seat in their SUV but how few of them ever use it?

      Lets face it There are people who will not buy a Chevy but will buy a GMC just because of the grill. That is a well proven fact and has been for years. That one goes both ways.

      In a case like this when you see on the many forums what people like and what they do not like do you not take interest in what they do not like and try to fix the issue large or small? It is a common comment and could even be made into a money making deal for dealers with the offer of SPO parts that could be added to the sale like step bars.

      So at the end of the day are you saying they should ignore a common complaint and a opportunity to make more money?

      Reply
  19. The Chevy logo is main reason I won’t get a Chevy. It is by far the ugliest logo in the world. I love many of the features of the their car but the logo just kills it for me. I am sure the rest of you people love it here but for me when I see it, devalues the car makes it look cheap.

    Reply

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