The long-accepted version of how Chevrolet got its Bowtie logo is that company co-founder William C. Durant saw the motif on the wallpaper of a Parisian hotel, tore off a piece of the wallpaper, and adapted the pattern for his cars’ nameplate. That’s the version the late Durant himself told.

There are conflicting reports on the design, though, coming from members of Durant’s family. His daughter Margery claimed that Durant cranked out the design on, where else, a napkin between soup and fried chicken at dinner one night. His widow told Chevrolet brass that Durant had seen the design while reading the paper on vacation in Hot Springs, Va. in 1912. Another version says the logo is a stylized look at the Swiss flag, a nod to the nation where Louis Chevrolet was born.

Suffice it to say each version carries plenty of lore with it. Did Durant’s family get the story backwards? Or did Durant make up the Parisian hotel line to add some mystique to the brand? Whatever the case, Durant’s design has become woven into the fabric of American lore just like baseball and apple pie. Click past the jump for the full story from Chevrolet.

Continue reading How Chevrolet decided on its iconic Bowtie logo

How Chevrolet decided on its iconic Bowtie logo originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Sep 2011 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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