Volkswagen Automotive Heraldry

 

1957 Volkswagen hood badgeFor a company that started out so focused on the plebian section of the market (isn’t the best translation of Volkswagen into English “people’s car”?) it seems odd to consider all of the heraldry used on various models of the Volkswagen.

 

The most famous is the enamel badge on the front of Beetles built during the 1950’s (this example is circa 1957.)  It is the arms of Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany, which is where the Beetle was originally manufactured.  If you are old enough to remember the fad of stealing these badges, please look at [Anthony].  Also, Beetle Bits & Bobs Bonnet Badge is a web page about the different versions of this badge and when they were used.

                                                                               

Volkswagen Wolfsburg Edition fender badgeSince the disappearance of the Wolfsburg arms from the front of Beetles in 1962, they have reappeared in some different forms.  This badge is from the fender of a Golf and represents a special version of that car.

 

Volkswagen Wolfsburg badgeThis even more abstract version of the arms is from a Passat and apparently covers a hole in the fender where a side parking light is installed in versions sold in other markets.

 

Volkswagen Karmann Ghia badgeFinally, there are the Karmann-Ghia models with the combined badges for the designer (Ghia) and the coachbuilder (Karmann.)

 

 

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Last Update: July 11, 2000

 

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