THE BIRTH OF THE BOWTIE: The origin of Chevrolet’s iconic logo

October 9, 2019
Posted by Barrett-Jackson

Written by Barbara Toombs

It’s a fairly well-known fact that Chevrolet co-founder William C. Durant introduced the company’s now internationally recognizable bowtie logo in late 1913. The story of how that logo came to be, however, is somewhat shrouded in mystery.

The long-accepted story, which was confirmed by Durant himself at one point, was that it was inspired by a wallpaper design in a Parisian hotel. That version of history, in fact, made it into “The Chevrolet Story,” an official company publication of 1961 to mark the brand’s 50th anniversary.

But two members of the Durant family remember the bowtie’s birth differently. In 1929, Durant’s daughter, Margery, published the book “My Father.” In it, she related that Durant sometimes doodled nameplate designs on pieces of paper at the dinner table, and one night landed on the design used on the Chevrolet to this day.

A different story was recounted in a 1986 issue of Chevrolet Pro Management Magazine based on a 13-year-old interview with Durant’s widow, Catherine. She recalled that the couple was vacationing in Hot Springs, Virginia, in 1912, and her husband spotted a design in a newspaper and exclaimed, “I think this would be a very good emblem for the Chevrolet.”

Although Catherine couldn’t recall what the motif was or how it was used, that bit of information inspired Ken Kaufmann, historian and editor of The Chevrolet Review, to check out its validity. He discovered a Southern Compressed Coal Company advertisement for “Coalettes” in a November 12, 1911, edition of The Constitution newspaper – just nine days after Chevrolet Motor Company was incorporated. The Coalettes logo was exceedingly similar to the shape that would soon become the Chevrolet icon. Did the Durants see the same ad – or one similar – the following year?

Another theory about the bowtie design is that it is a stylized version of the cross on the Swiss flag (Louis Chevrolet was born in Switzerland, to French parents, in 1878).

Whichever story is true, the Chevrolet bowtie has been the definitive company logo since the very beginning. While variations in coloring and details have come and gone over the decades, its essential shape has never changed, and it remains one of the most-recognized automotive emblems in the world.